Rocket Launchers and Down Riggers

H

hammerhead

New member
Well I thought i read here that c-dory now makes a rocket launcher tower for over the cabin to store rods and net.Or do you guys just have them built custom?

Thanks for all the advice on the downrigger, I think im going to go with the scotty 1106 with swivel bases, unless someone can tell me why I should spend the extra $100 to get the Cannon 1116 pro pack with dual adjustable rod holders???

I did notice the 1116 model has the rod holders mounted to the base instead of the downrigger arm. Im new to downriggers so I would like to have the best set up for trouble free fishing, well less trouble anyway.....stuff happins :smilep

Hope I can pick up the Amigo from rick this weekend :smiled
 
I had mine built by a local company, and 4 others that I know of had rocket launchers built by the same company. Carlson Sheet Metal of Spokane, WA. was the outfit. Built for around $300. They should still have the blank I provided for the 22 cruiser. Don't know about any others, although I've seen several various launchers........Regards, Ron

If you need to contact the outfit, this is the phone number.......509-535-4228
 
I know there are regional differences in where products are manufactured and sold, such as with outboard motors.

The Scotty downriggers are distributed, have a great market share, and have a very good reputation in the Northwest, from all observations and reports.

However, if you look over the Scotty and Cannon models in a catalogue, it would appear that the Cannon's sell for nearly TWICE the cost of the equivalent Scottys. Why?

What features or characteristics do the Cannons have that make them so much more expensive? Are they worth it, or just overpriced? :?: :?: :?:

Joe.
 
hammerhead":129dklde said:
Well I thought i read here that c-dory now makes a rocket launcher tower for over the cabin to store rods and net.Or do you guys just have them built custom?

Thanks for all the advice on the downrigger, I think im going to go with the scotty 1106 with swivel bases, unless someone can tell me why I should spend the extra $100 to get the Cannon 1116 pro pack with dual adjustable rod holders???
Click to expand...

I can give you a couple reasons why *not* to go with the 1116 Pro Pack Scotty's...that base is very large, it hangs well outboard of the boat so even with the downriggers flipped up when you come alongside a dock there's a lot hanging out. And, the base is very wide so it hangs outside the boat and into the cockpit when the base is swiveled and it makes the unit a lot harder to stow.

And...it costs more! Might as well save where you can! :D

Note: I'm in an area where we're restricted to one line per fisher-person which typically means one line per downrigger so the one rod holder that is on the 1106 is fine. If you're in a different area and can use multiple lines per downrigger then maybe having the two rod holders on the 1116 is worth having. Personally I'd just mount another rod holder on the boat and stick with the 1106.
 
I concur with Les. Additional food for thought: I have an older (I know this is a relative term) couple who fish often with me. When I was using the boom-mounted rodholder on the Scotties, they had a hard time reaching out and pulling up on the rod to pop the release. Using a gunnel-mounted rodholder made that movement much easier due to the lower mounting height. May be a factor for some?
 
I don't know who made my radar arch. Les at EQ marine went through a third party I think. I really like mine. I don't like to store the net up there though. Once you get the net wet it drips on your head so I rigged a rod holder in the gunnel to deal with that. You can see it in my photo album.
 
Although I have yet to see why... This area seems to prefer the Cannon.
While I wouldn't (or couldn't) justify the additional costs with the Cannon, obviously a great number of people here do...

Bottom line... Does it catch more fish? or Is it easier to use?

All I need my downriggers to do is hold the "bait" at the depth (or depths) I want them to run at. If the Scotty does that as well and as easy as the Cannon, then I may choose on price.

Now, if one is better at corrosion control, or longevity, or even spare parts and service, then that figures in the the decision also...

If you have any doubts at all... refer back to "Does it catch more fish". Here in the Midwest, "fish in the box" makes up for a lot of other problems...
 
flapbreaker":1rtr8klp said:
I don't know who made my radar arch. Les at EQ marine went through a third party I think. I really like mine. I don't like to store the net up there though. Once you get the net wet it drips on your head so I rigged a rod holder in the gunnel to deal with that. You can see it in my photo album.
Click to expand...

I did the original design on the arches that are currently being used by the factory. I had them made by a local fellow until demand outstripped his ability to keep up (he also does work for Nordic Tug and they went nuts on him). Then I had the Railmakers in Everett, WA make them for us and they continue to do so (and for the factory).

Any good boat rail place should be able to build a nice arch for you. There wasn't anything really special about what I did with regard to the basic design that differs from almost any radar arch. It's the design details that make our arch a little more C-Dory friendly then maybe some others. I used all 1" stainless tubing to connect the forward and aft main (athwartship) tubes (which are 1-1/4") rather than flat stainless plate. My reasoning was this gave the arch a "lighter" look so it wouldn't overwhlem the relatively small CD22. Also it provided a way to mount rod holders easily on the side of the arch if a camper canvas was installed; it's very easy to find rod holders to mount on 1" tubing. Using 1" tubing for the top cross members (rather than flat plate) also kept the arch looking lighter and also allowed us to use heavy duty Shakespeare rail mounts for antennae rather than the 4-way mounts. The rail mounts are not as herky looking (technical term!) as the 4-way mounts and they allow us to get the antennae vertical without resorting to shims and such. We can also move the rail mounts fore and aft on the cross tubes to allow space for other accessories (lights, hailer speakers, etc). Finally, we designed a "loop" for the rear side of the aft tube with a flat plate on it to allow a Perko anchor light base (the same one C-Dory uses on the cabin top) to be mounted just aft of the radome; this allows the use of the stock anchor light mast. This seems to be an easy solution and is much easier (I think) then dealing with a folding or swing light mast (plus it already comes with the boat).

