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My FC4 rigging design
#1
I'm not dead folks - even though the idea of a bullet in the head to end this crappy NY winter does have a certain attraction ... lol.
Anyways in order to stave off the free-time blues, I have begaun designing my fishcat's rigging.
Here it is so far:
Materials are PVC, omega clips, rubber, persiplex glass and an aluminum camping pan, similar to that used by the military. Everything will be rivetted or u-bolted.
1]Persiplex glass apron with camping pan for stripping/holding extra tackle/fly boxes.
2]Omega clamps will hold the apron to the rigid bars, allowing either end to pivot.
3]2 Gear baskets for extras lure boxes
4]Carabiners for extra waterproof bags, nets or live fish cage.
5]rubber locking lugs on brackets to fit snug against matching lugs to be glued to the tube for added rigidity (haven't made up my mind about this).
6]3 rod holders. The right front holder would be for dead bait/live bait or trolling.

The system would work as follows:
The two rigs are fitted to the tube pontoons by merely pulling the clamps apart and pushing the rigs till they fit snug and hug the pontoons. The apron would then be clipped onto one rigid bar and once in the water, the apron can be swung down to clip onto the opposite rigid bar.
The concept was to avoid bungee chords or having to tie anything and still hold fast. The rigid bar system would not only allow me easy exit and entrance past the apron, but would also give the pontoons rigidity and keep them apart.
All are invited to give their critiques and advice - please!

[Image: fishcatgear.jpg]

[Image: fishcatgearclips.jpg]
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#2
[cool][#0000ff]Wow!!!!![/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Great creativity and engineering. The design looks very sound and functional. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I look forward to YOUR evaluation and review after taking it to the water.[/#0000ff]
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#3
Thx TD. Got all the materials together. I'll start building the rigging soon. The moment the first water is available to me, trust me ... I'll be on it!!
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#4
Man, you ever thought of a bass boat?
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#5
The wifey and I have thought about a bass boat, but many of the places we go to are not acessable by road ... in fact some are barely foot accessable. So Tubes were an ideal choice.

-ABT-
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#6
Sign me up for the first production model!

z~
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#7
Add my "Wow" to TubeDudes. What field do you work in to be able to put something together like that. That looks good enough to market.
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#8
Glad you all like the concept. Just how well it works on the water remains to be see. But hey - that's what protypes are for - finding design flaws.

@Smallmouth
I am a freelance Concepts and Design engineer/artist/animator.
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#9
Addicted,

I am a retired teacher and professional singer/storyteller so you won't see anything that cool on my Fat Cat. In fact I go with the factory velcro loops attached to the pontoons for carrying my rods (rigged and broken down), put my battery in one of the pockets and drape my transducer cable over the bow (between the points on the pontoon) where the transducer floats on a block of foam. Not pretty but it seems to work.
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#10
Now these pictures are computer generated right? If so, looks good on paper, I hope it works.
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#11
DUDEARAMA! THIS IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN GO TO MARKET WITH, AWSOME!
3 QUESTIONS..........HOW HEAVY WILL IT BE? PRODUCTION COST?AND CAN YOU ADD MORE ROD HOLDERS....3 ISN'T ENOUGH FOR ME[Wink]. PLEASE, PLEASE POST ONCE IT'S COMPLETE, THANKS

ATFISHING
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#12
That looks pretty good. What is the hypothesized add on weight from that little contraption?? It sounds like it wouldn't be too heavy.[cool]
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#13
@Smallmouth
Interesting work. That's creativity waaaay beyond my understanding.

@Flygodess
Right you are. As I said, that's what prototypes are for - finding design flaws.

@All interested
Weight should be between 8-12 pounds. Cost of materials was $72 (there will be some waste and some carry-over). Adding rod holders would be simple. Perhaps even a system to add an subtract rod holders.
If the design works out nicely and professionally (as I intend to have it), I'll have a look at getting some out to you guys.
Time will tell.

-ABT-
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#14
Bass boat... can I ask where are those lakes u go?
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#15
CAD drawing! How are u gonna get those "c" bars bented and that bar that holds them? "Aluminum camping pan" is that what the "c" are? That sure sound fun to make! Can I ask what do u do for a living? Me? I'm a cnc programer machinist.
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#16
@Bluegill
The areas I fish are mostly here in NY state.

The rib clamps, the latteral stabilizers are all prefabricated PVC. The aluminium "camping pan" I refer to is the metal box set into the rigid apron.

-ABT-
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#17
@ TD
Could I have the measurements of your fishfinder please TD? Screen, battery, cable and transducer. Don't worry about the measurements for the mounting brackets.

-ABT-
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#18
After making a scale model (all the important measurements) of my FC4, I tested the rigging. I found the third rib was unnecessary, which is a good thing for simplification purposes. I then dumped the model (with correct unit weight, load points etc.) into a water simulation and loaded the cat with 220lb and the rigging @ 10lb. This is what i got. Accuracy projection is 98.3 %.
Whatcha folks think of this simplified version?

[Image: FC4gear.jpg]

-ABT-
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#19
Sure looks efficient to me! The way it drapes over the pontoons would afford good protection from wayward hooks and spiny finned creatures. Heck even the guys who fear snapping turtles should feel comfortable with a rig like that.
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#20
[Image: gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=10223;]
Dimensions: 7.5" wide,
5.5" Vert. 3" Deep

[Image: HST-WSU30.jpg]
Cable length 30', Trans 3"x1.5"
Extends 4" from mounting surface.

[Image: a127-2.jpg]
12 Volt SLA Battery.
6" Long, 2.5" Wide, 3.5" Tall

[cool][#0000ff]Hope that helps[/#0000ff]
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