Fixing my MX 2025 Rigging Regret

Before I get to the heart of this post I’d like to point out I’m very satisfied with the boat itself. Actually, “satisfied” doesn’t quite cut it.

When this boat was in the design phase the whole idea behind the MX 2025 was to produce the best multi-species fishing boat ever put on the water. I’d dare say Skeeter hit the mark.

So far I’ve had my 2025 on the Mississippi River, out in the Dakotas bouncing around from one slough to the next, up on Mille Lacs, Lake of the Woods, Leech, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay… you get the picture.

I’ve pitched jigs and casted cranks for walleye, fished drop-shot bass on deep weedlines, dropped in the deck extension and thrown big blades for muskie and spent a lot of time trolling big water for walleye, trout and salmon. This boat does just about everything and does it well.

I guess I could have just cut to the point and said “I love this boat” but I’m wordy by nature…

So, to the heart of this post…

There’s been one thing I’ve not liked about the way my MX 2025 was set up and it has to do with the way I rigged it out at the time of purchase. In the past couple seasons I’ve had the opportunity to do a bunch of trolling in a WX 2190 using a http://www.traxstech.com/ “tracks and trees” system.

Some might recall this post I did on Traxtech track system >>> http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/1057147/fpart/1/wx-2100-big-water-rigging-options

When it came time to rig out my boat this spring how much I enjoyed fishing with this system was obviously lost on me for the time being. I opted for rails and the standard Scotty style rod holders and went fishing.

I kept finding myself feeling like I was looking for missing cockpit space and being frustrated working around the rod butts of my trolling rods that extend a full foot into the cockpit behind the rod holder. When you’re fishing 3 – 4 rods per side and you take a foot from the port side and a foot from the starboard side along the entire length of the installed rail and the huge dance floor of a cockpit on the MX 2025 starts to fill a bit cramped.

I mentioned this to Dean and started to whine about how I wished I had ordered the tracks instead of going with the rails. In classic Dean fashion he simply responded with a “bring in the boat, we’ll get you fixed up.”

I assumed he would be pulling the rails and I’d be looking at some fairly expensive fiberglass repair work as the mounting holes for the rails definitely would not line up with the new tracks. Dean said he wouldn’t do anything until he had a chance to go through the options.

Two days after the boat was dropped at SBC, I get a call… “come get your boat. Your tracks are in place!”

Yippeeeee! Of course that excitement was tempered with my concern over “how much did I just spend to get this done?!” I knew the tracks were going to be an expense but I look at them as an investment. If you’ve ever felt the build quality of the Traxtech product you know they’ll last forever.

So when I get to see the boat for the first time I was more than pleased…. Dean found a way to mount the tracks on the rails. No fiberglass repair work! I had no idea a bracket existed that would mount tracks to the top of a rail. After a couple days of testing fishing lakers and salmon on Superior I give this solution two thumbs up. The tracks are rock solid and give me back the cockpit space I had been missing. With the rods in the holders using the Traxtech system the rods extend outside of the boat versus into the cockpit…. definitely a better mousetrap all the way around!

I’ve not tried running downriggers on tracks mounted this way. Of course the way leadcore and spoons behind boards have been working I’m not sure the downriggers will make it out of the garage again this year.

Going forward all future boats will have this style track system installed and I think I’ll simply order the boat without rails and have SBC mount the track direct on the gunnel but for now this is a fantastic solution. Couldn’t be happier!

PS – if you haven’t been following the fishing reports from Lake Superior in the last couple weeks, the bite is absolutely on fire with some awesome fishing being caught all up and down the north shore. Check out the latest here >>> Lake Superior Lake Trout

Very nice! I would like to see tracks as a factory option then have rails you can slip in the tracks when you want them.

I’ve been talking to Dean at Sbc and I’m ordering a 2190 I do a lot of trolling with Plaines boards on oahe, erie and on the Missouri river here in Nebraska. that looks like a system is like to try

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Very nice! I would like to see tracks as a factory option then have rails you can slip in the tracks when you want them.

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Even if the factory didn’t install the tracks (personally that’s something I want my dealer to do) you can always order a boat without rails, have the dealer install your tracks and I do know there’s a way to set-up a removable rail that slide in and out of the track. SBC had that on one of their demo 1825’s last season that seemed to work very well.

Don’t you just hate it when problems are solved without costing a ton of money or having to throw a hissy fit?

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Don’t you just hate it when problems are solved without costing a ton of money or having to throw a hissy fit?

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The Traxtech system is far from cheap but if you throw fiberglass repair on top of that there’s a strong likelihood I wouldn’t have been able to justify the change. There always seems to be a way to get things done if you know who to ask.

