Just throwing this out there chaps.
I don't use or own a boat and got no problems with anglers that use them.
I was on the large pit this weekend and saw one of those RT4's in action - it was simply unreal. the boat was decked out with a sonar which showed everything in the water column and matey had a camera on a built in winch that was lowered into the water so it can look at your hookbait on the deck, all of this was remoted back to the bank in crystal clear vision.
I must admit that his swim look like something off a film set with tripods and little TV's all over the shop but i was taken aback by the technology of this boat. He also had a autopilot that sent the boat back to the same point each time (even in the pitch black).
To all the RT4 bait boaters:
*Are these boats worth the money and reliable
*Have they resulted in more fish on the bank
*What are the negatives of owning these boats
Note: Please don't let this turn into a "it's cheating" thread. I'm just interested after seeing one of these boats in action for the first time.
Be lucky.
I don't use or own a boat and got no problems with anglers that use them.
I was on the large pit this weekend and saw one of those RT4's in action - it was simply unreal. the boat was decked out with a sonar which showed everything in the water column and matey had a camera on a built in winch that was lowered into the water so it can look at your hookbait on the deck, all of this was remoted back to the bank in crystal clear vision.
I must admit that his swim look like something off a film set with tripods and little TV's all over the shop but i was taken aback by the technology of this boat. He also had a autopilot that sent the boat back to the same point each time (even in the pitch black).
To all the RT4 bait boaters:
*Are these boats worth the money and reliable
*Have they resulted in more fish on the bank
*What are the negatives of owning these boats
Note: Please don't let this turn into a "it's cheating" thread. I'm just interested after seeing one of these boats in action for the first time.
Be lucky.
In reply to Post #1
This needs moving to tackle or general section really.....long reply coming
I've owned the Chirp Autopilot boat and presently have a basic boat.
Are these boats worth the money and reliable?
Yes and for me yes. I've owned AT Basic boats, Microcat and Microcat HD and I wouldn't swap my RT4. Having said that there are other boats that do the same for less. I probably will upgrade to the Dragonfly Pro feature finder but not neccessarily the autopilot. The warranty service at CL is very good IME
Have they resulted in more fish on the bank?
For me, no more so than my other boats but that's a very hard question to answer in all honesty. Do I believe if you fished a very featureful water using one of these boats that it would give you a advantage, absolutley.
What are the negatives of owning these boats?
I don't think they should need a back up battery, to keep them in continuous use you need 3 batts.
Things to consider. Like all GPS based technology they can lose signal and do wierd things on autopilot (think drive into things). For that reason I would not use autopliot unless I had the ability to retrieve the boat. I see autopilot being touted as great for use at night or when foggy etc. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't be sending the best part of 4k anywhere I couldn't see it or what it was heading towards, wouldn't dream of using it on AP on a river for said reason.
CL are opening a U.K based site where you can test the boats on lake, I'd advise anyone thinking of getting one to do it.
This needs moving to tackle or general section really.....long reply coming
I've owned the Chirp Autopilot boat and presently have a basic boat.
Are these boats worth the money and reliable?
Yes and for me yes. I've owned AT Basic boats, Microcat and Microcat HD and I wouldn't swap my RT4. Having said that there are other boats that do the same for less. I probably will upgrade to the Dragonfly Pro feature finder but not neccessarily the autopilot. The warranty service at CL is very good IME
Have they resulted in more fish on the bank?
For me, no more so than my other boats but that's a very hard question to answer in all honesty. Do I believe if you fished a very featureful water using one of these boats that it would give you a advantage, absolutley.
What are the negatives of owning these boats?
I don't think they should need a back up battery, to keep them in continuous use you need 3 batts.
Things to consider. Like all GPS based technology they can lose signal and do wierd things on autopilot (think drive into things). For that reason I would not use autopliot unless I had the ability to retrieve the boat. I see autopilot being touted as great for use at night or when foggy etc. I don't know about you but I certainly wouldn't be sending the best part of 4k anywhere I couldn't see it or what it was heading towards, wouldn't dream of using it on AP on a river for said reason.
CL are opening a U.K based site where you can test the boats on lake, I'd advise anyone thinking of getting one to do it.