Why Walkarounds Are a Different Rigging Problem
Walkaround boats occupy a specific niche in the offshore world. They're versatile enough for family use, practical enough for solo trips, and capable enough to run offshore when conditions allow. But that versatility comes with a layout that creates real tradeoffs when you start thinking about outrigger rigging.
Unlike a center console, a walkaround has a cabin structure that limits where you can position outrigger bases and route hardware. Unlike a convertible, it typically lacks a dedicated cockpit tower or hardtop engineered for heavy rigging loads. And unlike either of those platforms, it has narrow side decks that people actually walk on—which means anything you mount, route, or hang has to account for foot traffic and body movement around the boat.
Getting outriggers to fish well on a walkaround isn't complicated, but it does require thinking through the layout more carefully than on a purpose-built sportfisher. This article covers the decisions that matter most.
Choosing Your Outrigger Base Location
On most walkarounds, you have two realistic options for outrigger base placement: the gunwale or the hardtop rail. Each has tradeoffs.
Gunwale-Mounted Outriggers
Mounting outrigger bases to the gunwale is the most common approach on smaller walkarounds. It keeps the outriggers low and forward enough to spread baits effectively, and it doesn't require a hardtop or T-top capable of supporting the load.
The main challenge is deck access. Gunwale-mounted bases sit right where crew members need to move when fighting fish, clearing lines, or working the cockpit. Before you commit to a location, walk the boat with someone else aboard and simulate what happens during a fish. Where do people need to stand? Where do they need to step over or around? Mark those zones and work around them when you choose your mounting position.
Also consider the angle of the outrigger when deployed. On a walkaround with a narrow beam, a base mounted too far forward can result in an outrigger that doesn't spread baits far enough off the transom to keep them out of the prop wash. Most anglers want their rigger tips well behind the transom when deployed. Check the geometry before you drill.
Hardtop or T-Top Mounting
If your walkaround has a hardtop or T-top, mounting outriggers to the top rail is worth considering. This gets the bases up and out of the walking path, and it typically allows for a better spread angle because the higher mounting point lets the rigger extend further outboard.
The concern here is structural. Hardtops on walkarounds vary significantly in how they're built and what they're designed to support. Before you mount outrigger bases to any top, verify with the manufacturer or a qualified marine fabricator that the structure can handle the load—not just the static weight of the riggers, but the dynamic load from running offshore in chop. A hardtop that flexes or a mounting point that pulls loose offshore is a serious problem.
If the top is solid, this can be a clean solution that keeps your side decks clear and improves your spread geometry at the same time.
Routing the Halyard on a Walkaround
Once your outrigger bases are positioned, you need to think about how the halyard line runs from the outrigger tip back to where you can reach it. On a walkaround, this route is often more complicated than it looks at first.
The cabin structure means you can't always run a direct line from the rigger tip to a cleat or winder in the cockpit. The line may need to travel around or over the cabin, through guides mounted along the gunwale or cabin side, and then down to a convenient working position.
Line guides are essential here. Without them, the halyard has no defined path, which leads to chafe against cabin edges, lines catching on cleats and hardware, and tangles that cost you fishing time. Spacing guides at regular intervals along the halyard run keeps the line controlled and moving freely.
For most walkaround setups, a set of 4 QUICK DROP Line Guides is enough to establish a clean halyard path from the rigger tip to the cockpit. On longer outriggers or more complex routing paths—particularly if the line has to travel around a cabin corner or over a longer run—6 QUICK DROP Line Guides give you more placement flexibility and better line control across the full length of the run.
When you plan the routing, walk the line in your head before you install anything. Start at the outrigger tip and work back toward the cockpit. Note every point where the line changes direction, every edge it might contact, and every piece of hardware it might catch on. Each one of those points is a candidate for a line guide.
