I have watched outrigger poles for center console boats evolve from gunnel mounted bamboo to aluminum to now top mounted retracting aluminum and now carbon fiber.
The carbon fiber seems out of most people’s price range for something used 4-5 times a year.
I have decided to build a hybrid system using S-glass and epoxy base sections and carbon fiber top sections that will fit into 1.5" bases that most people have. Replacing the larger diameter carbon fiber sections with equally strong S-glass adds about 1lb to each pole but drops cost significantly. The poles are just as stiff, and the outer/upper sections are still very light so they don’t whip much when running in the ocean. I can build an option for 1 1/8" bases too, but I won’t have any means of testing them since my boat has 1.5" mounting bases.
So the question is…
Is 800-900 bucks for 17 or 18ft poles much different than looking at 1200-1400 for them?
The weights are still well under what aluminum poles weigh, and of course they’re much stiffer.
I will be posting pics of what I will be testing on my boat here in the next 2 months. I have examined what’s on the market and what goes wrong with them for a while now, and I think I have come up with some new solutions to make these things last as long as they ought to when it’s this kind of investment.
My goal is to make better poles that are more affordable to people. I know it matters to me, but how about y’all?
No problems yet,i am purposely leaving them on too see how they hold up,so far so good…only 2 trips trolling this yr but they were awesome and the lite weight was nice…plenty stiff compared to the old aluminum ones
Iam keeping them retracted right now…come april i will extend them out…
I spent about 1500 on tacos last year, have yet to use them. TBS if you could come up with a cheaper hybrid I feel you could corner the market with the mosquito fleet.
Are two stainless eyes on the pole enough or would most want 3 so they could pull a squid chain out of one separate from the short rigger ring?
If I build a 2 section pole, it’s going to be stiffer than a 3 section pole. The 2 section pole would have an eye where the sections join and another at the tip. Basically, as # of sections increase, so will cost and flex.
I’m thinking 3 sections right now with the outer section being 1" still rather than necking down to 3/4" or less like what’s on the market. If I did 2 sections, the top section would still be 1" diameter but length would be 15ft max.
Are two stainless eyes on the pole enough or would most want 3 so they could pull a squid chain out of one separate from the short rigger ring?
If I build a 2 section pole, it’s going to be stiffer than a 3 section pole. The 2 section pole would have an eye where the sections join and another at the tip. Basically, as # of sections increase, so will cost and flex.
I’m thinking 3 sections right now with the outer section being 1" still rather than necking down to 3/4" or less like what’s on the market. If I did 2 sections, the top section would still be 1" diameter but length would be 15ft max.
That s glass is has a much lower tensile modulus compared to 33 msi carbon. Be careful you aren’t introducing a sheer plplane into the laminate like that. For something that is going to bounce a bit, I prefer to use similar materials for an entire layer. Also, I’ve got carbon on sale for like 20 bucks a yd right now
That s glass is has a much lower tensile modulus compared to 33 msi carbon. Be careful you aren’t introducing a sheer plplane into the laminate like that. For something that is going to bounce a bit, I prefer to use similar materials for an entire layer. Also, I’ve got carbon on sale for like 20 bucks a yd right now
The Carbon Fiber King @ illstreet Composites
I may not have been clear above, but I am not talking about mixing polyester with carbon in a laminated part’s layup schedule. I am talking about using tubing made of bias S glass and epoxy as the base section of a segmented pole, and to get the stiffness it will be heavier than carbon fiber but roughly half the cost for that section. Carbon fiber and epoxy tubes would be the top sections.
Interesting. I’ve been trying to expand my knowledge of carbon fiber construction, which isn’t much.
What will you use for mandrels in the sections, and will you post cure the epoxy in a heat booth of some sort? What type of epoxy will you use?
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
Probably West 105 and 35msi modulus fibers.
Stick it in the sun, and it will post cure plenty as it is black don’t you think?
Carbon fiber is really rigid and the direction of fibers is critical. It is very brittle in directions that aren’t along how the fibers are laid…
Pre preg stuff is also very cool. Forgive the pun, but it has to stay in the freezer/fridge.
I am strongly leaning towards no mandrels/collars and instead using a ferrule and plastic sleeve system. Collars or mandrels split or degrade in UV if plastic or are a pain to insulate from the carbon fiber if they’re metal or else they get bad electrolysis.
For the bases, I am figuring out delrin sleeves to fit into stainless base tubes everybody has.
I am in the market for these, I would like to buy local, when are you thinking that you could make them available?
Everglades 243
Yellowfin 29
Probably not until late March or early April because I want to run the starch out of them offshore and know of any weaknesses. I hate equipment that isn’t durable.
I ordered a bunch of hardware last night that I will be trying (to break) before I decide what to buy more of and use.
Delrin or some other UV stabilized plastic was what I was going to make tips out of, but I think I will just put stainless steel points on and forget about it. Should be about the same weight as delrin would be and won’t have to use a screw like I would to hold the delrin into the carbon tube.
Where I am right now after a lot of discussion with friends who consider themselves “good at trolling” is a collarless design that’s fixed length instead of retractable. I feel like this will make the lightest and stiffest poles that hold up best. Less moving parts, less holes to machine, less areas that could break, etc.
I’m also going to make the halyard rigging internal instead of having eyes or pulleys sticking off the poles on the outside. I’ve spent quite a while figuring out a better design for internal rigging that can allow for triple rigging since nobody makes a carbon fiber outrigger pole that allows for that and what I want is a short rigger, long rigger, and squid chain/small dredge capability on each side.
I will update as I get stuff built.
Ultimately, I hope to post a pic of a drag scale pulling against one of the poles from behind my boat with some crazy pressure.
quote:Is it the shop off folly rd that had the boat with the outriggers draped with Christmas lights?
Do you guys sell to anyone or just commercial? Just mail order?
That’s right around the corner and would be nice when I start restoring my old mako.
Yep, was trying to sell the 22’ sea pro and thin out my boat collection for a new member. Went and bloodied it up yesterday so I’ve got some cleaning to do. Our big seller locally is our epoxy but we sell pretty much everything to a lot of the boat builders around Charleston and the lowcountry. If there’s enough interest, I may be able to setup a small discount for forum members with will call pickup.
quote:Probably West 105 and 35msi modulus fibers.
Don't count on getting 35msi fibers. Most of the affordable stuff is 33 or below. We handle 33 to 42 with 42 being what is in many planes. West makes a good resin system but we decided to make our own to suit manufacturing needs (and my wallet).
quote:Stick it in the sun, and it will post cure plenty as it is black don't you think?
Out west, a lot of composites guys use old containers setup with fans and controllers but little to no electric heat. The temp of the sun heats the parts. We control our temps much closer as we have an industrial oven. Out of oven cured items are typically ramped at 1 degree F per minute up to 180F and held for two hours. Controlled Post-Curing is WELL worth your time. That's our epoxy so I'm not s
What I have determined about greensticks is that a good amount of flex near the top is desirable to not make the bird jump in and out of the water and keep tension on the line constant rather than slackened and whipped. That would need a pretty different type of modulus than just doing stiff outriggers, and I would hate to drop the money and time into figuring that one out! Perhaps a stiff stick with a shock system in the line could solve the problem though.
I need to get to your shop and see what I can buy from you to keep everything local.
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is a collarless design that’s fixed length instead of retractable. I feel like this will make the lightest and stiffest poles that hold up best. Less moving parts, less holes to machine, less areas that could break, etc.