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In reply to Post #24
Like I said, not getting involved with the rights and wrongs of it all. Good or bad. Just giving a users perspective so far to date.
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So the Chinese retain ownership
https://www.trademarkelite.com/uk/trademark/trademark-detail/UK00004295862/BEETACKLE
Not sure if that is good or bad, time will tell.
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Not getting into a who’s right who’s wrong argument but as it stands now ND(T) are now dead in the water and have folded.
NDS are now the company selling the bait boats, alarms etc. They offer full warranty support for boats or alarms still in warranty and will support any other boat or device out of warranty with a paid for repair service. They have set up a WhatsApp support group which is very helpful. They not only have an app for the Baitboat but are also developing apps for some of the earlier alarms also. To distance themselves from the NDT/NDS confusion they have now renamed themselves BeeTackle.
Ok that’s the new position.
I have a 2020 ND2 bait boat that I have fitted with a Raymarine Dragonfly sonar, Garmin Extractor mapping module and internal wi fi extender. It is 6 years old and 4 years out of warranty ( never was in warranty as I had the Raymarine etc fitted from new). In September 2025 I was fishing in France, totally unaware of the NDT/NDS drama when halfway through the week my autopilot on my bait boat ceased functioning after a disconnection warning flashed up on screen. For the second half of the week I had to use the boat manually although all the spots were still working and fresh ones could be saved, just the auto pilot disabled, which as I was fishing at 285 mtrs out was challenging.
On return to UK I contacted NDT and whilst they answered my mail promptly were of no help. I went on the NDS webpage and noted they had a new WhatsApp group and promptly joined it. I must of been in the first few as trafffic was light, not like now where it’s busy. Straight away I was chatting to an NDS guy in Europe who sorted out my autopilot and reactivated it, even though I was out of warranty and technically bought it from a different company! It wasn’t quite plain sailing and did take a bit of effort although now it’s a lot more streamlined as teething problems were solved. So my boat is back to as it was. Whilst I was on there chatting, one of the mods in UK mentioned that he had some SD cards for the v2 upgrade and on asking for he sent me a loaded SD for free. You can’t argue with that. It is also worth noting that the Raymarine Dragonfly is now discontinued by Raymarine so will offer no support. Technology marches on.
Ok at this stage another couple of confusion points to clear up. We are talking about the ND2 Baitboat, not the earlier ND1 that looked like a silver dodgem car with red lights all over it. The ND2 bait boat comes in 4 versions. They are identical on the outside it’s just the software and some internal hardware which is different as the boat evolved. The early versions are V1 and V2 can be identified by having an SD card slot in the battery compartment. This is how any upgrades were done. The handset also has a half rounded power socket. The newer V3 and V4 don’t have an SD card and download any upgrades via the web. The handset has a USB C charging port.
If you have a V2 you are at the end of the upgrade cycle, it can’t be upgraded with any future features ( as I did, you can upgrade from V1 to V2 via SD card) The V3 and V4 boats are fully upgradeable for future bells and whistles. Although you can still bung deeper on the outside or even have them fitted internally still, NDS/BeeTackle are obviously mainly concentrating on developing and selling their own integrated sonar. Although I’ve never used it, it does look OK and seems to be getting good reviews especially with the mapping technology. The full BeeTackle Baitboat and sonar package seems to be very good value for money! half the price of comparable offerings.
Ok that’s what I know in my dealing with NDS/BeeTackle. They do seem keen to set up a good UK and European support network and continue to develop their operations and catalogue of products. I have had 6 years fault free use with my boat other than the autopilot issue (which wasn’t a fault) and was promptly solved. Yes, I would have liked my V1/V2 boat to be upgradeable but I can’t argue as I’ve got exactly what I paid for in 2020 so can’t complain. If my Raymarine ever packs up I would look into the new integrated sonar package.
I have no connections to NDS/BeeTackle other than being a customer and receive no payments or freebies etc from them.
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Just watched a video on youtube addressing the company's demise! I must be living under a rock as I had no idea about this!
A real shame for the people in the UK.
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| | | Belch | | Posts: 4384 |  | | MODERATOR | |
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In reply to Post #20
Which app is better for which format? I was going to use tablet and tether phone to tablet (so I could get a split screen between autopilot and sonar (deeper)
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In reply to Post #19
You can use both/either apps. I have gone over to the NDS app as it allows me to use the sonar but prior to receiving that would use them interchangeably depending on whether I used my phone or tablet (had a different app on each).
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| | | Belch | | Posts: 4384 | | | MODERATOR | |
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In reply to Post #18
Starting to think the same - its all additional agg!
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In reply to Post #17
Kinell sounds like you need a degree in advanced electronics!
I think I'll stick to casting 
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| | | Belch | | Posts: 4384 | | | MODERATOR | |
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In reply to Post #12
. . . I did (albeit as a spare whilst my SB3 is in the shop) I'm on various FB group pages and still haven't driven/registered the boat in anger yet let alone attempted to pay for autopilot etc.
It is confusing - download the NDS app and bind to the boat (which is the 'new and improved' and has an interface for their new sonar) or use the ND Bait Boat app (which I did initially as the more logical decision) - Both apps are from differing sides of the business as I understand it so who is providing the support going forward?
Only arguable upside (or maybe downside) is warranty as I got my mk4 for a steal brand new off a competition winner and intend to pimp it with raymarine in the near future so am not banking on relying on it anyway as it will be invalidated. . .as long as one of the two warring factions supplies spare parts going forward I'm hoping all will be ok!
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In reply to Post #15
New Direction Tackle was selling its inventory on Ebay and Amazon, it made no attempt to launch its own website and continue the brand as it knew it had no means of replacing stock and also had no means to provide long term customer care, warranties can not be guaranteed as there is no ability to replace inventory.
Now the stock levels are low or exhausted, and the New direction tackle management has seen the success of NDS it has gone onto the attack through a personal grudge.
A poor showing on socials from both sides. The above section of the NDS statement is the essence of what's happened this week.
I questioned NDT as to why they would let another business "steal" there intellectual property rights and say nothing or react for 5 months. They responded that it was under legal advice  . If your legal team advice's to you is to do nothing for 5 months while another business steals your customer base, then NDT need to give their heads a wobble.
I suspect NDS have the IPR to the boats, and they have been the ones to come out and offer support for customers since this all started.
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In reply to Post #9
Not much. What credibility they did build up is now rapidly going down the toilet.
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This back and forth reminds me of hutchy and Kevin nash having a bit of spat over the pages of the Angling times/ mail back in the late 80s when they both went there separate ways with the bait company they run at the time ( Catchum 88 ) Don't think both come out of it well.. but made for interesting reading.. Will someone get the popcorn..  
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In reply to Post #12
Agreed. These matters rarely end well for either party and I would be surprised if the company exists in any form after all this and I agree that I would avoid anybody their products, especially the expensive bait boat at all costs (even though its never been a brand I would spend money on)
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What a mess!
Anyone purchasing an NDS boat at the moment needs their head testing!
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In reply to Post #6
Hi, ND Tackle's Response. Off Facebook.
"ND Tackle Bait boat" Facebook Page.
"We would like to address the recent statement issued by NDS. While we believe that the appropriate forum for resolving this matter is the court, we consider it necessary to mention certain points.
The announcement by NDS represents a subjective account, omits key facts, and contains several inaccuracies. We trust that the legal proceedings will establish the full picture and provide final clarity.
We would also like to thank the many customers and companies who have shared positive comments and expressed their support. Their confidence strengthens our own, and we remain fully convinced of our position as the case moves forward."
Bob
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General Carp Discussion