When I was looking to purchase my MX1825, I was looking at ordering a brand new with all the bells and whistles. Then I starting looking at dealer models and found the one that SBC had for sale. I fell in love with the color scheme. Once I started looking into all the extras this boat had I started to get excited. Then I found that this boat was equipped with the Trax Tech System and had no idea what it was. I did some research and found several good reviews on this system. When I finally made the decision to buy the boat I was still a little weary on how well this system would work. After taking it out and using it, it is the best rod holder system I have ever used. I like how versatile it is and that you can choose any angle that you desire. This system is very durable and without a doubt built for the roughest conditions anyone could throw at it. Like James said this system is far from cheap but I know when I purchase a boat in the future I will be spending the extra money on this system. They make so many accessories that are compatible with their trax system that you can virtually mount anything you want to them. I am so happy this boat came with the trax system rather than the rails.

James,
any risk of the rod coming flying out while on a S curve… or when you net a fish and forget about boat control? seems to me that if you turned on a crankbait it could pull straight out? or maybe there is a latch of somekind?

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James,

any risk of the rod coming flying out while on a S curve… or when you net a fish and forget about boat control? seems to me that if you turned on a crankbait it could pull straight out? or maybe there is a latch of somekind?

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There is a bungee type strap at the top of each tube that can be used to provide added security. I’ve never used them. It would take a major, major mistake to ever put a rod in danger and then if the rod tubes are tipped up a little bit as shown in the photos above you still wont get one to fall out or be pulled out by a snag or fish.

Despite the appearance the rods are very, very secure in those tubes. We actually run from spot to spot with the rods in the tubes, tipped up so they don’t catch a wave, of course. Doing this is fantastically convenient as the rods don’t end up bouncing around in the bottom of the boat getting tangled and when you get to your next spot every rod is in the proper place for deployment.

Hey James, I have the similar issue with my Skeeter WX1850.
I want to put some downriggers on as well. Did Dean think that would be strong enough to handle that with down riggers as well one on each side?

My original thoughts were to take the rail off complelety and replace with long track hoping I’d hide the mounting holes of the original Rail but this seems a quicker fix to me honestly. I don’t do a lot of down rigger fishing but it would be nice option. I might have to have my canvas remade then to account for this but oh well

I ended up getting a MX2025 from stock that already had the rear rails in place, but wanted to use the track system. I worked with SMC to come up with a solution to place the 60 inch tracks, but not have to figure out a way to repair/cover the front mounting holes from the rail since the track wouldn’t cover them. Here’s what we came up with. The front 2/3 rds of the rail are still in tact. The rail was cut just behind the second mount and capped. The 60 inch track was then bolted down to the gunnels behind the rail after the rear cleats were moved back on the gunnel. I now can safetly run downriggers, my traxtech riser system, and the vertical rod holders when Salmon fishing, or remove the whole works and just run the folbe’s for walleyes. Of course, I can also run naked, but no pictures of that setup I also have traxtech mounts to use my front Humminbird in the rear when trolling from the back, and a ram ball mount for the marine band radio antenea. I really like the riser system for this boat with lower gunnels so I can lean against them when setting gear in heavy waves without having to worry about any swimming. Here’s some pictures……

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Hey James, I have the similar issue with my Skeeter WX1850.
I want to put some downriggers on as well. Did Dean think that would be strong enough to handle that with down riggers as well one on each side?

My original thoughts were to take the rail off complelety and replace with long track hoping I’d hide the mounting holes of the original Rail but this seems a quicker fix to me honestly. I don’t do a lot of down rigger fishing but it would be nice option. I might have to have my canvas remade then to account for this but oh well

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They will hold up to down riggers to a point. If you were doing more than a trip or two a year that you would use them I would suggest to go to just the tracks.

On that particular boat you can remove the 60″ rails by taking off 3 nuts and a 60″ trax will cover up the holes.

Either way is not real difficult but I would lean towards removing the rails if you were going to us down riggers more than a couple times a year.

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Hey James, I have the similar issue with my Skeeter WX1850.
I want to put some downriggers on as well. Did Dean think that would be strong enough to handle that with down riggers as well one on each side?

My original thoughts were to take the rail off complelety and replace with long track hoping I’d hide the mounting holes of the original Rail but this seems a quicker fix to me honestly. I don’t do a lot of down rigger fishing but it would be nice option. I might have to have my canvas remade then to account for this but oh well

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They will hold up to down riggers to a point. If you were doing more than a trip or two a year that you would use them I would suggest to go to just the tracks.

On that particular boat you can remove the 60″ rails by taking off 3 nuts and a 60″ trax will cover up the holes.

Either way is not real difficult but I would lean towards removing the rails if you were going to us down riggers more than a couple times a year.

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My apologies for missing this follow up question.

As Eric stated, the “track on rails” system is great for pulling boards but I just don’t see it as a long-term mounting solution for downriggers. You could likely get by with a trip or two but if you ever hung a downrigger in a net or stuck a downrigger ball in the bottom I think you’d see the entire track rotate/spin away from the inside of the boat… the result would be very, very bad.

I think the solution that TO showed in the previous posts offers the best of both worlds. You don’t have to pay for any expensive glass repairs to fix holes from the rails and you get the track mounted directly to the hull where you’ll never have to worry about your downriggers putting to much load on the track.

