Hi John: Thanks for continuing to supply this valuable info. Your gear is really well thought-out, and I doubt that anything comes close to it in terms of ease and safety of handling. A year ago I had the opportunity to measure the primary dimensions of the Nordhavn gear aboard the N46 "Sally G," in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. Attempts to apply this setup to my boat have been frustrating, despite the fact that most all the geometry seems to be about the same. One big difference is that the N46 outrigger hinge points are about 4-5' higher than on Seahorse, so I have had a problem with fixed suspension; i.e. using a 6' nylon spring and 15' of chain. This would equal the outrigger length of 21' and would mean that the fish could hit the side of the boat (or me)! during retrieval. Currently, fish stow in holsters atop the caprail near the outrigger hinge point, but I would like to move them aft as yours are. All of what you relate seems to jibe with what I measured except the running depth of the fish. Is it (chain length) really 12 feet? I have been using 15 for my design; if I could shorten that, I could adapt the Nordhavn system to my boat. Regards, John "Seahorse" John Harris writes: COMMENTS: My 2 electric winches are mounted near the center of the length of the boom. The 50' cables runs from the winch to the tip of the boom and then are attached about 8' above the paravanes to the tow chain. This places the attachment point about 4' under water when the paravanes are deployed. I am above to lift the paravanes to near the stern single handed and then hold their cable off the hull and lift the vane up to the holder on the stern rail with the winch and then set it in its holder. My outriggers are raised with a block rope with 2:1 block and tackle from the top deck. I never operate them anything but full down in the water i.e. about 12'. I have a set of push buttons at knee height in the cockpit for each electric winch so the whole operation can be done single handed. I usually have the boat running at idle speed of about 3 knots while launching or fetching the vanes. I usually do this with 2 people but one is no more difficult, it just takes twice as long. I hope this is helpful to your thoughts, send questions if you wish.

>> Is it (chain length) really 12 feet? I have been using 15 for my design; >> if I could shorten that, I could adapt the Nordhavn system to my boat. John, Yes, I believe that I have measured it correctly, and the distance below the water is 12', the total chain length is about 16' and it is supported by a length of (I recall) cable that is about 12'. If you wish me to confirm the measurements please send an e-mail in 7 to 67 days, I will respond within a few days from the boat. I do understand your point about the hinge point, ours is about 9' above the water surface and the outrigger is at an angle of about 30 degrees to the horizontal, making the end of the outrigger about 20' above the water (estimate). John Harris World Odd @ Sea