Planner Boards

[Ray Champ]

I have a 20 foot Bayliner Trophy that I use for trolling. Should I use a mast with boards or inline planner boards? Thanks.

Ray Champ

[Shoeman]

Ray, I have found that on some boats, one doesn't need a mast.
My current one has a radar arch and I attached the planer board reels to it. They are mounted high enough to keep the lines off the water.

My previous boat was a soft top with a mast. The only problem is with the mast, sometimes the lines would hit the rods on a turn.
Tall mast and short rods would remedy this.

In-lines are great for a smaller boat, but you can't beat the real thing. I have run 4 rods off of one side.

The real question is, how often do you plan on using them?
If it's for occasional use, just buy the in-lines.

The cost of boards, mast and releases can run into 300-400 dollars.

[Gone Fishing]

Ray, Shoeman gives some real good advice. I have both types but I haven't used the in-lines for a long time. My boards are home made and are pretty large but they have never dove in rough seas and pull very hard which keeps them forward and away from my rods. If you are at all handy and want to build some over the winter, let me know and I could take some measurements off of mine. I also added some automotive window regulator motors to my reels so I can retrieve the boards without going up to the mast and reeling them in manually. The motors aren't real strong so I have to slow or stop the boat but it still beats doing it manually, especially in rough water. My vote goes to the planer boards.

[Ray Champ]

I thank all of you for your reply.

[catfishhoge]

Hello Ray,

I also have both setups and I very much prefer to use the mast on the big lake. As far as spesifics there are a lot of ways you could go. Ask around and do some research before you buy. I have a riviera spring loaded mast and it works great for board retrieval. I run otter boats as I spent $$ on other dual planer boards and was very dissapointed. There are a lot of pro's and con's to consider. Look at as many different setups as you can and you will have a good idea what will work best for you on your boat.

Good luck