RE: Jolly Jay fishing boat
My plan is to actually fish with this boat. I live on a 6 acre pond and thought this would be a challenging build. My current plan is to rig a winch system combined with a portion of an old fishing rod. I think I will try and use the mast and swing arm section for the rod holder. The winch drive is the head from a cordless screwdriver (6 volt). I will use a ESC to control the retreival / "cast" speed. My current concerns are how much balast will be required and how to keep a low center of gravity. I am considering making the rod swivel for when the fish runs and utilizing some small springs to take some of the force out of the shock. On the early trials I plan to use foam pipe insulation around the open deck area to help insure I don't get too much lean. Waterproofing the main deck to minimize any seepage to the lower hull are also under consideration. Lot of questions that I have to make up answers as I go along. If this works I will build another one for my buddies and start an "old lazy man high tech fishing league"
Doug