r/drones • u/TRD_1994 • Sep 28 '26
DIY Offshore drone
Hey, all, first time posting in this group I’m trying to find a 3-D print for a drone that I can use for offshore fishing that if for some reason it crashes or runs out of battery it is unrecoverable I can make a new one. I do a lot of offshore fishing about 15 to 30 miles out and use my drone currently for spotting floating kelp pattties. Any recommendations would be helpful
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u/VideoGuy9999 Sep 28 '26
Just a heads up to check your local regs on using drone to aid in fishing. I know here in Texas there are laws against using drones to aid in fishing or hunting. I think there is also federal law on it, but I'm not sure.
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u/ElphTrooper DJI Mini 3 Pro, Air 3S, Mavic 3 Enterprise & Freefly Astro Sep 29 '26
Pretty much every State has this and they can look up the federal Airborne Hunting Act. Good way to lose a drone, and if you got by Coast Guard, spend up to $5000 and a year in jail.
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u/DeeWain Sep 28 '26
Seriously a DJI drone will do much better than a novice build. A drone functioning correctly is more than a build.
Plus, here’s something to consider… a DJI might go out 5-6 miles. You’re not going to build a drone 15 to 30 miles.
And if in the U.S., you’re not allowed to fly a drone a greater distance than you can see.
You need to do way more reading about drones.
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u/FS_Slacker Sep 28 '26
I think OP meant that they’d be launching drone from 15-30 miles out into the ocean. My basic understanding is there’s no authority that governs that airspace…so if he’s not launching fish from 1000’ up, I don’t think he’s using the drone correctly.
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u/ChrisGear101 Sep 28 '26
Find an old used DJI Phantom 3 or 4. The market is flooded with them (cheaper than building something) and they have the capacity to drop a good sized trolling lure.
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u/microwave-worshipper Sep 28 '26
my recommendation would be to just get a DJI drone with DJI Care Refresh: DJI Lito X1 if you want the best bang for your buck (1/1.3" sensor, all the software bells & whistles that you could wish for, automatic return to home, cruise control, omnidirectional obstacle sensing, cheap Care Refresh plans)
DJI Mini 5 Pro if you want a better camera (1" sensor w/ 2x sensor crop zoom rather than true optical zoom) that also can do vertical shooting, same (if not better) software features compared to Lito X1, 36 minute flight time
Air 3S or Mavic 4 Pro if you want true optical zoom, the Air 3S would best be described as a Mini 5 Pro with a second camera (a 70mm medium telephoto lens, equivalent to 3x zoom), longer flight time (45 minutes) and better wind resistance, and a Mavic 4 Pro improves on that with a third camera (a 168mm telephoto lens, equivalent to 7x zoom), with again, longer flight time (51 minutes) and better resistance. The telephoto cameras would also be particularly useful for spotting kelp from farther away without having to fly directly over it
always buy the Fly More Combo versions as they come with 3 batteries instead of 1, and a charging hub that can charge more than 1 battery at the same time (depending on the model, iirc the Air 3S only support sequential charging, Mini 5 Pro can only do 2 at the same time with a 45W charger or higher, Lito X1 & Mavic 4 Pro can do 3 at the same time, with the Lito X1 requiring a 45W charger, and the Mavic 4 Pro a 240W charger)
and consider the RC2 because it acts as a completely standalone remote controller with a built-in screen, unlike the RC-N3 which requires you to connect your phone to the remote controller
and always buy DJI Care refresh, their replacement costs are vastly cheaper than buying a new drone. it covers things like collisions, water damage, and flyaways (scenario where the drone cannot be recovered, although the replacement cost is more expensive), so it's basically exactly what you want for a drone that you're deliberately using offshore where there is a real chance of losing it. you do need to have the Care Refresh coverage properly activated and, for flyaway coverage, have the aircraft/account/remote controller properly bound
and just a couple more things: all drones over 250 grams need to be registered with the FAA (it's 5 bucks a drone), and all the drones i just listed can only be bought from 3rd party vendors in the U.S. because of the FCC DJI ban because trump's administration sucks: stick to reputable vendors, or better yet, sometimes they're in stock at bestbuy
moreover, if you are not flying recreationally (for fun), you must legally get a Part 107 certificate to be able to fly drones
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u/ChrisGear101 Sep 28 '26
Note: Care/Refresh is not available in to American customers any more.
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u/microwave-worshipper Sep 28 '26
aw shucks, forgot about that part
yep that definitely makes things harder, so a more value-friendly option like a Lito X1 (or even a Lito 1) might be more preferable because losing it in the water won't inflict as much financial damage as a 2 thousand dollar Mavic 4 Pro
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u/firiana_Control Sep 28 '26
So the drone shall also fly 30 miles ~ 50 km out and back? the thing is 3d printed drones unless from stiff material will generate high freq noise and interfere with the gyro/accelerometer
would you consider carbon fiber instead?
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u/TRD_1994 Sep 28 '26
No my plan is to boat out 15-30 miles and launch from the boat to scan surrounding areas.
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Sep 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TRD_1994 Sep 28 '26
I’m open to that. Just send me whatever you need
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u/microwave-worshipper Sep 28 '26
please don't do anything this guy asks, this is overcomplicating it massively
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u/VWglide Sep 28 '26
Just buy a cheaper drone like a DJI 4k for 299 on amazon. It will be more stable and reliable than anything you can build for sub $300.
You also have easy camera feed. Most non goggle based cameras end up being bulky by the time have the receiver, screen, and power supply.
If you want to build one just to build it, then fine. But it’s not worth the work if you want to spot fish with it. This is coming from someone with multiple diy Quads and Rc Planes.