Aqua Cat Dinglehopper World's First Surf-launched Salt & Freshwater RC Bait Boat

How many times have you fished at the coast when the only thing you’ve caught is a cold ? Well, listen to this fishy story. The day started like any other as I made my way down to the local fishing pier.

Clambering for a spot with a hundred other fishermen, hooks and sinkers flying, the smell of the season’s rotting bait in my nostrils, I baited up, raised my rod and cast my usual hundred and thirty two metre special. I couldn’t help but notice the envious glances of the guys next to me as I settled back and waited for the big one to bite. Well, I waited, and waited, ….. and waited. I could see the fish jumping but they were having a party about two hundred and fifty metres out. I jerked my rod and hoped that the moving bait would get their attention. Still nothing happened.

Then, from the corner of my eye I saw a little pink and yellow buoy speed past the pier. It passed the end of my line and kept going right to the middle of the fish party !  Like something out of a Captain Nemo movie, the moving buoy turned out to be a small craft which had made it’s way under the breakers, through the swells and out to sea !

By now all the Okes on the pier were watching. To our amazement a hatch at the rear of the little boat flipped open and out popped a baited hook ! A second or two later the little boat made a wide turn to the right and sped off, and I mean really sped off, back towards the beach !

I hauled out my daddy’s big ol’ hunting binoculars from my kitbag and focused on a guy sitting on a chair under a beach umbrella holding a very small, skinny rod with a square reel in his hand…….no, no it wasn’t’ a rod, it was a Radio Control ! His actual rod was in a sand rod-holder on his right and his eyes were fixed on the little boat as he steered it remotely back to shore. Through the lens I watched the little boat surf wave after wave back towards the beach.

It must have been about five or six minutes later when I heard the Fisherman’s Siren Song  -  the faint scream of a high-speed reel ratchet. I looked over to the guy on the beach who was no longer under his umbrella but who was now doing his Rambo act, rod bent at almost right angles as he fought with what must have been a 20 to 30kg monster. From the sound of the ratchet run I guessed it had to be a Cuta. Man, I’d never seen someone have so much fun as he reeled that fish in  -  forty-five minutes of pure fishing heaven.

Then, believe it or not, ten minutes later the little bait boat once again zoomed out past the pier, straight back to the Fish Party ! I’ve seen plenty of bait boats on dams and rivers where I fish but I never saw a bait boat in the sea until this day. I reeled in my line, packed up my rod and walked straight over to this Boykie on the beach. It didn’t take me long to get all the stats on the man and his boat  -  he was a dentist named John from Gauteng who loved deep sea fishing but didn’t enjoy spending the whole day on the water. At a stretch his casting ability was about eighty metres which meant that if he wanted to fish in the sea he had to share the pier with the rest of us plebs.

His bait boat was the first of its kind in the world which he used for both sea and dam fishing. A quick inspection revealed that his boat was made from fibreglass with stainless steel trim. It was equipped with a propeller/rudder guard and instead of the typical tip-bucket used for spot feeding in dams it had a very neat bait tray which was remotely activated. When triggered, the spring loaded hatch would fly open and by moving the boat forward the bait attached to the line was pulled out of the tray. For live bait fishing the line with only a sinker attached is delivered to the target area up to 1000 metres out. Then using a non-return swivel the live bait attached to the line is sent out and Ja-nee, Boet, you’re Game Fishing from the beach !

I found out the story of the pink and yellow buoy -  pink meant the boat was heading out and yellow meant it was coming back. In fact, this was often the only way he could see his boat as it was totally submerged as it dived through the swells.

Once John’s line was out his 16 year old daughter picked up the boat and tossed it back into the sea where she spent the next ten minutes surfing the waves. Totally self-righting, this almost unsinkable little boat operates in 1.5 metre waves, huge swells and broken surf. I watched as the boat was hit side-on by a two metre breaker and for a while I held my breath as it disappeared under the water. Then a couple of seconds later, there was the pink buoy and the boat was moving once again.

She steered it around and caught the next wave out. Man, I couldn’t believe my eyes !

Now totally hooked, I scrutinized every part of his gear. The chair John was sitting on was actually a custom made fold-up Boat Caddy which came complete with umbrella, picnic back pack and PVC utility box.

All these items were optional extras. But one piece I couldn’t fathom was the yellow Life Buoy hanging from the back of the caddy. You won’t believe this -  John said the life buoy could be attached to the bait boat and towed out to someone in trouble ! He said he always took the life buoy with when his kids were with him.

The light-weight tow rope attached to the life buoy would be coiled up in the bait tray and released when the hatch was opened. Snaking out like a ski rope, the life buoy would be delivered by steering the boat in a semi-circle around the swimmer in trouble.

Whether used for fishing, fun or lifesaving this little RC surf-launched bait boat seemed to have it all. Wishing I had been the one who thought up this amazing little invention I took

in every detail and couldn’t wait to get home to try and build my own.

This must have been written all over my face as John interrupted my thoughts by pointing out that the boat was a wholly South African design, fully developed and patented internationally.

Ag, well, you can’t blame a Oke for trying …

Stroking my snor I said to myself, “Self, you have got to get you one of these.”

And I did.

For more details on the Aqua Cat Dinglehopper call 082 4133 510 or visit:    www.aquacat.co.za