Full sized boards such as the popular Riviera Dual Planer Board have their roots in big water. Designed to be used on open water and with larger sized fishing boats, there is little doubt that dual boards have the edge when fishing rough water. The Riviera DPB has a wider board spacing to make it more stable and the ballast of the board has been changed to cause the nose to ride a little higher in the water. Collectively these subtle changes have transformed an excellent planer board into one all others will be compared to.
The large size of dual boards enables then to plow through bumpy seas when trolling both with and against the waves. Trollers who spend much of their time quartering seas or trolling into the waves will find that dual boards are superior compared to in-line size boards. Dual boards also have the clear advantage regarding the number of lines that can be fished per side. With a dual board system its common for anglers to fish four, five or even six lines per side!
If you’ve got a big boat and frequently fish with four to six anglers aboard, dual planer boards are the easiest way to deploy the maximum number of lines. Dual boards are also the obvious choice for fishing situations that involve deep diving crankbaits, Snap Weights, lead core line, gang spinners (aka cowbells), dodgers and other trolling hardware that are heavy or that pull exceptionally hard in the water.
For all the advantages dual boards poses, in-line boards are equally handy. Handy is the right word, because in-line boards such as the Off Shore Tackle Side Planer are easier to use than dual boards. Simply set your lure the desired distance behind the boat, clip on the Side Planer, let out more line until the board is the desired distance from the boat, put the rod in the holder and troll. When a fish is hooked, the Side Planer and fish are reeled in together, you remove the board from the line and the fight continues. This straight forward style of board trolling is easy to learn and fun. In addition to being user friendly, in-line boards are less expensive.
In addition to being less expensive, in-line boards have some other subtle advantages. In-line boards ride the waves in a different way than dual boards. Smaller in-line boards tend to jerk around in the swells while imparting a unique start-and-stop action to the lures. Many veteran trollers feel that in-line boards trigger more strikes than dual board systems that produce a more uniform trolling action. In-line boards also have the advantage of maintaining steady tension against the fish during the entire fight. When a fish strikes a lure trolled on a dual board system, the line is pulled free from a release. For a few seconds slack line exists until the boat catches up to the fish and the line is pulled tight again. These few seconds of slack line are often enough to allow a fish that’s not hooked securely to escape. With an in-line board hooked fish pull against the resistance of the board. The angler keeps tension on the fish by reeling the board and fish in together. So long as the boat is kept moving forward slowly, there’s constant tension on the fish. In-line boards work so well that few hooked fish escape. This is one of the primary reasons professional tournament anglers favor in-line boards.
Both dual boards and in-line boards have their advantages and disadvantages. Choosing one type of planer board over another boils down to how and where the boards will be used. On big open water where big boats rule, the dual board system is the king of planer boards. Anglers who fish from smaller boats and often frequent a wealth of different water types, in-line boards are both functional and practical. While the choice is personal, the fact is you can’t make a bad decision. Both dual boards and in-line boards are efficient and exciting ways to fish. Take your pick and get involved in the excitement of planer board fishing.
Source:
http://www.offshoretackle.com/2003articles.htm
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The way redwood was described to me was this... The wood soaks water and makes them pull like no other. Most charter captains use this because they pull so hard, you can run many,many lines. The thing is, they don't run very high out of the water and they look like an old piece of wood. Is this safe? I'm only thinking two,maybe three lines a side.( I say that now. A boat load of guys with two rods each may change my mind! LOL ) Thanks guys !