Choosing the correct outriggers for your boat
- When the time comes to purchase outriggers for the boat you may be someone who isn’t sure of what length and set up to go with. So, you begin your searches online only to be confronted by the vast amount of differing opinions on rigger length versus boat length.
- More often than not, people will choose a short rigger length to play it safe rather looking into the main functions of outriggers. However, before we get into the main function of outriggers, we will first cover what rigger length we recommend for a given length of boat and configuration.
Right rigger length for the right boat size
- As a general rule, the length of your outriggers should be the same, or, as near as possible to the length of your boat. You need to keep in mind that you can never go too long with outriggers, however you can go too short.
Choosing a rigger length for a particular boat configuration
When you look at all the boats in Australia there is only two styles, centre console and cabin. However, within those two configurations there is only three effective locations for mounting rigger bases. Gunnel mount, Side mounted on cabin or on the T-Top/hard top. While we have a recommendation for rigger length to boat length, the placement of the riggers will also add some degree of complexity to achieving optimal performance.
For example, if we took 3 boats of the same brand and size
Set-up 1
- Centre console with a T- Top and bases mounted on roof (Up High)
- I would recommend 18ft riggers.
- For the same boat length where the riggers will be mounted high on the roof, you can go shorter because you already have the advantage of height. The difference at the rigger tips between gunnel mount and roof mount can be as much as 8ft, so it’s a substantial amount.
Boat Length | Outrigger Length |
|---|---|
15ft – 18ft | 15ft – 18ft |
18ft – 20ft | 18ft – 20ft |
20ft – 24ft | 20ft – 22ft |
25ft – 35ft | 22ft – 27ft |
35ft + | 22ft – 36ft |
Set-up 2
- Cuddy cab with wishbone bases mounted on the side of the cab (Mounted Low)
- I would recommend 20ft outriggers for this set up even though the wishbone bases are mounted higher than the gunnels, it can still be a matter of 4ft to 5ft difference between the side cab and the T Top/Hard top.
Set-up 3
- Centre console with bases mounted on the gunnel (Mounted Low)
- Riggers set on the gunnels will instantly place your riggers lower to the water, but in turn, will in fact maximise your spread. In this case going longer to compensate for the lower mounting position is a good idea with adequate reinforcing below the gunnels. However, if there isn’t adequate reinforcing below the gunnels then 18ft riggers would still provide good height and spread.
- In this situation I would recommend either 18ft or 20ft outriggers.
- While we are still in the range of what we recommend for a given boat length, the configuration’s is what can change things up slightly. And this lends itself to the topic of what an outriggers main function is and how selecting length and location plays a vital role in your fishing outcomes.
Spread
Many people think that the main purpose of outriggers is spread. That is to get the lures/baits out wide and into clear water so the lures can easily be seen by fish. If that was the only reason to use riggers then almost every boat could get away with using 12ft riggers which would almost get any lure into clear water. Off course spread is important, getting the lures as wide of the boat as possible also helps prevent lures crossing over and tangling when performing medium to tight turns.
While the spread achieved through the length of your riggers is vital, it’s not the main function of outriggers. The most important function, which in reality is never talked about or considered by so many, is in fact height.
Height reigns supreme
When it comes to outrigger poles, height rains supreme and this can be achieved through longer outriggers or by the set angle of the base itself. Its far more critical than spread because it’s the single most important factor in how your lures and baits perform.
By increasing height, you will reduce water drag on the main line, leader and snap which intern creates copious amounts of bubbles. Higher set riggers will force the lure face to angle up making it pop, breath then give off a large bubble trail as it dives. Riggers that are set low place more mainline and leader in the water which makes the lure wallow through the water. It’s a known fact fish are turned off by large amounts of bubbles given off by mono and snaps.
Height will also increase the effectiveness of how crisp your line releases from the rubber bands/release clips simply because there is less line being dragged through the water, it’s a more direct line from the lure to the clip.
With higher set riggers you can run your lures closer to the transom which enables you to make substantially tighter turns if you run over a bait ball or mark a fish on the sounder. It also reduces the potential of line crossovers and tangles.
What angle is ideal for riggers
What angle is ideal for riggers? Anywhere from 40 to 45 degrees is a good range to stay in. However, this comes with a caveat, the shorter the outrigger the more towards 45 degrees you will need to aim.
While this angle is optimum it’s not always achievable due to the design of the outrigger base. Most wishbone bases are made with a pre-set angle while some brands have full adjustment. If you have a base that is pre-set then the only way to change the set angle of the riggers is to use packing “Spacers” in in order to lift the rigger tip up.
List of 10 Common questions I ask my customers when determining the right length for the boat and the configuration
- What length is the boat?
- Will the riggers be mounted on a hard top or T-top (up high)?
- On the gunnels (down low)?
- The sides of a cab?
- What type of material is the mounting surface made from, is it glass or alloy?
- Does the surface have adequate bracing or structure to support the riggers in rough conditions?
- Is your boat new? will your boat manufacturer support any warranty for a particular type of outrigger base? are they happy their boat has adequate bracing of surrounding structure? This is more pertinent to new alloy boats
- What bases will the poles be mounted in?
- Will you be running dredges from the outrigger poles?
- What storage do you have for the riggers when traveling to and from the ramp?