drift sock help

[ccarver80]

I have a 16' Crestliner w/75hp Yamaha 4 stroke brochure says 1000# dry weight which I'm thinking is without the motor

I'm a cheap guy... I really don't feel like dropping the $ on a real drift sock and gonna redneck it a bit and use a 5 gallon bucket or maybe even try to engineer a windsock (we have used ones here at work and there the bigger orange ones you see at an airport.

My question is ... 5 gallon bucket theory ... will 1 bucket be enough or should I build two? Mainly I want to try and slow my Yamaha from 2.5mph to like 1mph

Wind sock theory ... maybe just sew the end to a smaller hole?

I fish lake sakagwea in North Dakota and winds can get 20-30 on a given day...

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... If yer tryin' to slow yer trollin' speeds, tie a 5 gallon bucket off each side, up front near the bow,...

Ditto for drift socks,...

It keeps 'em away from the aft, where yer gonna be fightin' fish,.....

 

[GA_Boater]

I think it will take take trial and error testing for the best way to lower your trolling speed. CC. Whether it will take one bucket or two will depend on the wind and how steady it is.

The windsock with an adjustable end so the trolling speed can be raised or lowered for the wind conditions might work well.

 

[ccarver80]

I think it will take take trial and error testing for the best way to lower your trolling speed. CC. Whether it will take one bucket or two will depend on the wind and how steady it is.

The windsock with an adjustable end so the trolling speed can be raised or lowered for the wind conditions might work well.

I like that idea of the wind sock!
I can maybe sweet talk the wife into sewing in some kinda cinch that I can open or close depending on conditions. .. or have 5 - 5 gallon bucket all with different size holes hahha! Good thing they can stack into one another

 

[BigDfromTN]

OR, Can you incorporate the two and Put a cinchable sock on the end of a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out?

 

[GA_Boater]

Sweet talk the Admiral, CC. One adjustable windsock or a stack of buckets? I'll take the sock with one bucket to store the sock.

 

[gddavid]

Replace the handle of each bucket with a thick rope or the handle will eventually break off. Remove the wire handle, drill through reinforced portion of the bucket with a drill bit the same diameter as the line you are going to use and use stopper knots to secure the line to each side.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Replace the handle of each bucket with a thick rope or the handle will eventually break off. Remove the wire handle, drill through reinforced portion of the bucket with a drill bit the same diameter as the line you are going to use and use stopper knots to secure the line to each side.

Been there, broke the handles. then I simply changed the prop to my watersports prop to bring the trolling speed down.

I use the drift sock for drift fishing, or to keep the bow into the waves just floating along.

 

[Cat nip]

Both ideas are good. Use what ever you have on hand first. If using bucks I would go with 2 because just 1 off 1 side may cause a pull in the buckets direction kinda like a low tire on a car.