Dowrigging with PA 14

I have 2018 PA14 coming soon and plan to go salmon trolling in Georgian Bay, Ontario. I am curious about the strength of the H rails on the sides, as I plan to use small downrigger
with 3-4 lb cannon ball. This along with drag creates quite a bit of down and torsion forces on the downrigger mount/rail/ attachment points particularly when setting up lowering & raising the weight, slippage and fish action.
I would hate to overstress the rail or have it loosened or fatigued by the frequent forces even though the downrigger arm is fairly short. Is Hobie rail mount sufficient ? Some one said to use 2 (??)
Please advise

I have a 2019 PA 12. I have been using an electric down rigger on my H-Rail using a 6lb weight. I just periodically check the h-rail and tighten as needed. So far it's fine but I haven't been using it too long.

Wow ! I would suspect that is a big load on the H rail and its mount point .
What downrigger do you have ? Do You used the Hobie mount ? what battery drives it ? 6# weight is good for trolling , of course length of the rigger arm plays in too.
Do you a have a picture of this set up ? I am learning and curious. TY.

Not sure how to add the pictures.....

I don't know anything about H rails, because I have a Revolution. But I posted an explanation of the way I set up my Revolution for downrigger trolling with a Cannon Lake-troll downrigger, why I set it up that way, and how to use a downrigger from a kayak at https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/i ... #msg138905. That post may help you figure out how to set up your PA 14 for downrigger trolling.

You don't need to use 2 H-Rail mounts with a 4lb ball. I've been using 2 Scotty 1050 downriggers mounted to a universal h-rail mount since 2015, zero issues, and I almost exclusively use downriggers. I do highly suggest using rubber tape on the rail where you mount it, and angle the downrigger up about 45 degrees as that alleviates a little of the torque. Tighten the crap out of the mount onto the tape/rail, I use pliers to do so. Zero slippage. Just don't drop the ball, I lower it into the water holding the clip.

Thank you for useful info. I have tried small lake troller in a scotty holder mounted on H-rail (3 lbs ball) it was ok with some "manageable torsion".
I may get a 1050 Scotty, shorten the boom, mount it to a plastic plate spanning 2 h-rail mounts and incorporate vertical support (~5-6" wide) to "lean" against the boat side under the h-rail. Will try to post pictures, if I get to it and actually pull it off , as I need to wait for warmer weather here.
(The small lake troller had issues with holding right angle and needed some modification to tighten spindle fit and stainless "clutch plate" - not sure how long it will dependably hold. !)
Anyone used the PA in very cold water (near freezing) water ? Any pointers or Issues ? -early spring & deep down salmon here can be good .
Thank you.

I frequently downrigger troll and do other kinds of fishing from my Revolution when the air temperature is below freezing, the water temperature is near freezing, it's snowing, and/or there is ice floating in the water. For examples, see https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/i ... ic=21276.0. As long as the air temperature is above freezing, you won't have any problems with your PA or your fishing gear. When the air temperature is below freezing, ice will form on your fishing gear, kayak, and clothing, which can be a hassle, but won't keep you from fishing. You can break ice out of rod guides with your fingers, or melt it out of portions of your reel such as level wind mechanisms by blowing on it. The colder it is, the faster gear will ice up. I haven't ever had any problem with my mirage drive icing up.

When the air and water temperature are near freezing, you should be wearing a dry suit with enough layers of clothing underneath it to keep you warm when your're in your kayak, and to extend your survival time if you end up in the water. Dress for the water temperature, not for the air temperature. You can increase your comfort by wearing rubber gloves on your hands with polypro or acrylic glove liners under them. See https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/i ... #msg227951. But you should not go kayak fishing in air and water temperatures near freezing unless you have solid kayaking and self-rescue skills, and due to the dire consequences of an accident in cold temperatures, you should be conservative about the kind of wind and wave conditions in which you choose to go kayaking.