Monday, July 19, 2010

Radio Controlled Fishing Buddy - Ugh!

I saw this toy in the Bass Pro Shop circular a few weeks ago which really caught my eye. It was a radio controlled speedboat with a built in fishing mechanism that would allow someone on shore to fish beyond where they could normally cast. The boat could deliver a baited hook and bobber a fair distance away from shore. All the 'fisherman' has to do is watch the bobber and then drive the boat back to shore with the poor unfortunate fish.  This product, called an Aviva Fishin Buddy, sold for $39.99 for Fathers' Day.

Rarely has such an engineering marvel fired up my inquisitive juices. Has this problem really been solved for all mankind? Could this be upsized to solve the Deadliest Catch problem? Maybe, but I have a few questions...
  • Since the promotional literature says that it will catch fish up to 2 pounds, what happens if a larger fish chomps on the bait and gets caught?  Does IT drive the boat where IT wants to go?
  • Whats the likelihood that the catch will capsize the boat?
  • How do you retrieve the boat if you (or a fish) drive it out of range?  Or the batteries run down? Interestingly, this question applies to all RC boats
This product has a few reviews on Amazon - mostly awful. Many of the reviewers never got the boat running well enough to find out any of the above answers. Ugh!

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