Aquacat TURBO X User manual

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
AQUACAT TURBO X

CONTENTS
Pre-launch Instructions 1
Setting up the transmitter
Connecting the antenna
Installing the batteries
Testing the throttle
Making sure the watertight hatch is sealed properly
Fitting the navigational buoy
Rudder check
Baiting up
Launch Instructions 7
Launching your boat
Releasing your bait
Steering your boat back to shore
Completing multiple trips
Important After Care Instructions 9
Return to launch 10
Understanding how your RTL feature works
Arming your Auto Pilot
Preserving Home Point coordinates
About Signal Failsafe function
Activating the RTL function
Saved Waypoint Sailing 13
Saving a location in the Auto Pilot
Activating the SWS feature
Deleting stored waypoints
Troubleshooting 15
After sales support contact details 17

Pre-launch instructions
Setting up the transmitter
Fit eight fully charged AA batteries into the remote control and switch on the unit . The
LED on the remote should light-up with a solid green glow.
Yellow LED indicates the batteries are running low.
Red LED indicates batteries are completely flat. Batteries should be changed or charged
before using the boat again.
Connecting the antenna
Step 1: Place the boat in the fibreglass stand on a level surface.
Step 2: Remove the rubber protector off the antenna base.
Step 3: Hold the whip near the open end. Use your thumb and forefinger to apply a small
amount of pressure to seat the antenna onto the base. Be careful not to hold the antenna
higher up on the boot when tightening it onto the base. This will damage the antenna.
Step 4: Store the rubber stub protector for re-use.
IMPORTANT: NEVER PLACE THE BOAT ANTENNA IN THE SAND. There is a micro
connector on the inside of the antenna base and antenna stud on the boat itself, which
MUST be protected against water and sand.
Installing the batteries
Step 1: Move the external toggle switch located on the boat to the OFF position (facing
forwards). If the batteries are connected with the boat switch in the ON position , you may
see a large spark.
Step 2: Switch the remote controller ON. If the boat batteries are installed and the boat is
powered up before the transmitter is turned on, you may not be able to operate the boat.
Step 3: Check that the rudder trim control is in the center and the sail mode switch (top
left corner) is in manual mode - center position.
Step 4(a) - Lead acid batteries: (see step 4(b) below for Lipo pack installation.)
Install two fully charged 12 Volt batteries into the boat as follows:
1

Fit and connect the horizontal battery first, pushing it all the way back into the boat.
Place the second battery vertically into the boat with the terminals facing forward. The
batteries must be seated so the tops of the batteries are level and parallel to the deck.
Connect the negative terminal then the positive terminal to this battery. Ensure the
terminals fit tightly. Now turn on the boat (switch facing backwards).
The moment the boat is turned on it will emit a double beep sound. This indicates that
the speed controller is powered.
Check that the external digital meter on the deck of the boat lights up. The full battery
voltage is 26.5 volts
If no Auto Pilot is fitted, a single beep will be emitted 2 - 3 sec later. This indicated that
all electronic circuits are working and the throttle levers are in a neutral position.
If your boat is fitted with Auto Pilot please refer to the A/P instructions on page 10.
OR
Step 4(b) - Lipo battery pack:
Install a single 22.8 Volt Li-on pack into the boat as follows:
Fit and connect the battery pushing it all the way back into the boat. The battery must
be seated so that the top of the batteries is level and parallel to the deck.
Connect the negative terminal then the positive terminal to this battery. Ensure the
terminals fit tightly.
Check that the external digital meter on the deck of the boat lights up. The full battery
voltage is 25 volts.
The moment the battery is connected, the boat will emit a double beep sound. This
indicates that the speed controller is powered.
If no Auto Pilot is fitted, a single beep will be emitted 2 - 3 sec later. This indicated that
all electronic circuits are working, the throttle levers are in a neutral position and you
are ready to continue
If your boat is fitted with an Auto Pilot module please refer to the A/P instructions
on page 10.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT TEST YOUR NEW AQUACAT TURBO X IN A SWIMMING POOL! The
boat is very powerful and will most likely be damaged against the sides of the pool.
2

