electric girdies

Troubleshooting, repair, and how-to's related to marine systems.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

hi all wanted to post some pics of my electric girdie setup if anybody is intrested.Im new to trolling and fish out of california.I run a 26 foot osprey and didnt want to drill a bunch of holes in the boat for hydraulic lines.this setup works well,pulls a 50 lb lead about 50 ft. a minute and smaller leads faster.the motor and gear box is from a saftey puller crab pot puller and ran about 1k per side. they are controlled from a air op. foot switch which is really handy.I have dual groop 31 batterys to run them and they will fish for a full day even fishing 300ft deep.
Attachments
gurdy2.jpg
gurdy1.jpg
Salty
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 2399
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by Salty »

I don't see how they are isolated. Need to have the gurdies totally isolated from the hull and all electrical.
salmon4u
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:05 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by salmon4u »

those look cool! I bet they're nice and quiet also
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

salty, boat is fiberglass and if I have any "stray voltage" at the cable the power connection is a twist lock plug at the gurdie.
SilverT
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 178
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 1:21 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by SilverT »

bdalbol,

Those do look cool, particularly for a small boat and I too was also wondering about the isolation. The foot switch sounds great, as it's easy to bump the regular handles. When the motors are turning, have you tested the voltage down the wire? How about when you are trolling, not operating the motors? Are you running a diesel for power/ charging? I only ask because keeping our batteries charged is probably our greatest daily headache. I was also wondering how much the motors and batteries weigh.

Our boat is fiberglass too. The gurdies looked almost identical to yours, including the plate they are bolted to. We had bolted them to the fiberglass with no plastic isolating them from the fiberglass. The first year we fished the voltage down the wire read 0.00V because our gurdies were grounded through the metal in the hydraulic hoses leading to the 5hp electric start motor we used to power them. I purchased isolation hoses with no wire in them and installed. Tested the voltage the next day and it read a steady 0.73V down the wire on both sides with no stray voltage. That's just the natural voltage our boat throws when it is moving through the water. We caught nothing that morning. About 11 a.m. I had enough and pulled the isolation hoses off and we caught steadily for the rest of the day with 0.00V. Neutral was better than too hot.

The next year, I isolated everything, purchased a cheap black box and had one of the best king years of my life. It would pale in comparison to lots of folks, but there is no doubt that being able to dial the voltage in put a lot more fish in the boat. What folks are wondering is how a person can use the setup you have, yet completely control the voltage down the wire. If I understand your post correctly you disconnect the motors once you are trolling? It sure would be nice to have something that quiet and not have to be refueling the engine I use all the time.

Thanks,

Lane
Salty
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 2399
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by Salty »

Good discussion. We fished electric gurdies on the Nohusit for years. In retrospect I believe it is part of the reason my father did not do as well as he should have. While voltage borders on black magic I am a firm believer in managing it as best as possible. I think Lane's discussion is right on. Good luck.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

salty I certianly value your opinion from previous posts.is there anything besides stray voltage down the wire I should check? thanks brian
Salty
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 2399
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by Salty »

Be sure all your metal is bonded to the engine. Double up your bonding straps to your rudder and underwater metal so if one strap fails you are still bonded. I actually go forward with one strap up through a through hull, and aft up onto the rudder shaft with another. I also tie in all the aluminum superstructure, mast, poles, shelter deck etc.
A black box to check your voltage is helpful but not necessary if you have and use a good voltmeter. You should be between .5 and .8 differential between your wire and your bonding system with your wire in the water at trolling speed. You need to be isolated with your gurdy motor running because you should get a good number of bites while working your gear.
Also check all your leads for voltage on your wire. If you find any with a high deviation, then retire it. I checked all my leads on the boat last summer, about 14, and found one way off.
I could write a book on problems with voltage, but Malcolm Russell out of Victoria, BC. is the guru. I have him check out my boat every time he is in town. He has found things like pump switches leaking juice into my system, lights wired with the wrong polarization, and verified problems I found, with help from friends, like a transducer leaking juice into my field. It helps to compare notes with peers about your general fishing ability so when you aren't catching you can double check. I have had spells when I was getting beat ten to one, 20-2, 50-4, 30-1, etc. which alerted me to a problem. One time, after fixing the problem, I was the top guy in our group with 49 winter Chinook the very next day.
Chums are particularly sensitive to voltage, but that is a whole different story still evolving.

