Planer board question.

[BALLS DEEP]

What kind of reels do you guys like or recommend for your otter boards? Also how necessary is running a double keel?

[mrwalleye]

I assume that you talking about the Otter Boats? I run mine with just the one keel. Any reel should be fine. They pull really easy from my experience. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

[Team Game Face]

Double keels are only necessary if you are going to use your boats to pull copper. If this is an application that you would like to use you also have the use PowerPro instead of your standard board line. 250 pound

[Adk1]

why use 250 lb Powerpro over the standard line?

[Team Game Face]

Double keels pull so hard they can actually snap the standard board line. Plus that stuff is really stretchy and puts a lot of spring in the boat. Therefore making it tougher to get a clean release off the board line. It prevents you having to real the board line in the release close to the boat to get it to release

[Team Game Face]

From having*

[Adk1]

oh, interesting. so basically if you can swing it, get 250lb Powerpro anyways. I need to replace both spools of line anyways

[steelie1]

"Double keels pull so hard they can actually snap the standard board line"

Do they pull harder than say super ski double boards?

[Sk8man]

Amish Outfitters has 500 lb low stretch stuff I think.....specifically for hard pulling boards

[GAMBLER]

I run the Power Pro because releases slide down it easier than the other stuff.  I don't know if they will pull harder than the super skis but they will not flip over and cause a bad situation.  I have run my otter boards in 6 -8'ers and not had any problems. 

[Broadhorizons]

I hated my otters BUT if you chose to spend your money on them and upgrade your planer line to something "non-stretch" I would get snubbers to save breaking the rope through the foam. Mine broke enough times and were backed up.

Disclaimer...I will never promote the otters like many guys have...just my opinion. Other Big Jon products are quality.

[Tim Bromund]

My Amish Outfitter redwood boards were less expensive and pull harder and run better right out of the box than the otter boats do after you spend a crapload of additional money modifying them to make them run right.

 

I'm just sayin'.

 

Tim

[Legacy]

Otters work great right out of the box. Double keels are not needed to pull copper. They do make otters pull harder but they are not necessary. Braid is best option for planer board line that ive found. Its crazy expensive and the sun beats it up but noone can argue its performance. No stretch, no water absorption, and releases slide with ease.

[tlr426]

I run the Power Pro because releases slide down it easier than the other stuff. I don't know if they will pull harder than the super skis but they will not flip over and cause a bad situation. I have run my otter boards in 6 -8'ers and not had any problems.

This will be my first year running big boards and I have read a few times now of people having them flip over on them.... What causes this? What is the action that should be taken?

[GAMBLER]

Wave action will cause the board to flip. If it happens, scramble like crazy to clear anything in its path. It's not bad if the are all surface lines but if it is a copper or leadcore, you are going to have a mess.

[rolmops]

My otter boats always run with 2 keels,but for a different reason. Doing most of my fishing alone,I always had a problem staying on course and fighting a fish at the same time. Having hard pulling otterboats helps going straight while catching a fish.

[Gill-T]

My Amish Outfitter redwood boards were less expensive and pull harder and run better right out of the box than the otter boats do after you spend a crapload of additional money modifying them to make them run right.

 

I'm just sayin'.

 

Tim

 

 

Hey Tim, I noticed you run your in-line walleye boards when its wavy.  What's up with that???  Just sayin'   .  My otters are in the water from the start of the trolling season in spring 'til the seasons end in fall....in all conditions.

[Silver Fox]

Otters kick ass.....

[Tim Bromund]

Hey Tim, I noticed you run your in-line walleye boards when its wavy. What's up with that??? Just sayin' . My otters are in the water from the start of the trolling season in spring 'til the seasons end in fall....in all conditions.

Chad, I run everything but my longer coppers off of the walleye boards. I don't run the longer coppers very much if I can avoid it. Besides we don't fish much in really wavy condition anymore because dad's getting too old to take the beating, but I have most certainly run my big boards in big waves with no issues.

