Need to buy a drogue, the rental boats on the bigger lakes where I'm moving are way too light.
Never had to use a drogue on the smaller lakes back home. What's your recommendation?
Greys Platinum if you can get your hands on one. Great piece of kit about the £35 quid mark. I have had one for 6 seasons seen plenty use and still solid. Holds the drift on old school 15 foot Leven boats, folds nicely into the supplied waterproof bag nae mess nae fuss.
Quote from: Otter Spotter on June 30, 2016, 12:32:21 PM
Greys Platinum if you can get your hands on one. Great piece of kit about the £35 quid mark. I have had one for 6 seasons seen plenty use and still solid. Holds the drift on old school 15 foot Leven boats, folds nicely into the supplied waterproof bag nae mess nae fuss.
That sounds nice, thanks!
I used to have a Wychwood which was good.
I tied a small plastic ball from a toilet ballcock onto it so that if it broke away it would float to the surface and make it easy to find. :)
Trouble is that its out Airdrie way now. :roll:
Billy
Seems they are still available -
https://www.fishingmegastore.com/greys-platinum-drogue~6142.html (https://www.fishingmegastore.com/greys-platinum-drogue~6142.html)
Thats it there but I see you can save up to £10 depending on where you buy it from, GAC (The shop in the link, has free shipping though not sure whether it will apply to Sweden).
I made my own. Took 5 minutes.
A garden tidy sheet (mine was Black and Decker) + some nylon clothes rope. Simple, compact and indestructible. Total cost would still be under £10 and available from any garden / hardware store.
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Quote from: Billy on June 30, 2016, 12:48:23 PM
I used to have a Wychwood which was good.
I tied a small plastic ball from a toilet ballcock onto it so that if it broke away it would float to the surface and make it easy to find. :)
Trouble is that its out Airdrie way now. :roll:
Billy
Good tip, Billy. I've been looking at the Wychwoods with clamps.
Quote from: Otter Spotter on June 30, 2016, 12:52:03 PM
Seems they are still available -
https://www.fishingmegastore.com/greys-platinum-drogue~6142.html (https://www.fishingmegastore.com/greys-platinum-drogue~6142.html)
Thats it there but I see you can save up to £10 depending on where you buy it from, GAC (The shop in the link, has free shipping though not sure whether it will apply to Sweden).
Great, thanks! Probably no free shipping to Sweden, but that's OK. Been shopping before at GAC, when the local shops haven't had what I've been looking for.
Quote from: admin on June 30, 2016, 12:57:28 PM
I made my own. Took 5 minutes.
A Black and Decker garden tidy sheet + some nylon clothes rope. Simple, compact and indestructible. Total cost would still be under £10 and available from any garden / hardware store.
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That's the way to go, nice work! I've used an IKEA-bag with nylon ropes, but that looks way better!
Quote from: Joakim on June 30, 2016, 01:01:03 PM
That's the way to go, nice work! I've used an IKEA-bag with nylon ropes, but that looks way better!
True Scottish frugality. We are known internationally as being miserable bastards. :lol:
It could be improved by adding another rope to one corner that could be pulled to collapse it, but I have never bothered with that.
A big sea swivel helps between the four corner lines and the tow line so the drogue can spin if it wants to without kinking the line. I used one of the big builders bags.
This guy uses them to grow vegetables in :)
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/reusing-builders-bags-vegetable-beds (http://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers-solutions/reusing-builders-bags-vegetable-beds)
You could fit a sliding clip where the fixing rope connects to the four corner ropes.
That way you could slide it up or down to shorten the four ropes which in turn either opens up the drogue or closes it slightly affecting the drag.
I sort of knew what I meant when I started typing!
Billy
Quote from: Billy on June 30, 2016, 02:23:54 PM
You could fit a sliding clip where the fixing rope connects to the four corner ropes.
That way you could slide it up or down to shorten the four ropes which in turn either opens up the drogue or closes it slightly affecting the drag.
I sort of knew what I meant when I started typing!
Billy
I gave up trying to explain the same thing :)
The Greys one 4 corners to 2 fixing points makes it easy to deploy, adjust and reclaim. The 4 corners to 1 single rope to the boat I have found to be a pita :)
We had a side by side test on MSP, Greys V Tony's home mader (Which I believe is the same as the one Fred posted) the only disadvantage with the shop bought is the cost, in terms of performance the shop bought hosed it :)
So my recommendation would be if you are making one follow the Greys design it really makes a huge difference. Also worth noting is the amount of use you anticipate it will get if its a couple of times a season then make one. If you plan to spend a lot of time on the water then IMHO the £35 quid is money well invested.
Thank you very much guys, really helpful. Leaning towards buying the Greys or the Wychwood with clamps. I like DIY's, but this time I'm buying one.
Quote from: Billy on June 30, 2016, 12:48:23 PM
I used to have a Wychwood which was good.
I tied a small plastic ball from a toilet ballcock onto it so that if it broke away it would float to the surface and make it easy to find. :)
Trouble is that its out Airdrie way now. :roll:
Billy
I can vouch for that drogue......it's brilliant and customised. Sadly I'll have to give it back to the owner in September. It'll miss me. :makefun
You will need to babysit it for another year Paul.
Up to now I don't have plans for heading out to the uists. But it could easily change.
I'll make a deal with you.
I won't charge you rental if you let me off with the storage charge :lol:
Billy