advice needed

[kokapaw]

I bought a new boat ,new to me, I mean not in the water yet.
To make a long story short .Today I purchased a scotty 1106 elec. downrigger .
This boat is only 16.5'. Should I mount the longer shaft 1106 on then same side as my kicker or go with my
scotty 1050 24" boom, , my kicker is on the left side , which would be the norm in your eyes.
Easy change, But I have never owned and used 2 downriggers before. This boat is a, SC 2015 162 Pro Tracer
Full fisherman top With backdrop, Honda 60,and Honda 8.0 kicker , Panther searing link, Power trim, power tilt , and
elc. start .I am so pumped about joining all of you, at places like Merwin
,Roosevelt ,Banks Etc.
Thank You for any advice
Fred, I/E, Kokapaw

[Larry3215]

I doubt you will notice any significant difference either way, but you should be able to turn a little sharper with the long boom on the trolling motor side. Like you said, its an easy change, so Id flip a coin and see how you like it

On second thought, unless you intend to run both riggers at the same time fairly often, Id mount the one you will use most often on the side opposite the trolling motor for weight balancing reasons. On smaller boats that can be an issue.

[Idstud]

I would recommend the longer one on the kicker side. Also look into a prop ring to help keep your cable out of your prop. It will save you a headache in the long run. Tight lines