Scotty lake troller pulley design problem

I was really disappointed this week when 5 minutes into what would have been a stellar salmon action, the pulley in my Scotty Lake troller came off. The pulley is that round plastic thing at the end of the arm. Without it, you can’t use the downrigger. It wasn’t even 6am and I was so bummed!

I got a new Lake Troller today and realized that this pulley has a design problem. You can look at the photo for reference. It goes like this : the pulley sits inside a housing, and is connected to the housing with a screw and a nut. The screw runs through the center of the pulley, and there’s a groove in the outside of the housing for the nut. This groove allows the nut to be recessed, which is nice, and it also holds it so that you can tighten the screw without having to hold the nut. The pulley doesn’t spin on the screw. It spins on a bushing (basically a round collar made of plastic) that spins on the screw.
 
Now, Scotty makes an upgraded pulley for the more heavier DR models, and I got one, and took it apart. It’s the same as above, except that it has a metal bushing (not plastic), and you can really fasten the screw on it, and the pulley would still spin freely. However, the Lake Troller pulley would not spin if you tighten the pulley center screw. It would jam. So by design the screw has to be loose. And I know why my screw hasn’t come loose until now - because I’ve been using 4lb weight, but on the day it came off I was using 8lb. The 8lb pressure on the pulley created torque on the bushing, which in turn created spin on the screw, and since the nut was held fixed by the housing, the screw simply turned until it popped.

So now what? I don’t think leaving the center screw loose just to allow the pulley to spin is a bad idea. I’m going to get a stainless steel bushing long enough that I can tighten the center screw without jamming the pulley. I may also use grease in there to reduce the torque problem. Secondly, I’m going to replace the center screw with a longer one, and then use a solution to prevent the nut from coming out. This could be a nylon insert lock nut, two nuts compressed together, or whatever you folks thing works best.

On a positive note, my father in law heard about my tragic salmon fishing day and got me a nice present. See below.

You might want to consider the Scotty Depthmaster. It's pretty easy to modify it for a kayak, with the only tricky part being that you'll probably want to shorten the arm.

You might want to consider the Scotty Depthmaster. It's pretty easy to modify it for a kayak, with the only tricky part being that you'll probably want to shorten the arm.

The Scotty Depthmaster is a pretty good downrigger, but if you shorten its arm, the pulley will drop, and the downrigger cable will run across the rim of the cable reel.  Finding a way to shorten the arm of a Depthmaster so the downrigger cable feeds into the center of the cable reel is pretty challenging.  See the picture below, which shows how I did it.  Some Depthmaster owners have added a second pulley or a guide which bends the cable so it doesn't run across the rim of the cable reel.

I prefer the Cannon Lake Troll downrigger.  I think it's easier to crank because the axle of its cable reel is horizontal, its clutch provides excellent control over the descent of the downrigger weight, and the clutch is easier to operate than the brake handle-cable reel handle operation of the Depthmaster.  And shortening the arm of a Lake Troll is a simple ten minute job. For a description of how I set up my Revolution with a Cannon Lake Troll, see https://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=12575.msg138905#msg138905.

Finding a way to shorten the arm of a Depthmaster so the downrigger cable feeds into the center of the cable reel is pretty challenging. 

I rarely disagree with pmmpete, but I don't think it's difficult to shorten the depthmaster arm. I used a piece of 3/4" starboard plastic that I heated and bent. You could instead use 1/2" or probably even 3/8" starboard, and if you don't want to heat/bend it, you could bolt together a couple of pieces at a right angle.

Finding a way to shorten the arm of a Depthmaster so the downrigger cable feeds into the center of the cable reel is pretty challenging. 

I rarely disagree with pmmpete, but I don't think it's difficult to shorten the depthmaster arm. I used a piece of 3/4" starboard plastic that I heated and bent. You could instead use 1/2" or probably even 3/8" starboard, and if you don't want to heat/bend it, you could bolt together a couple of pieces at a right angle.

Very nice job, NowhereMan!

Lior, sorry to hear about your downrigger. That sucks and it's days like those that can haunt you.
I think the Lake Troller is recommended at no more than 4lbs of lead. I've never had a problem with either of mine. You might consider just carrying a spare in your hatch.

If you do decide to upgrade to something more sturdy, keep us posted. I was looking into it, but gave up, as I really like the simplicity of mounting the Lake Troller on a standard Scotty mount.

id put some locktite on the threads and call it a day. been using mine with 4 lbs no issue. Checking the screws on things regularly is a good habit to form.

Loctite or nylon lock nuts

You might want to consider the Scotty Depthmaster. It's pretty easy to modify it for a kayak, with the only tricky part being that you'll probably want to shorten the arm.

I'm interested in adding a second DR to 2nd kayak. What's unique about this model and benefit?

It's a "real" downrigger. It's got a clutch. Counter. It handles 8#ers no problem. Probably up to 12. It's a complete 1 hand operation .

It's a "real" downrigger. It's got a clutch. Counter. It handles 8#ers no problem. Probably up to 12. It's a complete 1 hand operation .

Thanks I just order one. Next is how to set this up on my Revo.

Sorry Lior for hijacking of this thread.

Thanks for the comments folks. I looked at the Depthmaster and it’s a nice DR a for sure. Good features. Sturdier. I don’t mind the extra weight, but I’d need to think how it would work with my setup as I have my rod holder and DR mounts next to each other (their Scotty mounts are in my Revo 16 left pocket).

+1 to loctite.  You can also swap out the plastic bushing with a metal one.  Add a coating of Belray waterproof grease to the bolt while you're in there.

Would this fit on the aka bar? I'm thinking I could mount a Depthmaster on my aka.

https://scotty.com/product/no-1027-rail-mount/

I think the Lake Troller is recommended at no more than 4lbs of lead.

This is exactly what I was thinking.  Why do you need an 8# ball?  You are already getting superior depth control over a 40oz ball. You also have all the extra weight leveraging the gunwale of your boat creating stress and balance issues. My Revo is tippy enough, I don’t need to be giving Mr Jones any advantage.