note: my final options would look like either AJ Whites boat (salmonitis) or I'm In (both on the showboats section of the site). AJs is up on the "bow deck" raised up and center and I'm Ins looks more like a pedestal seat install.

Mike, I just mounted a flat plate of aluminum with six screws holding it to the deck (all counter sunk)also two threaded holes in the plate to bolt the mast to,so when it's no in use it's just a flat deck pretty simple.Hope this if my explanation is clear. Think spring!!!
BARRY

thanks Berry. I would be tempted to do this on the raise bow deck where my trolling motor is mounted but not on the casting deck...I'd hope to just find a mast that mounts to the existing seat pedestal hole if I was going to use that.

Mike,

Like you said, you could run multiple in-line boards on each side, but a mast and ski system has its benefits.

Big Jon sells an adapter that would allow you to mount a Big Jon planer mast to your seat pedestal mount.

http://www.fishusa.com/Big-Jon-Planer-Mast-Pedestal-Seat-Mount_p.html

A new dual manual planer mast/reels setup would go over your budget. You might be able to find a used one out there though?

Yes mine is a pedestal seat install. I used the bolt pattern for the seat and made a plate to accept the pole. Takes 3 minutes to remove using my cordless drill.
You might want to check Ebay for a used set up.And in my opinion the Otter boards are the best. I know they are a bit pricey but well worth it. I have a Cannon board and an Otter board. The difference is huge.

Good luck, Mark

Ebay has some mast systems. I just picked up a Big Jon dual reel mast system from fish307 refurbished for 150. I havent mounted it yet but everything is in good condition....came all lined up and even included a clip release.

Mike; I have a pair of super ski brand planner board masts to sell, but they might not work well on your boat. If you can find some two or so inch diameter aluminum tubing you can custom make your own and save $. Cal P.

When I had my bow rider I used a poor mans planer mast set up,2 cod poles that I had one on each side of the boat set up front on 2 straight up and down rod holders.It worked great just clip your planer board on your cod pole and go......thats one pole I never broke.lol.polebreaker

i have a big john 2 reel planer mast in great condition.that i will let go for $150.but it doe's not come with the base.

Are you crazy, that's too expensive, I'll make one out of an old closet pole I have laying around and it will float if it falls in the drink. Ha,ha.

Big John

John its funny that you say that. My first planer board mast was made out of a closet pole that I bought at Home Depot and some eye hooks that I through bolted on it to use for line storage. True Story! I think the total cost for putting it together was about $25 max. It worked just as well as a fancy one too. In fact if I hadn't gotten a fancy one so cheap I would probably still be using that setup. A little yankee ingenuity never hurt right?

Seems there is alwas someoine selling a used set up, that's how I got mine at Aj'S and I sold it as used too if course, I forget who bought it, I have the Riviera planer mast now. Any way you cut it, planers are the way to go, we use em all year and they catch 75% or more of the fish. I run the G2 Jigging Planer Boards off my planer mast now.

Big John

You sold it to me and brought it to "The Gathering".
Still works fine.
Cal

It's all coming back to me now, ha,ha.

Believe it or not I have nothing to sell out of my garage this year and even stranger nothing needed to buy, except a new boat for the south.

BTW buyers beware, Craigslist has a person running a scam on Pontoon boats, maybe others too. It caught me twice, once while in Flotida this winter and another time ysterday. I advertises a nice boat at a very low price, pictures and all. Gives a sob story why it's being sold at such a low price, etc. After you get hooked and look into it he/she states that the boat is in E Bays wharehouse and is in the buyer protection program to protect both the buyer and seller.

You follow a link to what is supposed to be an E Bay link, looks genuine, he/she tells you to use the "buy me now feature" and make 50% deposit to E Bay to "the link shown". Then the boat will be delivered to you for your approval, if you don't like it you wil get a full refund and they will pay the shipping back to Atlanta or Vegas, wherever it may be coming from, of course at their charge.

All this for a boat worth 15,000 to 20,000 being sold for about 5000.00, with a new trailer of course.

AT FIRST IT LOOKS LIKE A GREAT DEAL, BUT ONCE YOU GET INTO IT A BIT, IT'S VERY OBVIOUS IT'S A SCAM, I WENT FOR IT TWICE BUT THE SECIND TIME IT ONLY TOOK A FEW MINUTES TO FIGURE IT OUT.

I played with the guy all afternoon acting like a real livce one and eventualy told him the link wouldn't open and I was looking at another boat. He was begging me to keep trying to open the link, try another computer, etc.

I hope he didn't find some poor person to conclude a deal with him.

Buyer beware of a deal that looks too good to be true.

Big John

What I would do is contact Craigslist & Ebay about the situation...
My experiance has been that Craigslist is full of scammers and I have gotten alot of strange emails when I sold stuff; however Ebay is alot more secure and no trouble as I have bought and sold alot there... Ebay has a fraud department so it's worth emailing them and informing them..

It looks like a late ice-out this year unless March turns very warm...

Seems to me with an early ice out the fishing is slower than with a normal ice out, but only my opinion ?

I think you can reach Obama easier than you can E Bay ?

Big John

the way this winter has been: i'll be happy if
ice-out occurs at all...

I don't know about late ice out. Temps may push 60 on Sunday with good rain coming in. Plus the heavy snows came before much solid black ice formed. While we have lots of ice, most of it is frozen slush (over half). It could happen fast we a warm stretch, rain and wind. It's a bit early to predict ice out but I'm guessing mid-April...the 17th (you read it here first).

Just think, in less than a month, you could legally be dragging lines!!!!

After this winter,I'd like an early ice out but it,s not going to happen.So with that said we will have the boat ready for april 1st and hope for open water fishing on the 16th.For now we will kill time by going to the Boston boat show and dream......polebreaker