Goin' Electric -- Seeking Wisdom from the Fishbros

moknots · 01-03-2009, 08:20 AM

I'd love to hear some wisdom from the trout forum buds! My 73 year old dad just bought himself, er, I mean NoKnots and I, a very cool Christmas present this year. Electric Scotty downriggers! Guess he got tired of my old Penn hand cranks. Rightly so, he seems to catch most of the fish. Getting a little away from the spirit of classic simplicity (or cheap assed frugality) embodied in the 1962 Glaspar Seafair we've been rehabbing, but so was the Lowrance 337C dual freq. wisbang depthsounder/GPS charting fish finder (that cost almost as much as the boat motor and trailer).

So it's time to consider upgrading a little to accomodate the new fangled downriggers. I find electrical stuff dull, scary an mysterious. I am out of my element! What wisdom can you share, Fishbros?

I am not axious to add a bunch of weight to my boat, but I am also not a fan of dead batteries. So do I switch out to a 4 stroke kicker with charger, or go dual batterys, or both? The boat, pictured in my avatar, is 18' and fairly light, easily pushed along by a 70 hp outboard that weighs only 230 pounds. This boat will most likely go straight to the bottom of it ever swamps -- the more weight added, the more likely. My current kicker is a 6 hp Mariner (made by Yamaha I suspect). It seems to do just as well as the 8hp yamaha that preceded it (both 2 stroke). Would a 5hp Honda do the trick, or do I bite the bullet and go with an 8?

twisted lines · 01-03-2009, 09:21 AM

4 stroke that charges, Two cylinders, One Battery! works good for me, 6 years on the same battery, Go big with the wire for the Scotty's as the directions say and enjoy them! Look into a good marine fuse block if you don't already have one!

Two Fister · 01-03-2009, 10:03 AM

That's a dad that deserves a pat on the back! You'll love the electrics. In the spirit of simplicity, what could be easier than turning a switch and having your cannonball come up and stop?

You might want to think about upgrading your batteries to a pair of Optimas if you are worried about weight. The pair will likely weigh about as much as a single battery and it'll cost a whole lot less than a 4 stroke kicker. Costco has pretty good prices on them.

Unless of course you want a new kicker and this is a good way to work it past Mrs. Moknots...not that I've ever used that kind of logic before...

Congrats, you'll love them when fishing on Crescent for Macks when your cannonballs are down 100+ feet.
TF

Waterfish · 01-04-2009, 12:23 PM

Moknots,

As you know, my boat is identical to yours. I have Scotty electric downriggers and they�ve never drawn down my single marine battery, even after 3-day trips to Paulina or Crescent Lake. One of the great things about Scotty downriggers is that they put very little draw on your battery. That said, I do carry an extra battery in the center storage compartment in the V-berth, but I�ve never had to use it.

If you are thinking about a new kicker, here are some photos showing how I mounted my 8 hp Honda 4-stroke. I had an aluminum bracket fabricated that raises the kicker up several inches. The kicker is connected to the main motor with a removable linkage rod so that I can steer it from the wheel. Also, I have a control box for the kicker so that I can operate the throttle from the wheel.

Here is another view of the kicker bracket. A 5 hp kicker would be OK most of the time, but when trolling at 3-4 mph the 8 hp kicker would be better. Also, if your main motor ever quits working, an 8 hp kicker will get you home faster.

Another view of kicker and transom. I use the trolling plate mainly when I need very slow trolling speeds (salmon, at 0.8 mph). Note the Nauticus automatic trim tabs - they really help the boat stay on plane even at slow speeds.

You can see the Scotty Downrigger mounting plate on the gunwale on the right side of the photo. I used 5/8� pressure treated plywood under the gunwale for backing plates. Note the Scotty downrigger electrical plug directly below the downrigger mounting plate.

Here is shot showing the downriggers mounted

moknots · 01-04-2009, 03:05 PM

Waterfish, you are THE MAN. THANKS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Some great ideas and photos!!

Waterfish · 01-04-2009, 03:42 PM

I forgot to mention that the Honda kicker is wired to charge the battery while trolling. However, I don't think the Honda really puts much power back into the battery - maybe not enough to matter. When I am out on the lake using the downriggers all day, most of the battery recharging probably happens when coming back to the dock with the big motor.

FallRiverGuy · 01-05-2009, 07:03 AM

Mike,

I have a 96 2-stroke Yamaha that can charge a battery. I had to buy a $75 part that one end plugged right into the motor and other end clamps onto the battery. I might be worth looking so see if your current kicker motor can charge a battery.

Even though there is more weight, I am a fan of two batteries. My "auxiliary" battery just runs my downriggers and is charged by my kicker. This summer I had run my main battery too low to start my main motor. One little wire with alligator clips it all it took to fire up the main motor. It is nice to have the second one as a back-up.

moknots · 01-05-2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallRiverGuy

Mike,

I have a 96 2-stroke Yamaha that can charge a battery. I had to buy a $75 part that one end plugged right into the motor and other end clamps onto the battery. I might be worth looking so see if your current kicker motor can charge a battery.

Even though there is more weight, I am a fan of two batteries. My "auxiliary" battery just runs my downriggers and is charged by my kicker. This summer I had run my main battery too low to start my main motor. One little wire with alligator clips it all it took to fire up the main motor. It is nice to have the second one as a back-up.

THanks for the scoop FRG! And Happy New Year! Where'd you get the $75 part? Happen to know the part number? Does your 2 stroke have an alternator? If not, it must just be pulling current from the magneto, which doesn't seem like it would be much.

FallRiverGuy · 01-05-2009, 11:34 AM

I'd have to look for a part number. I called Madras Marine and asked if my 6-hp motor could charge my battery and they said for $75 it could. I don't know the max output, but it does a fair job. One morning at LBC I dropped my downriggers before started the kicker and started to drift into shallow water. My battery was dead. It only took a minute or two fast idling the trolling motor to get enough juice to lift the downriggers.

twisted lines · 01-05-2009, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallRiverGuy

I'd have to look for a part number. I called Madras Marine and asked if my 6-hp motor could charge my battery and they said for $75 it could. I don't know the max output, but it does a fair job. One morning at LBC I dropped my downriggers before started the kicker and started to drift into shallow water. My battery was dead. It only took a minute or two fast idling the trolling motor to get enough juice to lift the downriggers.

Excellent idea. Fix what ya got. But that is the Bennie to the alternator, I used my kicker to recharge my battery one time it took about 15 minutes to start a V8 and that was a lesson to turn things off when it goes on the trailer Pretty good odds in 6 years Weight is an issue for me and I dislike extra cables and battery's very much. If you do go that way check Big R they have Gel Knock offs for about 1/2 what the real ones are.

moknots · 01-07-2009, 07:24 AM

FRG, TL, TF, Thank You -- good input. WF, your Glaspar makes me weep! I keep looking lustfully and trying not to hate my own lesser version! Thanks for sharing so generously over the last year or so. Looking forward to seeing it one of these days.

Keep it coming. I love this forum. So many good ideas, so much good experience and insight.