4
Downrigger Safety
The Scotty High Performance 30” xed and 60” telescoping boom electric
downriggers are designed for use on wide beam boats of 16 ft. in length and up.
Installation on smaller boats is not recommended. All sports have some physical
hazards connected with them and shing with downriggers calls for some common
sense and precaution.
There are natural physical forces associated with long
arm downriggers. The load or strain at the mounting point
of a downrigger is proportional to the length of the arm.
In the event of a bottom hang up with a 30” - 60” arm and
high breaking strength trolling wire, the arm leverage can
exert a tremendous force on the gunnel of your boat. It is
obvious that this force could overcome a weak mounting
point on the boat. In the case of a small boat, it could
cause the boat to submerge or overturn if the wire is
caught on the bottom in a strong tide or heavy wind.
Care must always be exercised to avoid tangling your
downrigger wire in your boat prop. The best way to avoid
this risk is to mount the downrigger near the stern of the
boat so that the wire never gets under the boat in a turn.
Sharp turns should be avoided if possible.
When the downrigger is tilted up, the boom must be tilted
back past vertical, and the red lock lever tucked fully under
the downrigger base.
Keep your ngers away from the underside of the
downrigger base and always remove the weight when
the downrigger is unattended or in the locked tilted
position.
Make sure the area where you are mounting your
downrigger is strong and reinforced. If it is weak, reinforce
it with a backing plate of wood or metal.
Always try to bring weights, releases, and tackle inboard
to you. When retrieving or hooking up, do not lean out, as
a sudden roll or a slippery deck could send you overboard.
Do not attempt to retrieve a weighted or snagged
downrigger cable by hand. Wave or boat motion could cause serious injury.
VERTICAL
Red lock lever must
be tucked under
base to lock
the downrigger upright.
Always remove
the weight when
the downrigger is
unattended or in the
locked tilted position.
To Next Page
Loading...
