Hi Everyone!
Last time I was out fishing, it was a bit rough at times and a couple of my planer boards kept releasing because of the heavy wave action. The spring tension was adjusted to maximum pressure but they released anyway and far too frequently for my liking. I found this a little frustrating after repeatedly resetting boards and then eventually just wrapping the line around the clip a couple of times just so we could continue using them.
I was just going to pony up for new release clips but when I went to the tackle store, they actually had replacement pads for a lot less money than replacing the clips.
I run up to 6 Off Shore OR-12 side planer boards.
I have 5 used boards and one new in the package to replace the one I lost in Lake Erie. The OR-12 planer boards have A red OR-16 release clip at the back with a center pin to hold the line and an orange OR-19 release clip at the front of the board which allows the board to release. After a closer inspection of OR-19 release clips, it appeared that the pads were a little worn out. At this point I decided that I would replace all the OR-19 Clips on my boards.
The OR-19 releases are sold in a package with two releases and two shower curtain clips (For use with big boards or kites) Shown Below
At the store, they only had a single two pack of the OR-19 clips priced at $17.99. If they did have 3 packages it would have totaled $61.00 with taxes in.
Then I spotted a solitary, remaining package or replacement pads.
So I scooped these up. The instructions said some Krazy glue was needed to glue them in so I stopped and picked up a small tube of Krazy Glue. $8.99 for the pads and 5.50 for the glue. So for just over 16 dollars with taxes in, I was able to replace the release pads myself.
This is where the adventure begins. The original pads are also glued in, so some elbow grease and scraping with a sharp knife is required. Then getting a very small dab of glue on only one side of the pad and trying seat it properly in the clip was a bit of an adventure. I used a pair of vice grips to hold the clips open while doing surgery. I ended up with glue on my fingers, the table, the floor and the knife I was using to place the pads back into the clips. In the end, I did get them all seated properly with no glue on the line clamping side of the pads. It took me about 2 hours start to finish. I wouldn't describe it as a particularly enjoyable activity. I saved $45.00 by replacing the pads rather than buying new release clips.
I'm not sure which method I would recommend for anyone else considering pad replacement. Replacing the pads was cheaper than purchasing new release clips but what's your time worth? I guess like anything in this world, you pay for convenience.
Tight lines and have a great day!