Drone Fishing is great fun, but your drone needs to be looked after and maintained the same way you would look after and clean your fishing gear and boat. Drone fishing in harsh marine environments affect drones regardless of whether they are waterproof or not, and simple maintenance and preventative care will keep your drone used for fishing running at optimum performance and improve its overall life span.
The preventative maintenance listed below is something you should not just consider doing – It is essential if you are using your drone for fishing.
General Care and Maintenance
After use, carefully inspect all propellers and if a propeller is damaged, even slightly – replace it immediately. Do not attempt to fly a drone with a damaged propeller as this can cause the aircrafts stability to deteriorate or become unmanageable, resulting in the potential loss of the drone and/or cause personal injury.
You can use a paint brush to remove salt and sand and if available gently blow the blow the motors out with compressed air. Always wipe down your drone thoroughly with a damp cloth and never pour fresh water over the drone unless the drone has been in contact with salt water – doing so will create potential corrosion issues.
What to do if your drone is submerged in salt water
If your drone has had contact with salt water is is vitally important to retrieve the drone as quickly as possible. If the drone has had a hard impact to water or it has been washed in the surf this may force water inside the drone or damage the crafts shell – carefully inspect the craft for damage.
- Immediately submerge each motor in fresh water and agitate rapidly to flush out the salt water and sand. gently spin each motor and check that there is no sand when turning the motor – if sand is still present repeat the flushing of the motor until it is clear. If possible gently blow each motor out with air.
- Carefully wash down the craft with fresh water and wipe down the craft with a dry cloth.
- Place the craft vertical with the nose pointing upwards and allow to dry thoroughly.
- Spray each motor and electrical connections with corrosion X.
- Never place the drone bag inside the bag until the drone is completely dry.
Fishing Drone Maintenance – Preventative
Seals
Waterproof fishing drones such as the BARRA-CUDA utilize seals that waterproof the battery compartment. These seals need to be protected and nourished as they will dry out and subsequently the waterproof seal will fail. Simply applying a small amount of Silicone Grease to these membranes will not only improve the waterproofing efficiency, it will keep the seals supple and prevent drying out – Never use petroleum jelly or any other products on your fishing drone.
Electronics
All drones have electronics, and electronics hate water, especially salty water. High quality waterproof fishing drones such as the BARRA-CUDA have many of its internal electronics sealed in a dielectric resin preventing water ingress and corrosion – but many drones for fishing do not have his level of protection. Dielectric simply means a very poor conductor of electric current, which is essential when using products to protect electrical circuit boards and connections. Never use a product that does not have a low dielectric value. In addition, corrosion reducing sprays for drones should have a high lubricity value and must be safe to use on plastics, rubber and neoprene seals.
Corrosion X spray is a Paraffin based product that utilizes Polar bonding which does far more than merely slow down the corrosion process – it kills rust and corrosion and penetrates and lubricates. Corrosion X has an extremely low dielectric value and can be used on electrical components up to 39,000 volts! Corrosion X can be applied on wet and already corroded surfaces and can even bring back circuit boards and electronics that have been affected by water. It has a lubrication value of 0.4, which is 3 times better than motor oil.
Corrosion X spray is a Paraffin based product that utilises Polar bonding which does far more than merely slow down the corrosion process – it kills rust and corrosion and penetrates and lubricates. Corrosion X has an extremely low dielectric value and can be used on electrical components up to 39,000 volts! Corrosion X can be applied on wet and already corroded surfaces and can even bring back circuit boards and electronics that have been affected by water. It has a lubrication value of 0.4, which is 3 times better than motor oil.
Simply spray all internal electrical components of the waterproof drone for fishing, including the circuit boards with Corrosion X – this will provide an insurance should water get into the fishing drones housing – A light spray is all that is needed – do not drown it.
Motors
Keep a paint brush inside your drone bag and use this to brush away any salt and sand after drone fishing. Wipe the craft down with a damp cloth – never pour water over the drone as salt and water will create corrosion.
Battery Safety and Care
- DO NOT leave batteries in full charge state when not in use
- DO NOT leave on low charge when not in use
- ALWAYS store batteries at 3.8V per cell
- ALWAYS store LiPo batteries in a fire-proof pouch and in a cool environment
- Treat battery terminals occasionally with high quality anti corrosion spray such as CorrosionX
- TREAT all the wires at the point they go into the battery so the corrosion formula can protect the terminals inside the battery
- TREAT the copper plugs on the XT 60 or 90 yellow plug and Switch terminal and plug
- ALWAYS treat the battery and contacts after saltwater exposure
Spray Corrosion X on the LiPo batteries terminals and into the batteries casing where the wires are – this will provide waterproofing properties to the battery. When not in use always store the LiPo batteries in a fire-proof pouch and store them in a cool environment. If a LiPo battery swells – discard it immediately.
Remote Controller
Corrosion X can also be sprayed on the internal components and electrical boards to add additional layer of protection and waterproofing insurance.
