Hobie Revo No Drill Downrigger mount

Here is my downrigger setup for my Hobie Revo that I came up with this year.

My goal was to have a completely drill-less mount that was sturdy and removable. I chose the Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger for the main unit using the rod holder that came with it. All other parts came from Home Depot. The key mounting components are threaded clothesline hooks which I hook into the cleats behind the seat using wing nuts as well as a 3 1/2 inch drain pipe which fits securely into the cup holder. All metal hardware is stainless steel.

I've used it a two times and so far, I'm really pleased! The Kokanee better watch out. I hope you can see the images below... I've never posted before.

My images didn't show. Hopefully this works:

All parts are shown here:

I forgot to mention that I also used a Cannon low profile swivel mount under the downrigger. This allows me to position the ball at any angle or even swivel the downrigger behind me if I want to put it out of the way:

Yesterday, I added a Scotty Rod holder mount next to the cup holder/drain pipe stabilizer so that I have the option for a more forward rod position. I haven't tried it out yet, but it looks like it should work great. Well, i'll have to wait a week for my next fishing opportunity to find out!

Nice downrigger mount! Just a few suggestions:

1. If you move the downrigger forward on the board, it'll be more comfortable to turn the crank.

2. To reduce the amount that the downrigger interferes with landing fish, and to minimize the stress which the downrigger places on your mounting system, shorten the boom so the pulley is right in front of the nose of the downrigger's housing. This is a ten minute project. Because you want to position the downrigger cable as close as you can to the side of your kayak in order to minimize the effect of the downrigger on the tracking of your kayak, there isn't any need for a long boom.



3. You won't want to use the rod holder which is on the back of the downrigger housing to hold your trolling rod, because that would position the tip of your rod well in front of your downrigger cable, which would mean that your line would cross the cable when trolling, and could pull a leash-mounted downrigger release in front of the downrigger cable, which could result in tangles. Saw the rod mount off the back of the downrigger housing.

4. When you're pedaling, your thigh will hit the portion of the mount which is positioned over the cup holder. I suggest that you find a way to reduce the length of that board and the size of the PVC pipe which sticks down into the cup holder, so you'll have more room for your leg.

5. Add a hook to the system for your downrigger weight, so the weight won't swing around and bang on your kayak when it's up out of the water.

6. For suggestions about how to position your trolling rod, and where to mount the base for the rod, see the description of how I mounted a Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger on my Revolution at http://www.yakfisher.net/smffiles/index ... pic=9918.0 .

Thanks, pmmpete.

Your downrigger setup was the first one I saw when I was researching solutions and I was inspired by your setup!

I thought about shortening the downrigger boom as you did to minimize the effect on tracking direction. I may end up doing that, but so far I have been pleased that there doesn't appear to be any pull to the right (none that I've noticed, anyway, although there must be some). I position the Cannon swivel base one "click" to the right which is reasonably close to the boat, but not as close as yours. I have been using a 4lb cannonball so far. I have a 6lb which I haven't tried yet. The shorter boom would definitely make clipping into the release easier.

The downrigger crank position as I have it is such that my right arm falls naturally right on the handle when I need to crank up/down. So I will leave that alone.

I need a few more trial runs of actual fishing to try out some new rod position possibilities. The Scotty rod mount is brand new and I haven't tested that at all, yet. I'm excited to try it out but won't be able to take it out on the water for two weeks. So far, I have only had the rig out Kokanee fishing. The next test will be for big trout.

Thanks for the ideas!

You should find that the deeper you fish and more weight/drag you deploy, will cause the kayak to not track very well....a simple solution is to purchase and install the Hobie sailing rudder.
This low cost investment makes all the difference in the world!

_________________
Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

You'll find that your six pound weight will perform better than your four pound weight. I've moved up to an eight pound weight, and routinely troll for lake trout at depths around 150 feet. My eight pound weight doesn't seem to be any harder to crank up than my six pound weight, and I haven't noticed any difference in the drag which it creates, probably because it's only about a quarter inch bigger in diameter than my six pound weight.

As Dr. Steelheadcatcher said, if you don't already have a sailing rudder on your Revolution, you'll definitely want to get one for downrigger trolling.

I was wondering about this. Also, since the Revo can be tippy sometimes, I wondered if using a downrigger made it even more tricky.

With the standard rudder, at slow speeds a sidewind can overcome the rudder and push your kayak around, particularly if you're downrigger trolling. The sailing rudder grabs enough water so this isn't a problem.

My Revolution doesn't feel any less stable when I'm using a downrigger, and the downrigger doesn't make the kayak lean towards the side on which it is mounted. Your head and upper body weighs a lot more than a downrigger and its weight, so leaning over and looking down into the water will have a lot bigger affect on how the kayak sits in the water than a downrigger.

Ah got it, thanks

I did notice in a strong wind that I was getting pushed around but didn't make the connection with the downrigger. Sounds like a sailing rudder is in my future. You guys are a great resource, thanks!

Based on the suggestions, I just changed out the standard rudder for the large sailing rudder. It was very easy to install and substantially bigger. I can't wait to test it out!

You won't be disappointed!

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR