# Mounting Planer Board mast on aluminum boat



## Labman1127 (Jul 27, 2012)

Hey Guys
I am interested in hearing how you all have mounted your Big Jon or Riveria planer board masts on your aluminum boats. 
I have a Starweld 20 Pro and I trying to decide between a pedestal seat mount setup or just attaching it directly to the plywood decking on the bow with an aluminum plate underneath for extra support. 
I am just concerned about the force from the boards cracking or weakening the plywood. 

Let me know your tips. 

Thanks


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Lund and I'm going with the pedestal seat mount setup, I have an extra tube for it.


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## ducknut141 (Apr 26, 2017)

You want your mast as far forward as possible. No matter where you mount it you need to reinforce under the mount and you should add support straps or rods from the front of the boat to the mast to support it. A good shock system in the tow line is also a good idea. I mounted mine on the front deck and put 1/2" by 6" aluminum from side to side under the deck. I use 1" webbing from the spool mounts to the bow in a Y harness to add support. I also have a traveling pulley set up on the mast with shock cord to take up shock from the waves. The shock system helps keep your board more steady to prevent the jerky lure presentation.


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## pelagic (Jul 12, 2012)

Here is where I put mine. The riviera mast is nice because the base is so solid and removes with the pull of a pin and it collapses down to around 3.5 feet. I never usually even pull it up to the 7’ height and it does fine. I mounted it behind the trolling motor with some 1/4” aluminum plate underneath. When I’m pulling big boards there isn’t any flex to the area it is mounted. Nice thing is I can have my bow cover on and still run big boards if I want.


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## fishkiller (Feb 6, 2007)

A pedestal mount moves the mast back further & lower. Two things you don't want in my opinion. I put a backing plate & guyed my mast with aircraft cable to a bracket on the bow. My boards pull harder than the boards you mentioned.


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## ducknut141 (Apr 26, 2017)

My spools are manual so they are much higher. I have a 7 foot mast also the higher the better makes it easier to get releases to slide down. I like the paint job on the boards.


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## Labman1127 (Jul 27, 2012)

Pelagic that is the exact setup I was thinking of and that looks almost identical to the bow setup on my Starweld. 
Any issue with trolling motor head clearance when spot locked and the motor head is constantly turning, or difficulty in deploying / retrieving your trolling motor with the mast in that location? 

Thanks guys. This is very helpful.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

My mast is expandable to 8 ft so it's plenty high enough from the pedestal.


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## pelagic (Jul 12, 2012)

Nope. My power drive clears the mast completely. The electric big jon reels are a little more compact than the manual ones so I can’t say it will clear for all. Once the motor is deployed I have plenty of clearance between the two. If you have any specific questions feel free to pm me. I could also take some more pictures if you want to see anything specific.


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