Testing the throttle (Auto Pilot NOT fitted)
Lift the throttle lever slightly and confirm that the motor responds proportionately to the
movement on the throttle lever on the remote.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT RUN THE MOTOR OVER 1/3 OF FULL RPM WHEN THE BOAT IS NOT
IN THE WATER. The throttle should only be tested in short 2 - 3 sec bursts to protect the
drive shaft seals which are water cooled.
IMPORTANT: ALWAYS SWITCH THE TRANSMITTER ON BEFORE POWERING THE BOAT
UP. When powering down your boat, always turn the external toggle switch on the boat
OFF first (facing forward), and then turn OFF the transmitter.
Making sure the watertight hatch is sealed properly
Step 1: Replace the hatch cover and using the 5mm allen key (supplied), tighten the hatch
cover fully.
Step 2: To fit the hatch cover correctly, screw the rear hatch bolt in slightly.
Step 3: Now screw in the font hatch bolt and tighten each one alternatively until they are
both fully tightened. The hatch cover is fitted with mechanical blocks. This means the
bolts must be tightened until they do not turn anymore.
IMPORTANT: Not tightening these bolts fully will result in water leaking into the boat and
the resultant water damage to the electronic components will not be covered under
warranty.
Fitting the navigational buoy
Fit the two-tone buoy to the mounting on the hatch cover. Tighten fully using the allen key
provided.
Rudder check
Move the rudder lever on the remote control from left to right and ensure that the rudder
swings smoothly from one side to the other.
3

Baiting up
Using the bait tray for smaller baits
To open the bait tray
Push the spring-loaded bait tray release lever located on the rear of the boat below
the bait tray. This will release the flap and open the bait tray. Place your baited hook
into the bait tray.
To close the bait tray
Simultaneously push the flap back down to closed position and push the bait-tray
release lever inwards. Hold the flap in place and let go the release lever to secure the
flap.
The two stainless steel pins can be used to secure the trace.
Use the left pin to hang the sinker just on the outside of the bait tray.
Use the right pin to hold the line. Place the last eye of your swivel onto this pin.
Place your fishing rod in a vertical sand rod holder and set a slight drag on your reel
but ensuring that when you tug on the line, the fishing line releases smoothly from
the rod.
Towing larger baits behind your boat
Bait recommendation
Ensure the baits are hydrodynamic (ideally a whole fish or slender cuts) so that they
are able to plane behind the boat once it is moving at sufficient speed.
Tow the bait 2 inches / 5cm behind to help reduce drag and preserve your battery.
Sinker / weight recommendation
Option 1
Hang the sinker / weight off the left pin on the bait flap instead of dragging it behind
the boat. This setup creates virtually no excess drag and will help prevent putting
your boat under unnecessary strain.
4

Option 2
Strap a spider-shaped anchor with no weight and legs facing backwards around 8
ft back onto your lead line. Running a fixed anchor will allow you to drag it behind
the boat without it turning around and digging into the sand. Using this option
means that you will have less leader to wind up.
We suggest using 10ft of stainless steel cable with 25 - 40 ft 1000lb mono leader.
Correctly setting the tension on your line
Launching your boat: Adjust the brake to the point where 1 click back will not
allow you to wind line onto the reel and 1 click forward will allow you to wind
line on the reel.
Behind the breakers: Once the boat is sailing behind the breakers turn the
brake one click back to reduce the tension and in so doing conserve battery
and reduce the load on the motor.
Important Does and Don'ts
Do:
Open the hatch for 5 - 7 minutes if you've run a particularly large bait to allow
hot air trapped in the hull to be expelled before running the next bait.
Reduce the weight of your bait a little if you plan to run your boat very often
for longevity of the drive train and battery life.
Spend a few days familiarizing yourself with your new Turbo X, reading the
instructions thoroughly and taking her for a few test runs before venturing
out on a massive fishing expedition.
Don't:
Avoid dragging a slider without a stop on the leader before the swivel on the
main line. You risk the anchor bouncing around and tangling in the main line
while towing or fighting the fish. Sliders in general are not ideal when fishing
for sharks or other large fish.
Avoid extended periods of high current draw. This will trigger thermal cutout
of the speed controller and consequently the motor. Correctly adjusting the
drag with hydrodynamic bait towed up close behind the bait will greatly
reduce the risk of triggering the thermal cutout circuit. (See Troubleshooting
section on page 15 should you accidentally trigger the thermal cutout.)
5

Using a tether line
Although seldom done you have the option to attach a tether line. Should you wish to
make use of a retrieval line, you will need to have another person with you to help you
launch the boat. Please note a tether line cannot be used in conjunction with Auto Pilot.
Step 1: Attach one end of the line to the bow ring and thread the line under the clips on
the side of the boat.
Step 2: Make a loop and feed the loop into the barrel aperture on the side of the bait tray
whilst the tray is open.
Step 3: When closing the bait tray cover, ensure that the pin located on the bait tray cover
picks up the loop as the bait tray is being closed. This will ensure that the retrieval line
comes off the stern of the boat on the way in and will be released off the bow of the boat
once the bait has been released.
6