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Big Water]

I bought a second pair of weighted keels for my otter boats and they pull like a mule.  A couple of 300-500' coppers off of a board is no problem.  The problems is that the additional weight will actually sink the otter boat if you slow down too much.  Also, if you pick up weeds, the boards need to be brought in overhand, because you cannot pull them in with the reel.  If you get a second set of keels, get them without weight or even make your own.  They are just a piece of bent metal.

[thefrenchman]

Hey there

last year my bro gave me his otter boats to try when i came back i gave it back to im

didnt like it one bit they where always sinking and not running true

 

next week i made my own planner boards using plans from youtube

tried them and they where jumping all over the place

so the next week i added a piece of lead Under the outer side of the board  1/8 by 3/4  24 inch

and sinse then wow running true and running them in good waves no problem

so inexpensif you should keep your option open and try it its really cheap

and i also use shower curtains and different rubber band size for release

 

i use weed waker line the fluo colored ones

my boards have big canadian flags on them

i want people to see them in the water

better for me and i think its better for everyone safety

 

 

just my 2 cent

thefrenchman

Edited March 9, 2014 by thefrenchman

[GAMBLER]

Hey there

last year my bro gave me his otter boats to try when i came back i gave it back to im

didnt like it one bit they where always sinking and not running true

 

next week i made my own planner boards using plans from youtube

tried them and they where jumping all over the place

so the next week i added a piece of lead Under the outer side of the board  1/8 by 3/4  24 inch

and sinse then wow running true and running them in good waves no problem

so inexpensif you should keep your option open and try it its really cheap

and i also use shower curtains and different rubber band size for release

 

i use weed waker line the fluo colored ones

my boards have big canadian flags on them

i want people to see them in the water

better for me and i think its better for everyone safety

 

 

just my 2 cent

thefrenchman

If they were sinking and not running true, you did not have the string lengths correct. 

[momay4000]

There are a few misconceptions in this post regarding Otter boards:

 

1.) There is no way a properly double keeled Otter will sink if you are "going too slow". The only way I could see this happening is if you are using a second full-weight keel instead of the half-weight keel that Big Jon recommends

 

2.) The only way an Otter will submarine is if you have the line on the board that goes to the tow rope screwed up (you have to set the correct lengths - again this is what Big Jon recommends in the instructions)

 

3.) There's no way a double keeled Otter is breaking a standard tow rope (130-150# test) from regular use. Perhaps a knot will fail, but I will put my money where my mouth is this year and pull in the board using my 80# spring scale to measure what the pull weight is when I'm pulling it back in. If it's over 80#, I stand corrected and will admit I am wrong here. But from my experience, I have been using them for years with el-Cheapo Cabelas planer line (I think it's 130# test) and it's never failed me. The planer line is around 10 bucks. That being said, it sounds like the Power Pro braided line allows the release to slide better which may be an advantage.

 

 

Disclaimer - I have absolutely no financial or personal ties to Big Jon. I have used Otters for 3 or 4 years and they have been great.

 

Good luck,

 

Chris

[thefrenchman]

Hey there

Gambler would you care to explain or be a bit more specific plz

 

i try to run them about 25 feet on the side of the boat and maybe 5 feet more or less behind the back of the boat

making it very easy to slide down the clip

its been working very well for me thus so far

 

the mat is at the front of the boat 6 feet up

 

thefrenchman

[GAMBLER]

Hey there

Gambler would you care to explain or be a bit more specific plz

 

i try to run them about 25 feet on the side of the boat and maybe 5 feet more or less behind the back of the boat

making it very easy to slide down the clip

its been working very well for me thus so far

 

the mat is at the front of the boat 6 feet up

 

thefrenchman

The small rope on the board (connects to the front of the board and the back of the board) needs to be measured correctly when it is installed or they will dive and sink.  If I was home right now, I would go out in the garage and get the measurements.