Managing Halyard Storage on a Smaller Boat
Storage is always tighter on a walkaround than on a larger sportfisher, and the halyard line is one more thing that needs a home. Loose halyard coiled on the deck or stuffed into a compartment is a tangle waiting to happen, and a tangled halyard at the wrong moment—when a fish is hooked and you need to drop a rigger fast—is genuinely frustrating.
A Halyard Line Winder solves this cleanly. It gives the line a fixed, organized location, keeps it ready to deploy without coiling or stuffing, and makes it easy to retrieve after a drop. On a walkaround where deck and cockpit space is limited, having the halyard stored on a winder rather than loose is a practical improvement that pays off every time you fish.
Mount the winder somewhere accessible from the cockpit but out of the main traffic path. The aft corner of the cockpit, a cabin sidewall within reach of the helm, or a position near the base of the outrigger are all worth considering depending on your specific layout.
Line Guide Placement Along the Outrigger
Beyond the halyard routing path, you also need line guides positioned along the outrigger pole itself to keep the halyard tracking correctly as the rigger raises and lowers. These guides define how the line behaves during deployment and retrieval, and they have a direct effect on how reliably your release clips drop when a fish strikes.
The key is consistent spacing without gaps that allow the line to sag or bind. On shorter outriggers common on walkarounds, you may need fewer guides than on the long poles used on larger sportfishers, but the principle is the same: the line should move freely and predictably along the full length of the pole.
If your existing guides are worn, cracked, or causing the line to bind or skip, replacing them with QUICK DROP Line Guides for port or starboard is a straightforward upgrade. For setups where the line experiences more side load—particularly on outriggers with a pronounced angle or on boats that run in following seas where the line gets pushed around—Double Roller Line Guides for port or starboard provide better line retention and reduce wear under those conditions.
Keeping the Side Decks Clear
One of the defining features of a walkaround is the ability to move around the boat—forward to the bow, aft to the cockpit, and along both sides. That access is part of why people buy them. Your rigging shouldn't compromise it.
As you plan your outrigger setup, look critically at anything that crosses or hangs over the side decks. Halyard lines that droop across a walkway are a trip hazard. Hardware mounted at shin or knee height on a narrow deck is a bruise or a fall waiting to happen. Any component that requires you to lean out over the gunwale to reach during operation is a safety concern when the boat is moving.
Good rigging keeps lines elevated and controlled, hardware out of traffic paths, and all working components reachable from a stable, secure position. If your current setup doesn't meet that standard, it's worth rebuilding it before your next offshore trip rather than working around the problem indefinitely.
Practical Rigging Notes for Walkaround Owners
A few additional points that come up consistently with walkaround outrigger setups:
- Check your outrigger length against your beam. An outrigger that's too long for a narrow walkaround can be difficult to manage in a marina and may create excessive leverage on the mounting base. Match the pole length to the boat.
- Think about single-handed operation. Many walkaround owners fish with a small crew or alone. Rig your outriggers so that one person can raise, lower, and manage them without needing a second set of hands.
- Inspect mounting hardware regularly. Walkarounds that fish offshore take real punishment. Check your outrigger base bolts, backing plates, and any hardware that takes load at the beginning of each season and after hard trips.
- Don't underestimate chafe points. The cabin structure creates edges and corners that halyard line will contact over time. Wherever the line touches something it shouldn't, add a guide or a chafe protector before wear becomes a problem.
- Test your drop before you leave the dock. Raise and lower each outrigger, run the halyard through its full range of motion, and confirm that release clips drop cleanly before you run offshore. A rigging problem is much easier to fix at the dock than at sea.
Final Thoughts
Walkaround boats can fish outriggers effectively—plenty of serious offshore anglers run them as their primary platform. The key is approaching the rigging with the specific layout of the boat in mind rather than applying a generic setup that works better on a different hull type.
Take the time to plan your base location, halyard routing, and line guide placement before you start drilling. Keep the side decks clear, keep the lines controlled, and build a setup that one person can manage reliably. Done right, a well-rigged walkaround is a capable and practical offshore fishing machine.
— Mike D., QUICK DROP Line Guides