Launch Instructions
Launching your boat
Step 1: Check that the boat stand is not stuck to the bottom of the boat.
Step 2: Using the carry handle toss your boat into the water. The water should be at least
18" deep.
Step 3: Make sure that the remote does not get wet or touch the water.
Step 4: The boat should be steered much like a ski boat. Always hit waves straight on and
attempt to time your run so that the boat sails over the wave before it breaks, ideally while
it is still a swell.
Step 5: Keep some tension on the fishing line. If a wave hits the boat side on or the wave is
too big and the boat turns around (colour of navigational buoy changes from yellow to
red), immediately release the throttle and wind up all the slack fishing line. Use the line to
pull the stern of the boat towards the beach so that the navigational buoy shows yellow
before heading out to sea again.
Releasing your bait
Step 1: When your boat reaches the desired drop zone, do NOT release the bait
immediately. Instead, use the boat as an anchor. Wind in any slack and straighten your
fishing line.
Step 2: Move the throttle slightly forward and check that the boat is pulling on the line.
This tests that the boat will re-start once you have dropped the baited line.
Step 3: To release the baited line, move the bait tray release switch located on the top right
hand corner of the transmitter forwards (away from you). This will activate the bait tray flap.
Steering your boat back to shore
Step 1: Lift the throttle and travel 5 - 10m deeper into the ocean before turning the boat
around in a wide arc.
Step 2: Keep the boat at least 40m away from the fishing line as you steer the boat back.
Step 3: When your boat reaches the shore, retrieve the boat by lifting it out of the water
using the handle on the hatch, do not grab it by the buoy or antenna.
7

Step 4: Turn the external toggle switch on the boat to the ‘OFF’ position (forward).
Step 5: Turn off the transmitter. Never turn the transmitter off first unless the boat is fitted
with an Auto Pilot with a disarming feature.
Completing multiple trips
Lead acid batteries: On a full charge you should be able to complete 4 - 5 x 400m round
trips with a battery recovery time of 7 - 10 min between trips.
Lipo battery pack: Using a single 22.8 Volt 16 Ah Lipo pack and running the boat at 3/4
throttle you should be able to achieve 12 x 400m runs per charge.
Never run the boat continuously for more than 20 min.
8

Important After Care Instructions
After your fishing trip, with the hatch cover still fully tightened and the antenna
fitted rinse the boat with clean water. Dry the boat completely with a soft towel
before removing the hatch cover and antenna.
If the batteries are removed from the boat for charging, close the hatch cover only
turning the hatch bolts in slightly before storing. Tightening the hatch fully and
storing the boat for a long period of time will compress and damage the seal.
Remove the antenna and fit rubber stud protector onto the antenna base. Remove
the navigational buoy and cover the boat with a light flannel cloth during storage.
NEVER store the batteries in a discharged state - this WILL damage the cells
permanently.
NEVER run the motor for more than 3 sec when the boat is NOT in the water.
If the rubber seal on the hatch cover is damaged in any way, STOP USING THE
BOAT IMMEDIATELY until the seal is repaired. Salt water is extremely corrosive and
even a small amount WILL cause corrosion on the electronic components.
Please note that your boat is waterproof, your radio is NOT. Take extra care when
using your radio in the rain or close to the surf. One way of protecting your radio
from water is to slip a clear plastic packet from the top down over your radio with
aerial protruding.
9

Return to Launch
Understanding how your RTL feature works
With the Auto Pilot (A/P) module installed, the boat’s rudder and motor controls are routed
through the A/P, which operates using GPS. For the A/P to be able to sail the boat
autonomously, the co-ordinates of the launch position must be first be loaded and locked
into the A/P.
Arming is possible with or without GPS lock first having been attained.
Acquiring GPS lock can take up to 3 min when the boat is powered up in a new location,
referred to as a Cold Start and around 1 min for a Hot Start where the Home position is the
roughly the same as where the boat was powered up previously.
IMPORTANT: If the A/P is armed and the boat is moved from the home location prior to
GPS lock having been attained, the RTL function will not operate correctly.
To ensure proper operation of the A/P and RTL the following set-up procedure needs to be
followed each time the boat is powered-up.
Arming Your Auto Pilot
Step 1: Select Auto Pilot mode by moving the ‘AP / MAN’ switch (located on the control
panel in the boat) to the A/P position. Manual control of the throttle via the left stick on the
remote will only be possible once the A/P has been armed.
Step 2: Switch on the radio and make sure that the rudder trim control is centered. This is
the slider below the right stick on the remote.
Step 3: Check that the Sail Mode Switch (top left corner of the radio) is in the Manual mode
(center position).
Step 4: Move the power switch on the boat to the ON position (facing backwards). On
power-up the ESC using the boat’s motor as a speaker, will emit a 3- tone sequence
followed by continuous single beeps 1 sec apart until Auto Pilot has been armed.
Step 5: The Auto Pilot module will also generate a series of beeps and tones, accompanied
by an LED display which will start 1 - 5 sec after the boat is turned ON. The LED will flash a
combination of colours for a couple seconds then settle and flash a blue. This indicates that
GPS lock has not been attained. Wait until you see the LED on the forward deck of the boat
flash green. This indicates GPS lock and means that the Auto Pilot is now ready to be
armed.
10

