I'm looking to buy outriggers for my 23' walkaround in the very near future. I have a top that was made for the boat and should have had outriggers put on it then but I was broke!! Looking on the internet, there are several different styles and methods for mounting the holders. I'm looking for opinions regarding top-mounted, gunnel mounted and the bolt-on holders that bolt-on to the top supports. The most popular and costly is the top-mounted. I'm looking for something that will still leave me a few pesos to have a beer at the marina cantina!! ANY suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
If you do a key word search on the board you will find several previous discussions on outriggers that may give you some insights and suggestions. This topic has come up before.
We have a 27' express and have the gunwale mounted Taco outriggers in 15.5 ft HD. They make a top mount for these as well. We have been very happy with the riggers. They are collapsible aluminum riggers and are easy to store and maintain.
The rigging line goes thru external eyes which makes them easy to rig and will also allow for a double rigging if desired. Personally I would avoid the type of rigger that has the line running inside the pole.
Others with walkarounds may have suggestions based on their experience. Dollar for dollar the Tacos are hard to beat. Think if you do top mount, the mounts must be solidly attached to the top framework, like a welded-in plate that will allow the mounts to be inserted thru the plate and thru bolted. Anything else on the top will not be strong enough and will probably break.
