A Perfect Storm Movie: what was that outrigger stabilizer thing?

[bobconnie]

Ive used Paravanes- Flopper Stoppers on both trawlers, and net boats, from 30 ft salmon trollers, to 85 ft Draggers. The thing about them is they WORK ! they reduce the roll and allow the fish gear to be more stable in the water ! And of course make the vessel more comfortable to work aboard ! Over the years ive even put a set or two on cruiseing power boats ! They work better when running, but do help even at anchor. The first thing we always did after leaveing the dock to go to sea was to drop the Vanes! The last thing we did before delivering our catch was to raise them ! They were that important to our fishing ! Just sayin, they work if ya can stand the looks of haveing them on your pleasure boat !! LOL

[HopCar]

I first saw paravanes back in the mid sixties. My Dads best friend, Andy Anderson, got hold of a thirty something foot Cuban built wooden sailboat. I imagine it had brought a load of refugees to Miami. He and my Dad went to work and turned it into the ugliest power boat ever made. They decked it over and built what looked like an two story apartment building on it. If you guys ever saw it you would think it would roll over in it's slip.
They had loaded it with lead ballast and installed Flopper Stoppers (their term).
Andy cruised that boat from Miami through the Bahamas all the way down to Turks and Caicos and back! The flopper stoppers really did work.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Interesting.... is it normal to use those? I've seen big private boats with outriggers rolling around at anchor without any kind of stabilizers outboard.

Outriggers used for fishing aren't designed to be load-bearing; they're usually made of relatively lightweight aluminum tubing.

A line from a fishing rod runs first to a quick-release clip (release weight is usually adjustable, depending on target fish weight and behavior) on an outrigger halyard, then trails out (with lure) some distance behind the boat.

In use, the outriggers are spread at roughly a 45° angle from the boat, and the purpose is mostly to move the lure away from the boat's line of travel, and it helps to keep multiple lines/lures from tangling.

-Chris

[sartorst]

Boy do those trawlers pitch and roll if you prone to sea sickness they will get you,they are like a sailboat without a keel!!!

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Interesting.... is it normal to use those? I've seen big private boats with outriggers rolling around at anchor without any kind of stabilizers outboard.

It's common as far as I know. A lot of our East Coast fishing fleet sports them, probably due to the chop as the swell crawls up the continental shelf creating short, steep waves.

A variation on this for sailboats at anchor in a swell is called by the Pardeys the "flopper-stopper".



It's like a static version of the paravane and reduces roll through a drag device like a milk crate with a one-way flap.

Sailing with Lin & Larry Pardey

[captain58sailin]

I have them on my boat, used for trolling, also slows the roll, more accurately called destabilizers. Have been on several commercial fishing vessels of different stripes that deploy them in rough weather, helps make the working platform less agile.