It usually takes 2 - 3 min to attain GPS lock on first power-up at a new location and around
a minute when the boat is powered up in roughly the same area.
Step 6: To arm the A/P hold the rudder stick (the control stick on the right of the remote)
to the right for 8 sec until the LED turns solid Green.
Step 7: Return the rudder control stick to the center and lift the throttle stick to confirm
the motor responds and runs proportionally to the movement of the throttle lever.
IMPORTANT: Occasionally after switching the boat on, the LED on the Auto Pilot may only
flash blue for 1 - 2 sec, then start flashing green. This usually means that arming is
permitted. Directly after arming the LED may start to flash red which indicates that GPS
lock is disputed. It may take up to 1 min for the GPS to verify the home position after which
the LED will turn green once more.
The boat should not be launched or moved while the LED is flashing Red.
Preserving Home Point Coordinates
Disarm the A/P without switching the boat off to preserve the Home point co-ordinates
data stored when the boat was last powered-up. Turning the boat off with the main power
switch on the boat deletes the GPS data and will require a full restart procedure to attain
GPS lock for the RTL feature to function.
To disarm the A/P without turning off the boat follow these steps:
Step 1: Set the remote to neutral mode i.e Sail Mode switch in position 2 and rudder trim
control centered.
Step 2: Hold the rudder stick fully to the left for 8 sec.
Step 3: When disarmed the LED display will flash green continually until it is rearmed
using the remote as described above. The remote can now be safely switched OFF until
the next run.
IMPORTANT: The remote must NEVER BE SWICHED OFF WHILE A/P IS ARMED. This will
trigger the Signal Failsafe after 30 sec. The failsafe will start the motor, which will run at a
high RPM. Running the boat’s motor out of water for more than few seconds will cause the
drive shaft to overheat and likely damage the seal. This could result in water leaking into
the boat.
11

What to do if you accidentally switch the remote off while A/P is armed
Switch the boat OFF immediately or switch the remote back ON and toggle the Sail Mode
switch from Manual to RTL Mode and then back to Manual Mode.
About the Signal Failsafe Function
The Signal Failsafe function is a very important part of the RTL feature. It is activated when
RC contact between the remote and the boat is lost for more than 30 seconds and will
instruct the A/P to autonomously sail the boat back to the home co-ordinates.
If radio contact is re-established between the remote and the boat during failsafe
autonomous sailing, manual control will only be returned to the remote if the Sail Mode
Switch is toggled from Manual mode to RTL mode and then back to Manual mode.
Activating the RTL Function
Step 1: Sail the boat manually to a position 30m left or right of the drop zone. Deciding on
which side to come back will depend on the bow in the line. Always sail the boat back on
the side opposite to the bow in the line.
Step 2: Move the ‘Sail Mode’ switch to position 1 (closest to the face of the radio).
What to do if you can't see your boat after dropping your bait
If you are not able to see the boat to be able sail it a safe position away from the line, you
can still activate the RTL feature. When you are able to see it take back manual control and
reposition the boat before re-activating RTL to continue the return trip. Once the RTL
function has been activated, the boat should turn immediately and head towards the
Home Point.
We recommend you take back control of the boat through rough surf and when landing
the boat by moving the Sail Mode switch back to Manual mode i.e the center position.
12

