Sigma Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 (edited) Hello Raiders, I'm after some advice. I ordered a Scotty 1085 Downrigger from the U.S just before new years and it has finally arrived. As this is my first ever downrigger, I want to install it correctly. The downrigger has an 30" arm and has a tilt mount. My question is......is there a correct location on the boat where it should be mounted? Does it have to be at the back of the boat or can it be in the middle on the side? I have hand rails on each of the sides then a rod mount behind that on each side, as well as a port for a stern light on one side. All these things are making it difficult to mount it at the stern and be able to use the tilt mount. I was thinking of mounting it right at the back but I have a platform as well. The 30" arm clears the back platform by about 2" but even then it will be sitting right on top of the transducer and structure scan modules. The only place where i would have enough room would the centre of the boat, right next to the driver or passenger seat....is this OK? Appreciate any help with this. Cheers Dave Edited January 10, 2017 by Sigma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Spanner Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 People might be able to give you a bit better ideas if you are able to put up some photos of your boat. You also need to think about where the rod is going to sit in relation to the downrigger and how the line from the rod will clear obstructions and the strength of the rod holder. I have two gunwhale rod holder on each side. I run the scotty 1050 down rigger in the front one with the arm sticking out the side and the rod in the back corner rod holder. I have extended the line for the release clip so it reaches from where the bomb sits in the vertical position to the line of the rod tip over the back of the boat so that i minimise line blowback and everything runs straighter. I wouldn't use the rod holders that come on the scotty for kings unless you have alot of spare outfits, thhose holders aren't strong enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Hi Captain Spanner, Thanks for your advice. Scotty 1050's have a 23" arm and therefore I can understand your point. Please see pics below.... As you can see, there is not many options. Do you think it might be okay at the back? Now, that I have put it on temporarily, it looks like it has 3-4 inches clearance BUT will this interfere with the steering and the propeller of the boat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Spanner Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 You may be able to get away with that. I used to run mine similar with a longer rod reaching over the back of the downriggger from the front holder but i had to use a 7'6" rod to do this and that isn't always what i wanted to do so i changed my system. You had to keep an eye on where the downrigger line and the fishing line were, especially when turning. I never ran over them but it would be a possibility. It depends how long the rod is and when the boat is stationary and the bomb is hanging directly below the end of the downrigger and the line goes straight from the rod tip to the clip. I think that rear corner rod holder is slightly angled out to the side isn't it so the line may miss the corner of the pod and end of the downrigger. You need to make sure that the line from the rod tip never touches or tangles on the end of the downrigger, or touches the pod (platform on the back of the boat). To start with I would be tempted to run the downrigger on a rail mount on the driver's side towards the back end of that grab rail (where the swivel rod holder base is attached in the photo) and have the rod in the rear holder. You could consider angling the downrigger back at an angle instead of sticking square out the side but this may require some modified or additional attachments. This means you wont have to drill any holes in your boat. It will be removable then which is a plus, it may not look as pretty. I know the 1050 has a base plate that the downrigger easily slides in and out of, does the 1085 have the same system? Having the downrigger on the drivers side makes it easier to jump back and forth from the wheel to the downrigger to wind it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickmarlin62 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 a rail mount as far back as u can get would be ideal..if u mount it in front of the rail midships and fish with arm swung out at 90 deg will also work but remember to drive straight or only turn towards the rigger line or you risk running over your line..rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyT Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I have mine mounted on the port side as far back as it goes and I havent got any probs with turning etc. It faces atraight out the back and on my boat (tABS CC) in just pokes out past the motor and well past the pod. I usually use one of the rod holder on my Bait board to hold the rod im using. The rod should be behind the rigger - less chance of a fish cutting you off on strike. I would also mention that you might want to replace those plastic rod holders with some heavy duty ones if you are going to be fishing heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks guys, some really good help and advice from all of you....really appreciate it. It's good to get some knowledge from people who have a downrigger and know what issues they had when they installed theirs. As usual, this site is fantastic with so many people wanting to help out....thanks. Anyway, I played around with it yesterday afternoon and I think that I might have come to a solution but not 100% sure yet and would like your feedback on what my idea. I have some left over 20mm chopping board and I was thinking of making a base to lift it so that it has a clearance from the hand rail. In saying that, after doing some checking and measuring, it will need 2 pieces one on top of the other to make it 40mm. I would need to drill a hole through the 2 pieces and gunwhale and bolt it down. This should be strong enough, I think? I should be able to fit it in the small gap between the rail and the the rod holder (pic 2). Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Spanner Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Upgrading your rodholder is a good idea and I noticed that too but weren't sure how super heavy you will fish. If you are going to get excited and put holes in your boat and upgrade your rodhder, is there the possibility of putting another angled rodholder in closer to the back and bolting the downrigger (or preferably a base that allows you to remove the downrigger when not in use) over the top of where the existing rod holder goes in. It will depend on what is und r the gunwhale in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Thanks CS. Yes, I am thinking of changing both of the rod holders to SS units. I will be chasing big kings and therefore it will need to be stronger. As far as drilling holes, I don't think I have a choice if I want the downrigger. This unit is very heavy duty, it weighs 5.5Kg out of the box and even if I got some sort of mount for the rails, I would be concerned how strong it really would be sitting on top of a hand rail. As far as removing it when not in use, that is fairly easy. It has a three spoke knob with a screw in pin that you unscrew at the from the bottom of the base and its out in 3 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 Sigma, Mines mounted on the back corner. So like your back rod holder, I have 2 rod holders lined up. The rod holder where the DR goes into, I also have a piece of aluminium at the bottom for extra support. I'll try take some pics for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaddyT Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 The chopping board should be fine- put a piece underneath the gunwale as well- it will be rocksolid then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Hey Sigma, This what mine looks like, have no dramas with it. Support aluminium at the bottom for the DR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 3 hours ago, The Incredible Hull said: Hey Sigma, This what mine looks like, have no dramas with it. Support aluminium at the bottom for the DR Hi Incredible Hull, Thanks for the pics. So, I'm presuming that your DR is mounted to a plate that slides into the rod holder with the support plate? My problem is that this DR is a monster....it's heavy as I said before (5.5kg). In my pic 5, you will notice that I put a 4lb bomb to balance it. That wasn't enough as it still started to fall forward due to the weight of the arm and therefore I had to put a piece of timber under the arm to balance it out a bit so that I could take a quick pic. Even then it was wonky and wanted fall forward. This is why I think it has to be bolted to the boat itself. Also, this DR has no angle and sits level/flush on top of the gunwhale. The biggest issue is that it has a tilt whereby I can stand it upright when not in use and I would like to utilise that. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to tilt it in a corner as the brake handle and spool are too big for the corner and it would need to sit back quite a bit because of the spool. The spool is the size of a small dinner plate...lol. Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 My mate has the same DR as you. He didn't bolt his to the boat, it sits in a vertical rod holder. His rod holder sits about half way up his boat too, and never gets any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 12, 2017 Author Share Posted January 12, 2017 2 hours ago, The Incredible Hull said: My mate has the same DR as you. He didn't bolt his to the boat, it sits in a vertical rod holder. His rod holder sits about half way up his boat too, and never gets any issues. Did your mate have to order a particular base from Scotty that goes into that vertical rod holder or did he come up with something of his own? I know that there are a number of options from Scotty but it all costs $$$$ and I would need to wait for it to come from the U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 My mate got this which screws into the base of the DR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted January 13, 2017 Author Share Posted January 13, 2017 Do you know where he got that from? Would you have a link please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Incredible Hull Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) He said scoty has them for like $100 each. He got his for a bargin from a shop, for like $15... he said its currently around $80 from a shop, check it out... EDIT: sent you PM Edited January 13, 2017 by The Incredible Hull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poly2096 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 sorry just starting this up again. I have a Scotty 1085 downrigger and have a vertical rod holder that i want to mount it in. In the couple of posts above, where can i find the vertical rod holder mounts please? many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 3 hours ago, Poly2096 said: sorry just starting this up again. I have a Scotty 1085 downrigger and have a vertical rod holder that i want to mount it in. In the couple of posts above, where can i find the vertical rod holder mounts please? many thanks I ended up buying an original Scotty unit as I couldn't find the universal model at a discount price. The Scotty cost slightly more and I bought it on flea bay from the USA....mind you the Aussie dollar was about 85-87c comparing to today. Look up Scotty 1028 gimbal mount on flea bay....this is what it's called and the correct model number for a 1085 down rigger. Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poly2096 Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 Thanks a lot. Is it just me or does this mount look like it will have the downrigger pointing to the sky? My rod holders in our poly craft are vertical hence I need a vertical steel pipe and a horizontal mounting plate I think. I bought a hookem 30 degree mount and it doesn’t work unfortunately because of the angle. Also so if you don’t have pins in the bottom of the rod holders (I don’t think the polys do) will a rod holder mounted downrigger just spin around as I’m trolling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 1 hour ago, Poly2096 said: Thanks a lot. Is it just me or does this mount look like it will have the downrigger pointing to the sky? My rod holders in our poly craft are vertical hence I need a vertical steel pipe and a horizontal mounting plate I think. I bought a hookem 30 degree mount and it doesn’t work unfortunately because of the angle. Also so if you don’t have pins in the bottom of the rod holders (I don’t think the polys do) will a rod holder mounted downrigger just spin around as I’m trolling? It might be easier to buy an angled one cut it and get it welded or make it from scratch. Mine goes in an angled holder and have the hookem brand but modified it anyway. In my oat to keep the plastic rod holder due to paint and it being a shared boat I made a rod holder that goes under the gunnel and uses the plastic one as an insert. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 Unfortunately the 1028 has an 30 degree angle and yes, it would point towards the sky in a straight vertical rod holder. I was going to attach a pdf catalogue from the Scotty site and then you could have a look yourself what suits you best but the file is to large for the attachment (17Mb). Go to Scotty.com and download catalogue in PDF. I think all the mounts for downriggers are on page 20. Cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welster Posted December 26, 2018 Share Posted December 26, 2018 The rod holder mount ended up like this. We added a stainless plate and a hole to mount a rod lanyard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigma Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 This is what mine ended up looking like after I installed the SS rod holders and downrigger.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now