Bait Boat Brilliance
Not only does Sailvvay UK C-Series bait boat tick all your ‘must-have’ boxes, but it also ticks the ‘wallet-friendly’ box
Yes, yes, yes—we know there are seemingly a hundred and one bait boats on the market in 2023, but like Spro and their Tungsten Putty Bar (as featured on page 143), occasionally something special comes along, and the Subterfuge C-Series from Sailvvay UK is one such boat. They combined a lot of top-end tech, with good old-fashioned analogue buttons, at a very competitive price point. Plus, 12-months warrenty comes as standard, and all boats are serviced here in the UK by their own in-house technicians. CARPology’s YouTube Presenter, Luke Venus, was lucky enough to trial one a few weeks back and here’s what he made of it…
YOUR BIG QUESTIONS
Another bait boat?! So, what were your first impressions?
Initially: ‘Ugh, another bait boat!’ Then we got it out of the box, and everything just worked! No messing about, no connecting this to this, and that to that. Remote on, boat on, job done!
Sounds perfect! Aside from it ‘just working’, how does it differ from others on the market?
There are budget boats, which are as simple as they come. And then there are the top-spec boats in which you need a degree in quantum physics to operate. However, sitting perfectly in the middle of those is the C Series. It gives you everything you’d want from a boat—autopilot, GPS, fishfinder, etc.—but presents it in a simple way, which even the greatest technophobe can use with ease.
The handset incorporating a built-in screen and echo sounder is a big plus, but (a) how easy is it to use, (b), to read/understand what’s been shown to you, and (c) does it actually work very well?!
It’s connected out of the box; the handset is a dream to use; and by having a built-in screen, everything is clearly displayed, with physical buttons around the outside to give commands. The fish-finder is also simple to read, and even allows you to change colours to what works for you. Saving the ‘Home Point’ and various spots in your swim is simple, and the autopilot is accurate. In summary, yes, it works very well indeed.
I was just going to ask about the ‘Home Point’—is this like a drone, where if it drops signal it’ll come back to a designated point?
This was a little daunting during testing… with a month’s wages of tech floating in the middle of a lake and with no way to access it, turning off the remote didn’t seem the safest (or best!) option. But, credit, where credit’s due, it worked! After realising the signal had dropped, the boat retraced its steps and arrived safely in the margins where the ‘Home Point’ had been set. This wasn’t a one-off either. After setting ‘Home Points’ in various locations and switching off the controller (to fake losing signal), it arrived time after time.
Impressive. What’s this ‘Multimode Satellite System’ all about?
In layman’s terms, GPS is one of five ‘Global Navigation Satellite Systems’ which most bait boats rely on for accuracy. Imagine having three more systems on top?! That’s exactly what this C Series features: four different navigation systems to choose from, allowing for one of the most accurate bait boats on the market to date.
How easy is the boat to operate with the handset? There appears to be quite a few buttons…
Far easier than you’d think! Yes, there are a lot of buttons, and this is because the handset isn’t a touchscreen. But each of those buttons has a purpose, and everything is laid out simply. There is no digging through menus here! Five minutes of playing around and it’ll be like you’ve been using it for years!
Okay, give me some stats! What’s the overall size and weight of the boat—will you need an electric barrow to cart it around the lake?!
At a total weight of 7kg inclusive of batteries, I think this is pretty modest for a boat with a 3kg capacity. You’ll also be pleased to know that no barrows will be necessary, thanks to FREE backpack!
Nice! What type of batteries does the boat and handset take, and how good are they?
2x10ah Lithium batteries are supplied as standard (which would be seen as an upgrade to many!). This will give you around 2.5 hours of continuous use (more if used in lower power modes). The handset battery is built-in, and fully rechargeable, giving a remarkable 10 hours of use! Upgrade options are available for the boat batteries, however, with the potential of 2x20ah lithiums essentially doubling your run time!
Surely another big selling point has to be the price point—it’s very competitive when compared to other boats in this market.
It’s hugely competitive! With a RRP of £1,799, this is set to turn a few heads. However, right now you can purchase it for just £1,499 by using the discount code: CPY24. sailvvay.co.uk