Hi James,

when i pull the trigger on the mx2025, i’m going to want the exact same trax setup that you have shown here.

What is the part number for the raised track? Is it MT-48?

Are the risers what they call the “reverse riser” (DRBRS-4)?

Would you do anything different to do it all over again (aside from not initially getting the rails)?

thanks,
Mike

michael poulin wrote:

Hi James,

when i pull the trigger on the mx2025, i’m going to want the exact same trax setup that you have shown here.

What is the part number for the raised track? Is it MT-48?

Are the risers what they call the “reverse riser” (DRBRS-4)?

Would you do anything different to do it all over again (aside from not initially getting the rails)?

thanks,
Mike

Hi Mike

@walleyefool / Eric Rehberg will need to help me with the part numbers. I don’t have that info handy.

As for what would I do differently, right now I have my boat set up exactly the way I want it. I don’t miss the rails at all as the tracks offer infinite adjustability and can handle any trees, rod holders or down riggers I’d ever want to mount. I fished with Will Roseberg and Cal Svihel on Lake Superior over the weekend. Both of them are experienced trollers and had never fished with a tracks n’ trees system before. They’re converts now!

michael poulin wrote:

Hi James,

when i pull the trigger on the mx2025, i’m going to want the exact same trax setup that you have shown here.

What is the part number for the raised track? Is it MT-48?

Are the risers what they call the “reverse riser” (DRBRS-4)?

Would you do anything different to do it all over again (aside from not initially getting the rails)?

thanks,
Mike

Are you refering to james traxs on rails or to TOsetters set up? I guess im slightly confused on what parts your looking for? Once i know that I can for sure get you part numbers!!

wow, thanks for pointing that out Eric! I must have read too fast.

it is most definitely TOsetter’s setup that i’m referring to.

TOsetter: Can you please pass on the part numbers that you used? Just want to make sure i’m getting the right parts from the get-go.

thanks
mike

I believe the correct part numbers would be MT-60 which is the basic trax. And DRBS-10 is the raised 60″ traxs. Thats what I show anyways.

michael poulin wrote:

wow, thanks for pointing that out Eric! I must have read too fast.

it is most definitely TOsetter’s setup that i’m referring to.

TOsetter: Can you please pass on the part numbers that you used? Just want to make sure i’m getting the right parts from the get-go.

thanks
mike

Hi Mike,
Eric has got the P/N’s correct for the track and the risers. The 60 inch track is MT-60, and 10 inch risers are DRBS-10. I also got a 60 inch trolling bar, but this was a bit of a special order as they just show 8′ ones on the web page. If you give them a call, they’ll make pretty much anything you want. To be honest; I’m in the middle of changing my setup just a bit. I’m going to move my vertical trees to the lower track instead of having them on the top trolling bar. It’s kind of high and tough to get a rod out of the top two holders….especially when there’s a fish on. This also gets to be a lot of weight up high. I’m going to move the vertical rod holders down where the front 10 inch riser currently sits, then move that 10 inch riser back just a bit and cut off the trolling bar just behind the vertical rod holder. The will remove quite a bit of weight off the system, and make those vertical rod holders more easily accessable. I’m planning on doing the work tomorrow morning, so I can send in new pictures when I’m done. I think this will make a really nice setup and doubt I’ll need any further adjustments. The only other thing I would do differently if I were to do it again is maybe go with 6 inch risers instead of the 10 inch risers. Not a big deal, but I think 6 inch risers would be plenty.

invaluable information TOsetter!!! thank you so much and i certainly do look forward to the pics of your updated setup.

mike

James

I’m just about ready to order a 2190 and would very interested to see a picture or some description of how you rigged the tracks…especially on the bow area. Did you put any in the stern? I think the track offers all of the versatility of changing mounting position of rod holders etc, but also offers a flat surface to step on for boarding or getting out..especially when wind is blowing and dock is moving.

Thanks

michael poulin wrote:

invaluable information TOsetter!!! thank you so much and i certainly do look forward to the pics of your updated setup.

mike

Hi Mike,
I’ve included new pictures after some work on Saturday cutting down the top tow “trolling bar”, and moving the vertical rod holder down to the base track on the gunnel. I think I’m really going to like this setup. The rigger and dipsy rod holders are easily at hand from the back of the cockpit and should I have a need for seats in the back row, the vertical rod holders are now between the front and back row seats, so it will be easy to grab those rods.

Since my top row trolling bars started out at 60 inches long and I’ve now cut them down to 30 inches to fit between the rigger and the vertical rod holder, I’ve now got 2 extra 30 inch sections of trolling bar. If you decide to go with a similar setup, I’d be happy to let you have two extra 30 inch sections. If interested, let me know. I’d just ask that you cover shipping costs.

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thanks for the update to_setter! once i pull the trigger, i’ll message you to find out if you still have them.