The Reel Deep Ball (RDB) is a new, affordable downrigger augmentation that calculates the precise depth and protects fishers' balls. RDB's "Reel Safe" feature will reduce the amount of downrigger balls lost to Davy Jones's locker by reeling up balls before they hit the bottom.
RDB will be the new standard for fishing equipment that won't sink your wallet.
'Cause It Sucks To Lose Your Balls
RDB Downrigger System
The RDB system is made of two rugged modules, the Reel Wheel and the Deep Thinker and can be easily powered from the 12V boat battery.
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Its accuracy and affordability blows the competition out of the water.
Reel Wheel
Deep Thinker
The Reel Wheel is what traditional mechanical counters lack! The electronic sensors capture the downrigger line out length and line angle.
The Deep Thinker takes the input from the Reel Wheel to calculate the real depth and display it to the user.
Reel Wheel
The Reel Wheel is the magic sauce of our project. Located at the end of the downrigger boom, it's loaded with sensors that tracks the downrigger line-out and measure its angle relative to the water. This crucial data is sent to the Deep Thinker to determine the depth.
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Deep Thinker
The Deep Think has a tiltable transflective display that stays readable in any weather, and the user interface is straightforward with only three buttons. This module contains the printed circuit board (PCB) which acts as the RDB's brain. The Deep Thinker calculates the depth and displays it to the user.
MEET THE TEAM
Sam Neumann, our project manager, brings 9 years of naval experience as a marine engineer and 20+ year as an avid fisherman. He brings both electrical and mechanical troubleshooting skills and understands what fishers want in a product. Recently, he has gained knowledge in marine electronics through a manufacturing co-op at AML Oceanographic. In addition to Sam’s technical skills, he has done research on team management and has led the team and product to success.
The Fintastic Four
Javier Duran, our software & communications lead, provides the project with practical knowledge of computer languages and software applications to the team. His coding skills, coupled with his advanced math ability, were an asset to the team. Furthermore, as a former co-op technician at the Canadian Coast Guard, he brings marine communications experience and has led the interface between Reel Deep Ball with the Fish Finder using NMEA protocols.
Callista Taylor, the documentation coordinator, offers technical writing and project coordination experience from prior co-ops at the Fleet Maintenance Facility and Sitepower Engineering Consultants. The development of the Reel Deep Ball was well documented with her familiarity of writing engineering changes, test procedures, progress reports, monitoring project time, and finances.
Joey Sigwin, our hardware designer, brings prior electrical knowledge and teamwork experience from the Navy. His talent for PCB design and programming experience are well-suited to the demands of the Reel Deep Ball project. He designed or improved most of the 3D models for the RDB. His skills are ideal for coordinating with Sam and Javier in integrating the mechanical and software portions of the project.
OUR SUPPORT
2025 CAPSTONE GROUPS
Vemras
We would like to thank Vemras for their support with troubleshooting and for the electronic components they donated.
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ASHES
We would like to thank ASHES for their encouragement and confidence in our project and for providing mechanical parts.
EDUCATION
We would like to thank Camosun and our instructors for their expertise, support, and passion for helping students and guiding the development of our product.
We would like to thank Camosun Innovates for sharing their cutting-edge 3D scanning technology by scanning the Scotty downrigger and donating the 3D-printed nylon reel.