Finally I see three levels here. 1. Your field is screwed up and you aren't catching. 2. Your voltage is ok and you are doing allright. 3. Your voltage is in the magic zone and you are smoking hot, your confidence in your system is total, and you can't honestly compare scores with any of your peers because it will destroy their confidence and their fishing.
With 30 trollers fishing a hatchery area you are averaging half the weekly catch. Not half the average, but half the total. You are unloading your weekly catch at three different processors to dilute your deliveries.

I have experienced #1 too often, usually am in #2, and seldom achieved number 3, but; I know trollers who have, and I keep dreaming about it.

Good luck.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

salty thanks for the advice.I want to be sure Im ready and dialed in for the upcoming season.hopes are high down here that the recovery is in full swing.last year the opener out of fort bragg there were some great scores for the first month of the season.(northern season usually opens july 23).on a bad note we still havent go any snow in the mountians in calif. and the way the pumps in the delta running good winters are our only hope.thanks again for the tips
JKD
Member
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 12:23 pm
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by JKD »

When I was fishing Chum in the Dog Patch - I was always certain that you were in the #3 category you describe in your post, Salty. I used to marvel at your operation from afar and finally I couldn't stand the disparity in our catches any longer and had to start asking you questions so I could avoid the embarrassment of delivering my paltry Chum catches under cover of darkness when no other trollers were around. How come you are in the #2 category now? :-/
Capt. Midnite
Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:53 pm
Spammer?: No
Location: Shelter Cove Ca.

Re: electric girdies

Post by Capt. Midnite »

I would have drilled the holes, chacing stray voltage with my hydraulic system is bad enough. I've known a couple of guys with small boats that have tried systems simular to this with limited results. I hope you can make it work. If things are not right it can get costly. Good luck.
Jon
F.V. Shooting Star
Ft. Bragg Ca.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

can anybody tell me if copper based bottom paint is anything to worry about?I have about one more season left on it before I will strip and repaint.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

jon hows the new boat working out?Ive admired it a few times walking the docks in noyo.does the steel hull fish better than fiber. or wood?
Capt. Midnite
Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:53 pm
Spammer?: No
Location: Shelter Cove Ca.

Re: electric girdies

Post by Capt. Midnite »

Well, I spent the better part of 30yrs. on a wood boat (Compagno) a great double ender that in some ways I really miss, I don't think anything rides like wood. Steel is a whole different world, the main reason I bought the Shooting Star was the comfort factor, I'm getting old and soft, I like my huge bunk and the shower is real nice too, boats are nothing but a trade off if you ask me, you seem to always have to give up one thing to get another. I haven't been able to use the boat much since I've had it, Chemo therapy got in the way, but you will likley see the boat not sitting around much this coming season. I've been doing quite a bit of work on the boat to get things working the way I want. Next time your by the river stop by.
bdalbol
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:59 am
Spammer?: No

Re: electric girdies

Post by bdalbol »

jon do you plan on fishing the central season or just the horse mtn. opener?dont have my hopes up longterm but the next two years look promising.may cant come soon enough. brian
Capt. Midnite
Member
Posts: 47
Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:53 pm
Spammer?: No
Location: Shelter Cove Ca.

