I have a wood plank across the bow that mounts to the rail and is removable (this is how I bout the rig) when I get some time I will be mounting the mast to the bow and reinforcing it with metal
I disagree with higher the better... I like to run my mast as low as possible without the line messing with the rods... It makes the lures run more true
This was the first time I had run 4 riggers 2 dipsies and 4 planner board rods..... and although it is a lot of work to keep it running right, I felt like one of the pros out there in my 19 footer running 10 rods