planer boards

[ohiobones]

Just made my first set of boards. plans called for them to be 27 1/2" long due to my great carpentry skill i ended up at 22 1/2". deducted the 5" mistake and they seem to run ok. my question is that the plans called for a 60 degree miter i wonder if a 30 or 45 would be better. with 50' of main line out my boards run about 25' out and 10' back. i would like to get them out a little farther and even with my stern. any thoughts. thanks. jason

[Ivan]

Pretty easy fix.  Move your tow eye back towards the rear of your boards a little.  That will make the boards pull out farther.

[wet the net]

A related question. What release method do you guys prefer?

[Ivan]

http://www.offshoretackle.com/OR30.html

I use these. I've tried different releases and these have been best for me. The only thing I don't like about them is the price. They last as long as you don't drop them in the water though. You can also replace the pads when they get worn.

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[ohiobones]

Ive been trying therubber band method for now. didnt want to sink alot of money into something i wasnt sure of. should my tow eye be at or above the centerline of the board. its currently 3" up from the bottom leaving it an1 3/4" below center. Thanks.

[Ivan]

I'm not sure about the height of the tow eye, but i will find out for you. Here is a pic i found of a set my buddy just made from our plans. You can see he had to move his tow eye back a bit from where he originally had it. Looks like the tow eye might be slightly above center but ill find out for sure and make another post within a day or two. Need to look at my plans or measure my boards for you.

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[mostlymuskies]

I only use my big planer boards for slower speeds on Lake Erie for walleye.I tried using them once on Chautauqua Lake for muskies and hit weeds once and had one board roll under and cross 2 lines in a tangled mess.So from that point on I use Church tx-44 in line boards, you will not get as far from the boat, do not need a release, but they will still catch those fish out to the side.Only advantage I see to the bigger planer boards is that you can run multiple lines spread apart.I never run more then 4 lines most of the time and will use in line Church tx-44 planer boards to add 2 lines more then 4 flat lined with Leadcore, using power braid on the board lines.Again this just what I do, I know Ivan is very successful using big boards and so are others.My fishing style of sharp turns making one Leacore towed crankbait on the inside flutter down and the outside rise and speed up just can't be done while I'm using planer boards, can't turn sharp enough.Good luck getting your big planer boards running far out and not plowing water with bigger crankbaits, you may need to add weight at the back of the boards to keep them from plowing to deep in the water at high speeds, they will dive under waves if plowing to low at the front.Also a taller planer board mast will help you get your boards out from the boat more.

Edited August 12, 2014 by mostlymuskies

[Ivan]

Found our plans. Our boards are 8.25" tall and 33" long. The tow eye is 3.3125" down from the top of the board. So it is slightly above center.

The biggest advantages of big boards over inlines for me are:
Big boards run better than inlines in rough water.
Generally speaking you can run bigger baits at faster speeds off big boards. (Although the tx44 are pretty good)
Dont have to fight the board when fighting a fish.
Much easier to run longer lines off big boards and dont have to mess with removing board from your line while fighting a fish.
Can run multiple lines off big boards.
Can get farther from the boat with big boards.
Easier and faster to check lines off big boards.
Myself and a couple friends have had trouble with the tx44s breaking our braid at the back of the board.

There are some disadvantages too but the positives outweigh the negatives by a good margin in my opinion.
 

I guess it's also worth mentioning that I don't use boards unless the water I'm fishing is suited for it, and I want to run more than just 4 boat rods. I normally don't run boards unless I have at least 6 rods out. Boards are more of a spread tool to run more lines than targeting boat shy fish for me.

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Edited August 12, 2014 by Ivan

[wet the net]

Thanks for the info. I like the offshores as well. I also bought some new Scotty releases that I kinda like too. They have dual tension settings that can be set tight for musky and lighter for walleye and brown trout etc.

 

I agree with Ivan on the Tx44s. I have had issues where they cut the braided line at the back of the board. Also the plastic pins snap off. A friend made me new stainless pins that won't break off and havnt cut the line either.

 

Had a problem at St Clair last month when my snap swivel on my big board snapped open. Any ideas for a really strong reliable snaps for the end of the two line? I am using the amish boards and the really heavy (800 lb i think) tow line. It can get really expensive if the board comes off and you lose all those expensive clips.

 

I am headed by to St Clair next week and I want to replace the tow line snaps.

[mostlymuskies]

#10 Stringease StayLok Snap, Hard To open, But Tough!

[Ivan]

You must be using that spectra planer line. I havent tried that stuff yet. I'm still using 200lb dacron planer line.

I'm glad you mentioned the snap swivels for the tow line. I should replace mine too. I don't even remember where I got the ones I have. They are probably pretty old. I have always liked Sampo swivels best though. I just looked and the biggest Sampo snap swivels Tackle Direct has are 300lb and about 3.5" long. Those should work. What do you think?

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[Ivan]

Must have been posting at the same time Capt. I'll check those out too.

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[Ivan]

The stay loks are what i use for my leaders. Biggest ones i saw were 350# size 6. Do they make bigger?

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[HD Fatboy]

Adam, I purchase mine here, a little cheaper. Plus mu son lives in Erie so I go to there store in person sometimes.

 

http://www.fishusa.com/product/Off-Shore-Tackle-Single-Planer-Board-Releases

[mostlymuskies]

You can go to Sears Hardware Store and buy Brass bushing to go over the Church tx-44 back pin, where the line is again'st,so the power braid does not cut the plastic pin.

[mostlymuskies]

Ivan,I think Bernard sold Stringease to Mustad,I will see if I can get you a couple size #10 StayLok that are 2" long and very tough to open,but will never open on their own.I put Aussie 650 lb Swivels on the #10 StayLok Snap for planner board snaps(this snap setup will last for many years)

[Ivan]

I heard it was sold to Mustad.  A friend also just bought some of the Mustad staylok snaps and said they weer backwards or something.  I'm not sure exactly what he means because I haven't seen them.  The way he described, it is like they are now a mirror opposite of what they used to be (like they are made for left handers or something). Quality can be a concern when a big company buys out the smaller guy that made a high quality product. I hope the new ones are just as good as the old ones.

[justtracytrolling]

Otters will tow most anything and will troll 5-6 no prob and never flip or dive.....pricey tho....they also can be brought in at speed.   Anyone going that route should add the half keels and fender washers on the tow ropes and keel bolts.

[somethinfishy]

Hey Ivan,  I just ran across your post on planer boards. The boards look great. I just got some 1 x 8 cedar boards cut but there's so many different plans out there I don't know which one is best. Can you post yours or tell me angles to cut and where to drill the holes.

[Ivan]

Just saw this. If you still want them, pm me your email address and I'll see if i can find them.


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[Ivan]

I already had somebody else pm me for them, so I'll just post them. The hand written plans are the modifications we made to size and hardware to make them collapsible. 

planer board plans.pdf

Edited November 30, 2017 by Ivan

[somethinfishy]

Thanks a bunch Ivan.