Hi Guys,

this would be my first boat build. I'm getting a bit excited about the concept, so would like to throw my ideas out to you for some suggestions. It's quite a big project to tackle

I want to build a boat that can reel in and defeat a thrashing 12 pound fish.

first off I think the base needs to be of a catamaran style, mainly for stability, a v hull would capsize too easily under struggle. and it needs to be big, overall im thinking 25 inch wide by 30 inch long. perhaps bigger.

It will be powered by two electric motors running off the same esc. (one on each hull) I am not sure what size, but they need to be low gearing high torquing pulling motors, as opposed to fast racing motors.

Power supply, I am thinking of putting a UPS battery in, I can get my hands on these for free through work. but they are heavy, but they provide a lot of juice.

the actual rod and reel setup I am not really too sure on just yet. Just a 3rd electric motor low geared again running on the spool to pull the line up and down.

Some other thoughts.. the whole hull will be protected by some inflatable foams, so I can put it out into rocky areas without it getting wave damage.

If I get snagged I can sever the line by running over the line with the propellers.

the concept being the fishing gear, the electrics and the battery will be in the middle of the cat, on a reinforced centre support.

First thing you might note, is that when UPS have their batteries pulled, they
are typically so dead, they can not deliver any amperage and are pretty much flat.

Fishing with a model boat is not a new concept, just one that not
many people follow through with, given the possiblities of fish over
powering the model.


Here are some heavy duty trawlers, note their size.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1642193

Its illegal in Canada! It would be lots of fun though. I think you might need something bigger for a 12 pound fish. I don't know exactly what kind of thrust a 12 pound fish can gather up, but I think it would be more than even the biggest of model tugs could out power. That and maybe a line cutter might be a good idea. Trying to cut the line with your props would be really hard and I would bet that 99% of the time the line will just get tangled in the prop.

I think it could be really cool though.

Cheers,

wow some of those are very impressive. Mine certainly won't be as sexy as they are!

I was thinking mor elike this sort of concept:

RC FISHING BOAT FRANKENSTEIN (4 min 3 sec)

..Just basically a rod on top of a boat, with the only difference between that I would have control of the reel aswell.

it is winter time here in New Zealand, so would be good project to start now and hopefully be ready for summer.

I can get UPS batteries brand new, and I agree with what you say, they generally last 5 years and then cause more power outages than they fix if not replaced

You won't cut 12lb test with a model boat propeller. It will wrap around the propeller and shaft and hopefully only seize the prop. A dedicated line-cutter between the winch and the rod is required.

A 12lb fish probably wouldn't overpower the kind of thrust that a large tug puts out, but props only put out full thrust parallel to their axis of rotation. If the fish goes to the side, your boat will be pulled in that direction. You may need to wear a big fish out with fancy maneuvering before you can bring it to shore.

My biggest concern is with the fishing, specifically being a responsible angler. How will you set the hook in the fish's mouth? Strong winches don't have that kind of speedy jerk ability. If you have to wait for the fish to hook itself, the chances of them swallowing the lure and being un-recoverable go up by a lot.

Well I was thinking of some line release cutter thing, i think its going to depend how far I get with the rest of the boat.I could try it at home in a bath tub and see how it goes. A little automatic scissor would be rather cool though

as for hooking the fish, I will use a decent sized float on the line, fish pulls at the bait and rig goes downwards, float pulls back up to the surface hooking the fish on (hopefully!) Its also a good indication of seeing when you have a fish on the line, other than looking at the rod flexing.

I think the fish will be smart and try and swim under the boat (like they do on full sized boats) in that case so long as the boat is stable enough I should be able to wait it out until the boat has straightened with the fish behind it then start powering towards shore.

so long as the boat is stable enough

And there's the rub.
It is a big assumption that the fish will know the script and abide by it.
Fishing with a rod and line, the fisherman gets mechanical feedback through the line. A bit like flying a kite. Sailing a radio yacht is a bit like flying a kite without the feel of the string. Remote controlled fishing has the same problem - no feel feedback.