Re: electric girdies

Post by Capt. Midnite »

My habit has always been to be parked at Pigeon Pt. on May 1, but who knows, when I lived and fished out of Sausalito that was easy now it's a long ride but I'll probably be there.
Salty
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 2399
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by Salty »

On being in stage 2 chum fishing last year. The fishery was different, is different every year. I did not adapt as well last year as I have in some years. And the top end was different. A good day last year for the fleet targeting chums was 200 fish. The average chum per boat fishing the top week in Icy Straits was 350 for the week. I am set up for better days. Scratching 50 or so chums a day drives me crazy and I keep looking for better.
The fleet was so big in both Icy Straits and Behm Canal that we never got the chance to work on schooled up fish. I love working schools, getting the schools coming into the boat, keeping them on the gear. I got two passes on one school that backed out over a line one day last year. I am worried that a huge fleet where ever there is a chum is our future and that means the big days are all history. One of the few things that is constant from year to year is that lots of troll gear spook the chums and puts them off the bite.
Nevertheless I am plugging away with our Chum Trollers Association trying to protect the opportunity we have and open new area for Dipac chums. The only way trollers get their share of the SE enhanced salmon allocation pie is by harvesting more hatchery chum. The difference between our share, 32%, and what we have been catching, 19%, was worth over $4 million last year.
But don't worry about me, I had some great days Chinook fishing last year, had a really fun coho trip in calm waters capitalizing on a tip from a retired friend, and scratched up a few pinks and chums. My relationships with the trollers I communicate with and my crew was the best, except for one bad crew week, in my fishing career. Every year, between my boys and my partners, the technology for finding the fish, handling the gear and fish, and communicating about the fishing improves. Last year we made significant strides in all three areas.
Thanks for asking.
Salty
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 2399
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 1:46 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by Salty »

On being in stage 2 chum fishing last year. The fishery was different, is different every year. I did not adapt as well last year as I have in some years. And the top end was different. A good day last year for the fleet targeting chums was 200 fish. The average chum per boat fishing the top week in Icy Straits was 350 for the week. I am set up for better days. Scratching 50 or so chums a day drives me crazy and I keep looking for better.
The fleet was so big in both Icy Straits and Behm Canal that we never got the chance to work on schooled up fish. I love working schools, getting the schools coming into the boat, keeping them on the gear. I got two passes on one school that backed out over a line one day last year. I am worried that a huge fleet where ever there is a chum is our future and that means the big days are all history. One of the few things that is constant from year to year is that lots of troll gear spook the chums and puts them off the bite.
Nevertheless I am plugging away with our Chum Trollers Association trying to protect the opportunity we have and open new area for Dipac chums. The only way trollers get their share of the SE enhanced salmon allocation pie is by harvesting more hatchery chum. The difference between our share, 32%, and what we have been catching, 19%, was worth over $4 million last year.
But don't worry about me, I had some great days Chinook fishing last year, had a really fun coho trip in calm waters capitalizing on a tip from a retired friend, and scratched up a few pinks and chums. My relationships with the trollers I communicate with and my crew was the best, except for one bad crew week, in my fishing career. Every year, between my boys and my partners, the technology for finding the fish, handling the gear and fish, and communicating about the fishing improves. Last year we made significant strides in all three areas.
Thanks for asking.
SilverT
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 178
Joined: Mon May 18, 2009 1:21 pm

Re: electric girdies

Post by SilverT »

bdalbol,

Malcom, the afore-mentioned guru says that paint containing cuprous oxide increases the field of positive ions created around the boat. Higher cuprous oxide content is better and stay away from anything less than 34% if possible.

Have a great season,

Lane
carojae
Site Supporter
Site Supporter
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:45 am

Re: electric girdies

Post by carojae »

Re: Category 1,2,3.
Right on. I can agree with that analysis.
I would add a 3.1 to that though; the guy who just screws a zinc here and there and continually smokes the hell out of everyone. Floyd Peterson comes to mind when he commercial power trolled he just kind of shrugged off the zincing theories.
*He continues to make a season today before most ever put a line in the water today hand trolling for winter kings. A very skilled fisherman.
:D

Jim
Post Reply