We did what I call a Cruising Arch and a Fishing Arch. The cruising arch was spec'd to allow 17" under the arch for the typical inflatable to fit under. The Fishing arch was spec'd to stand just 6" off the cabin top (just 'cause it seemed to look good) and have rod holders attached. The cabin clearance dimension don't change for low or tall top boats; just the "legs" of the arch are altered by 4" to accommodate the different cabin heights. The only special circumstance is a short top CD22 with a Fishing Arch; in this case we leave the rear mounted anchor light loop off since it's low enough to be a head-knocker for taller folks but it's low enough that even with a radome mounted the forward (factory standard) anchor light is tall enough to provide 360-degree visibility.
 
I previously had Cannon's and always thought they were too slow in retrieval and were hard to control on letting down. Sold them and got Scotty's and never looked back. They are simple to maintain and are guaranteed for life. I don't even use the rod holder on the downrigger itself. Installed rod holders that are easy and fast to get to.
 
I may be wrong but the down side to the cannons is that they have the auto down feature which requires more battery juice. May not be a concern for some but for me it's definately a consideration. I Kinda like the free spool down method of the Scotty's
 
I know that I'm outnumbered, but I really like my electric Penn downriggers with swivel mount. They are slower than Scotty, but work very smoothly with the clutch release setup similar (but better) than Cannon. I bought mine off ebay for around $125 each...just waited until a proper purchase could be made. A buddy of mine had electric Scotty's and rode in my boat and used the Penn's and was sold. He bought 2 new Penn's and has his nearly new Scotty's off the boat and ready to sell. I know that Penn parts are spendy, and they discontinued the electrics, but now are selling them again through Boaters' World, and most likely other marine dealers. Just my $.02............ :moon
 
i have had or used all the downriggers except walkers. I love the penn manual down riggers No one makes a better one. The cannons are more $$ because they power down and up which is better and they have built in ion-control, I don't know if this makes a difference or not but all my friends that have them love them. Works really good if you kokanee fish a lot. If you want a black box with any others you have to buy it separately for around $100. I love the penn electrics alot, they power down, but they stopped making them for a while then came back but may stop again. I have the scottys but would not have them again and the rod holders are in the wrong spot for sure. Got them because so many people brag about them but I can not under stand why??
 
Tom,
What part works good for Kokanee? Were you referring to the ion control? Also I have used Scotty for many years and I can't see any down side. Are you referring the rod holders on the boom? I mounted mine lower on the gunnel and like that location.
 
yes the ion control for kokanee is really important. to much and they scare off really fast. yes the rod holders are to far out and you can not move them closer in on the arm as they are sloted. if I want to mount rod holders on the rail I would mave not bought downriggers with rod holders. a design should work if you are paying that kind of money and scotty's ,imho, dont work as good. I have had cable troubles, they did not wrap right, just burned a belt sunday. I really dont like the free spool clutch system that much. I can do it just fine, but I have to train every one that comes on the boat so the balls dont drop at 80 miles and hour in to the deep. the penns or scottys you just hold your rod and hit the down button. when you reach your depth hit stop. you can do two rods at once if your reels are set right. also the little reterive stops on the scottyes are always falling off or moving. the cannons and penns just read the current inthe cables or somethng and they stop at one foot from the top. No stop thingys to fall off. I thionk cannons cost more because they are better. next boat gets the cannons with progamable depth control.

and the most popular downrigger in sales is the walker. and I have never seen one on a west coast boat so go figure.
 
Oh boy! Different strokes for sure. I have Canons on the 22 CD and don't like them. One of them has more time on the UPS truck going back for repairs than in the water. Have used the Scottys on several boats and wouldn't buy anything else!!

Durned fish doesn't have a clue which one you use!

Dusty
 
I don't get this black box thing. My dad has run downriggers for years without a black box/ion control and he still manages to catch fish. Then again even a blind squirel finds a nut once in a while.


Again for a c-dory having to use battery juice to drop the lead in my opinion is somewhat of a downer (pun intended). Maybe I just need a bigger alternator though.
 
Tom,
I have never had ion control so I can't speak to how important it is. I have never had any problems with Scotties. You are right about the little plastic depth stops-I solved by crimping on the brass stops. They don't move. The Walker is a Midwest brand and they get almost all their sales in the Great Lakes area. All the Great Lakes have salmon fishing and it is extremely popular.
 
I may try the brass stops next to correct the problem. I have heard about he walkers in the great lakes Its all any one uses. in the california mtns its all cannons and here in the nw its scotties or penns. Have you tried the braided line. Last year scotts web site said that using braided line would void your warranty and now that they sell the braided line its ok?? makes you wander.

oh you can a should check your downriggers to see how much electric current you are putting out. Mine is .56 so know i have to check to see if thats good or not.
 
I've heard some folks say they went over to braided (Spectra) line to eliminate the hummmmm of wire. It's bothersome to some people, but others say it attracts fish (?)

Seems the braded line would also reduce or eliminate the ion effect.

Any opinions here ?

Joe.
 
On my recent trip East to MN I made the mistake of stopping in at the Cabellas store in S.Dakota. Mann, what a fun place. I was planning on buying a new reel for my downrigger rod. alas, I found the bargain basement room and lo & behold what is sittin there sayin "BUY ME" but an unopened box containing a Penn 835 electric downrigger. so in addition to the reel, i got me a new downrigger also.
Now, as soon as I get the Sensei back from the factory I will mount up this puppy and see how she works.
 
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