Scotty Downrigger Counters

[Captain PartyMarty]

Hi guy's

I was wondering how often do you have to replace your counters on your downriggers? I seem to be replacing mine about 3 times a year, at 30 bucks each its gets expensive. I am I doing something wrong which is causing them to break? Most time they just stop counting properly, for instance this weekend one stop working the first digit seems fine but the second digit hangs for a few seconds before rolling over on the way down.

 

[scott craven]

Digital or Mechanical ?
I think Scotty will replace mecanical no charge

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

Mechanical,

How do people get Scotty to warrant things, I had ring switch fail last year, Freds tackle in Abbotsford charged me 60bucks to replace said it was a wear item.

 

[scott craven]

You need to go direct to Scotty, explain the problem and they will most likely send you the parts no charge.

 

[Redfisher]

or take your downrigger to one of their authorized service shops who fix it for free.

 

[scott craven]

My experience has been that service shops will charge for the parts,
Scotty generally supply at no charge.

 

[capt hook]

Scottie USED to be a good company and would fix/warranty most anything.
since new management came in a few yrs ago , they thought they were being smart and wnet digital on the counter which is a total disaster. And they wont stand behind it...the old saying
"if it ain,t broke , don,t fix it" but Scotty did not listen.
the mechanical ones worked great , these digital ones are a joke and i too have replaced three.
I wont buy Scotty products anymore.
So if you are buying a new downrigger , ask for mechanical or pass on it...

 

[tinboatrobb]

Wow. First time I have ever seen someone slagg Scotty

 

[fishin solo]

Scotty makes a lot of awesome products. Yes they made a mistake going with digital counters. However I have had 1 fail in 2 years and they sent me 2 counters said keep one for a spare. Hell of a company if you ask me. They didn't even want serial # or any verification. To not buy ANY of their products because of a digital counter is crazy. Best local company in the business hands down. It's your loss

 

[scott craven]

Best local company in the business hands down. It's your loss

x 2

 

[adanac]

Agreed, I had the counter issue on all 3 of mine , brought it up at the boatshow and they gave me a replacement and a spare for all 3. Also have a buddy who recently switched his HP's counters from the digital to the old mechanical counter. I think he got it done at Berrys. He's in Kyuqout currently so no getting ahold of him but when I speak to him I'll get some info on it.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

My mechanical ones are failing, strange nobody else is having this issue, but I can't think of what I might be doing to screw them up....

 

[DuroBoat]

my mechanical counter failed and I took my downrigger to scotty manufacturing on Vancouver island (conveniently close to where I live) they fixed everything, performed all maintenance and billed me nothing. It was a used downrigger that I bought a year ago and they didn't even ask where I got it from. I bring my downriggers to scotty once a year and they complete a free maintenance tune-up free of charge and even replace small worn parts for free. Pick-usually takes a day or two and they have never asked to see a sales receipt or warranty etc.. pretty stand-up company in my opinion and their products are great!

 

[scott craven]

I have had a few fail, usually they just quit counting or maybe roll digit's sporadically.
I'm pretty sure if you tell them the problem they will help.

 

[capman]

Twice I had problem with the counter on both of my digital Scotty downrigger, took them to the authorized service shop (Highwater Tackle in North Van) and had them replaced for free. The only criteria is that you need to be the registered owner of your downrigger. On a site note for a fee, the dealer installed a mechanical counter as a backup in case the digital one fails in the middle of fishing. All I have to do to see the mechanical counter is to open the top.

 

[capt hook]

i was not the registered owner...they came with boat and were fairly new...so had to pay for new digital counter.
last spring , in fall it failed again... called Scotty they said... thems the breaks pal.......
they are not the same company as they used to be.
you would think if they try to upgrade a product and it fails the test.
they would discontinue and also replace.
I hear form Dave at highwater and others that he has huge line up of downriggers all needing new counters.
So its not just a few its a big problem.
I have BIG balls ..20,s so i can see them going up and down on the depth sounder screen and can set them very accurately.

 

[Rockfish]

Never had much of a problem with the mechanicals and had them last years, although it is not a bad idea to keep a spare on the boat if you are using the slow speed riggers as like anything mechanical they do wear out over time. When I moved up to the high speed riggers they had the digital counters with batteries which were not replaceable and were essentially throw away after about five years of use. Has anyone ever tried to replace the battery and reseal the unit? I also bought a spare counter after about three years of use on the digitals as a replacement for the day when one of them gave up. I always assumed that one of the reasons they went to digital on the high speeds was that with all the extra power and speed the mechanical counters would have difficulty standing up to it, but that’s just an assumption.
On day one of the digital counters stopped working although it was a little strange because it still seemed to have lots of power in the battery as the night light was nice and bright but it did have 4 years plus on it. We put in the spare and it only lasted about 11 hours. There was a rumor that there may have been a bad batch but don’t know if there was any truth to it. I was at the Scotty Booth at the last Victoria Boat Show and explained it to one of the guys I know rather well from his previous job and he grabbed a new one and handed it to me no questions asked. When it comes to the lifetime rigger warranty and service I have nothing but praise for Scotty. It probably helps that it does not take me long to drive to the factory service desk and don’t have to deal with any third parties.

 

[CBsqrd]

Try taking the counter off and turning the wheel with your finger to test. I replaced a mechanical counter at the beginning of last season - it would free spin on the way down and "overcount". The replacement started acting up in the fall (had to purchase as I had bought the downrigger used); however, the issue in this case was that it wasn't tightened down completely and the knobs on the main part of the downrigger that turn the counter reel weren't engaging. Snugged it down VERY tight and didn't have an issue afterwards.

Kitted the new boat out with HP's this year. Counter on one went on the third trip out, but Scotty replaced for free. Just dropped off the old counter at Highwater and they exchanged for a new one after giving them the serial number. I was also told about the bad batch of digital counters. Fwiw, when I took the counter apart to replace you could see where the wire had got caught in the seal between the two halves allowing moisture in.

Also picked up a spare at the time on my own dime for piece of mind - and was told by Scotty if I have to replace another that will be covered as the original owner. IMO, the relatively small premium for a new downrigger vs buying a used one in good shape is worth it for the lifetime warranty and to support a local company.

 

[steve01]

I've been running 3 hp digi riggers without a counter issue for a few years ... nor did I ever have an issue with my 1106.

 

[Eden Island]

my mechanical counter failed and I took my downrigger to scotty manufacturing on Vancouver island (conveniently close to where I live) they fixed everything, performed all maintenance and billed me nothing. It was a used downrigger that I bought a year ago and they didn't even ask where I got it from. I bring my downriggers to scotty once a year and they complete a free maintenance tune-up free of charge and even replace small worn parts for free. Pick-usually takes a day or two and they have never asked to see a sales receipt or warranty etc.. pretty stand-up company in my opinion and their products are great!

I just picked up my downriggers from Scotty today. One had a mechanical counter misbehaving and the other had brake slipping. They replaced the counters and brake pads on both - all for no charge, and without checking the ownership history - I bought them with the boat 22 years ago.

Amazing customer service - far beyond anybody else I deal with.