Outriggers

[Ripsangler]

I have a set of 15 foot single spreaders that I am disappointed with. My sportfish has a tower on it and I was looking at a pair of Rupp double spreaders that are 32' long. Are they too long? Does anyone have this setup? They will extend another 15' past the top of my tower. Thanks for any input. Kurt

[Tony Meola]

Kurt

Not sure what the rule of thumb is for sizing outriggers, but my 75 FBC came with Lee outriggers that were in 4 sections and about 20 feet long. The tubes they fit in were about 3 feet long so figure the total length coming off the gunnel is 23 feet.

[Tony Meola]

See if this link helps you, it is a PDF from Lee.

http://leetackle.com/GuideMXOutriggers.pdf


1. Determine the angle at which you wish to mount the main tube. An angle meter is
useful for selecting an angle that complements the lines of your boat, such as the
angle of your windshield, fly bridge or tower leg. It also helps to match the angle
of one outrigger to the other.
The recommended angle is 35 degrees off the vertical. If you angle the outrigger
too far back, it will decrease the amount of height and spread you will have in the
fishing position. Rake-back angles greater than 45 degrees are not recommended.
If you choose to angle the outriggers beyond 40 degrees, you can partially
compensate for the loss of spread by mounting the base of the back-brace lower
than the base of the main tube. This will cause the outrigger to swing forward
slightly when lowered to the fishing position. This does not compensate for the
loss of height.
When mounting the main tube the general rule of thumb for a sportfishing yacht is
to have the tips of the outriggers even with or slightly overhanging the stern. The
approximate location forward of the stern, for a rake-back angle of 35 degrees, is
found by dividing the overall length of the outrigger by two and adding 15% of
this number. For example, for an overall length of 30 feet the position of the base
would be 15 plus 2.25 feet forward. The upper portion of the main tube should be
in a position where the captain will have easy access to it because this is where
the standoff will usually be mounted. When you are sure the outrigger is at the
proper angle, in the position where it will operate properly and not interfere with
anything, then mount the base of the main tube. The base should be mounted on
the cabin wall or it can be mounted on the gunnels. Make sure that the bolt in the
base is horizontal.
2.

[lgtiller]

we have 32' riggers on ours, fish great and also look good.

[Craig Mac]

An older and wiser captain told me that the tips of the riggers should not extend past your transom---the thinking was --if two boats fitted with outriggers needed to transfer people or supplies in the open water --a transom to transom exchange would be possible without the riggers getting fouled. Although I have seen many boats that do not follow the rule.

[Ripsangler]

Thanks for the feedback. LGTILLER do you have any pics of your setup?

[DAYTRIP]

Rupp actually says the same thing that Craig mac said.

[Tony Meola]

I followed up with an online search, and while hard to find, they say the outriggers should be 2/3 of the boat length.

Remember if you are in a marina and backing in, if there is a boat on the other side of the dock so that you are both stern to stern, if you are both using the longer riggers, they could tangle.

Just a thought.

[lgtiller]

Thanks for the feedback. LGTILLER do you have any pics of your setup?

Here is a side shot of the boat, they dont extend past the transom and when laid out it gives you a much better spread, wouldn't go smaller. We have the stronger back braces that are really nice, give you something solid to hold on to at times and also allows you to pull heavier dredges