Crazy Ivan

Thanks! I'm going to give it a shot. Handy to have if your in the front of the boat casting and you come up shallow.

I'd like to try installing one on my boat. Where did you get it from?

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Are you replying to my post or trying to give the original poster your advice. No need to criticize my suggestions, let's give him some options and let him decide.

My advice would be mount your riggers on your rear casting deck. I see the perfect place in between the rear hatch and the gunwale. You could use a pedestal like the one pictured here to raise them up. Should be able to install bolts from underneath and a clean wiring job right to your battery or fuse panel. Attach a swivel base to the top or bottom and your all set. My pedestals are removable leaving just a flush mounting plate for when you aren't using the riggers. If you mount downriggers up on the gunwale, you run the risk of them hitting a dock or wall when your boat is moored. You could still mount tracks on the gunwale for rod holders etc. Keep us updated with whatever you decide to do.

Yes. And I also like that I can lock the tongue back onto the the trailer to make it harder to steal.

The chains on Costa's trailer run through a metal bracket under the hitch. So if the hitch came off, it wouldn't swing out very far.

Chinook restaurant in Aurora. And the name is even fishing related.

I have steel cables instead of chains that extend to behind the pivot point. The idea is that if the bolt snaps, your boat won't pass you on the highway. Like this (not my photo) http://www.thehulltruth.com/attachments/boating-forum/243054d1338053114-folding-trailer-tongue-issues-tongue.jpg I like the rubber coated cables better than chains. You might want to check with MTO about what is required for swing away tongues.

By the way, thanks for the link. It's nice to be able to study lakes here at home before heading out. Maybe they could make all depth units available to choose. Meters/feet/fathoms.

Feet

How many band members are left of the original line-up?

For backing, I use plastic coated 30lb dacron ice fishing line on my centerpin. Can't remember the brand name. Uncoated dacron will soak up water, making your reel weigh a ton. Floating fly line would work too, if you can find it cheap somewhere. Keeping the reel light makes a huge difference to me after a long day of drifting. If you have a floatreel with spokes for the spool, be careful if your using mono for backing. The stretch of the mono can build enough pressure to implode the reel. Yes, I've done it. Use backing that doesn't stretch.

Why do employers fear benefits? In the jobs I've worked, I've always paid into a group insurance plan that looked after benefits for the employees.

Saving money by DIY is great but when my engine was new and still under warranty, I took it to my dealer to have it winterized every fall. If I ever need to resell, or anything needs warranty work, I can show receipts to prove an authorized dealer did the work every year. Just something to consider. A dealer might not honour the warranty if the winterizing was not done properly. And 4 stroke repair is not cheap. Now that my outboard is past it's warranty, I might try learning how to maintain it myself.

Understood, thanks guys.

I'm curious about the free- falling Scottys. Wouldn't your line/lure get tangled up with the cable dropping it that fast?

No writing on the wall.

This is what most don't understand.

I've had success with large live sucker minnows on a quick strike rig. About a foot off of bottom. The bigger the better - 10 inchers if you can get them. Then jig a large flash spoon nearby to attract pike into the area. This method is much more entertaining if you are in 7' to 10' of clear water, in a hut with a large hole in the ice and you can block out all the light. Sometimes you will see the minnow trying to swim away. Pull up the spoon and let the pike eat the minnow.

With all due respect to the guys in the video and all the replies from people who want to do this - to me this does not seem like an enjoyable vacation. I just don't get it. Sorry.

Nice work on the custom knives. I've also seen handles made from antlers. Is that sharpening kit available in Canada?

Maybe you can use the different Lund dealerships that will be there to your advantage. For example - get the best price from DT Powersports, then go to Discount Marine and ask them to beat that price. There are other Lund dealers there as well, those are the only two I know of. Measure your garage and bring your tape measure to the show. Even with a folding trailer tongue, a 1775 will be a tight fit in a standard garage. You can adjust the bow stop forward on the trailer to shorten the overall length, but it will add more tongue weight on the hitch. Good luck and let us all know what you end up with!

This is a horrible launch that I don't use. Shallow, muddy, I see vehicles halfway in the water to get their boats off the trailer. When the boats come out, alot of weeds are hanging off the trailers. How can the town charge people for this? Unless they use the money to dredge and put in a proper concrete ramp with a dock. But I doubt that will ever happen.

The first scene in this cartoon seems relevant.