SAVED WAYPOINT SAILING (SWS)
Waypoints can only be stored when the boat is sailing in Manual Mode
Saving a location into the Auto Pilot
Step 1: Ensure the boat is in Manual Mode i.e Sail Mode Switch is in center position.
Step 2: Locate the SWS function switch on the right front face of the remote. Move the
switch to the ON position i.e facing down.
Step 3: Locate the bait tray release switch on the top right corner of the remote. Press the
switch to store the co-ordinates of the boats current location.
In this mode the bait tray release switch instructs the Auto Pilot to store the co-ordinates of
the position the boat is in when the switch is pressed.
Activating the SWS feature
To instruct the boat to sail to a stored waypoint follow these steps:
Step 1: Select Auto on the S/M switch (position 3 - the position closest to the rear of the
radio).
Step 2: On reaching the stored destination waypoint the boat will stop. Follow the usual
pre-bait deployment instruction detailed above before dropping the bait.
Step 3: After deploying the bait, select Manual mode and sale the boat 5 to 10m deeper
and around 30m to the right or left of your fishing line before engaging RTL mode to
autonomously sale your boat back to shore.
Deleting waypoints
The stored waypoint data will not be lost when the boat is turned off. To delete waypoint
info follow these steps:
Step 1: Turn ON the SWS function switch (facing down)
Step 2: Press and hold the bait release switch and turn ON the boat.
Step 3: Keep the bait release switch pressed while monitoring the LED display on the boat.
Step 4: As soon as the LED starts to consistently flash blue or green release the bait tray
release switch.
13

To check if all stored Waypoints have been deleted, follow these steps:
Step 1: After arming the Auto Pilot, confirm that A/P mode has been selected on the
AP/MAN switch in the boat.
Step 2: Move the Sail Mode switch to Auto Mode. If the motor does not start running it is a
good indication that the waypoint data has been deleted.
14

Troubleshooting
The remote stops working
In the unlikely event that the remote stops working completely and the signal Failsafe
function is activated, move quickly to switch the boat OFF once it reaches the shore as the
motor will likely still be running. This is because the actual home position will be a couple
of meters up the beach where it was armed and GPS lock was achieved on power-up.
The boat stalls in the ocean
In the unlikely event that the boat stalls in the ocean follow these steps.
Manual mode:
Release the throttle and wait 12 sec.
Lift the throttle to see if the boat starts. If not, attempt to re-arm the Auto Pilot.
First check that the rudder trim control is in the center and the Sail Mode switch is
set to Manual.
Hold the rudder stick to the right for 10 sec.
Lift the throttle and see if the boat moves.
RTL mode:
Move the Sail Mode switch and the trim control to Manual wait 10 sec and attempt
to re-arm the Auto Pilot as above.
If you suspect that the batteries are very low, it is better to sail the boat back in
manual mode, applying as little throttle as possible to keep the boat moving back
towards the shore.
Never lift and hold the throttle in the full power position during a stall in an attempt to
reconnect with your boat. If the trip switch in the boat has been triggered when it resets
and the receiver sees continuous full throttle during the reboot, it will take this an
instruction to enter the programming mode and you will likely lose key factory settings.
IMPORTANT: The RTL feature will only operate correctly if the boat is in good working
order and will not be effective if the propeller is lost or if the boat batteries are flat etc.
15

The thermal cutout circuit on the Speed Controller or the boat's
over current trip was activated due to extended high current draw.
The effect of either of these two protection circuits being activated is that power to the ESC
is first reduced and if the load is not lifted, then power is cut entirely.
It will take 10 - 12 sec for the current overload trip to reset however it could take up to 5 min
of cooling for the trip to stay up.
For the thermal cutout to reset can take more than 5 min of cooling.
Once either of these circuits have triggered it will be necessary to rearm the Auto Pilot to
regain control of the boat.
The boat does not need to be retrieved to rearm. Move the Sail Mode switch and the trim
control to Manual and wait 10 sec. This should re-arm the Auto Pilot
IMPORTANT: The original coordinates for the home position may be reset if the boat trips
out due to low battery power. To avoid current overload DO NOT RUN YOUR BATTERIES
FLAT. This means the RTL function will not work until the boat can be powered up again at
the launch point. You will need to sail the boat back to shore in manual mode.
16

After Sales Support Contact Details
Thank you for purchasing our product. Should you require technical assistance with your
boat, please feel free to reach out to us between 8am –6pm daily.
[phone]
[e-mail]
WE SUPPORT ETHICAL FISHING.
PLEASE HELP CONSERVE OUR MARINE WORLD.
ADHERE TO BAG LIMITS AND OFF SEASON PERIODS.
DISCLAIMER
The Aquacat Turbo X and its accessories are used at owner’s risk.
Please note that the manufacturers of the Aquacat or its agents shall not be responsible
for any injury, loss or damage howsoever caused as a result of the use of any of our
products, whether used for the purpose for which they were designed or not.
17