Actor Bait Bait Problems & How To Fix

Actor Bait Boat problems are not that common. However like any piece of intricate technology, there are always things that are going to go wrong.

For the cost of the Actor, these little boats have a fairly good reliability record in comparison to some of the more expensive bait boats on the market.

If you are having problems with your Actor, or scoping out their reliability, this article will help.

We’ll be covering the common problems you may find with this budget bait boat, and solutions for how you can fix them.

Caveat: My Actor Bait Boat performs perfectly

Now if you’ve come here looking for solutions to your Actor Bait Problems, I hate to brag. But my Actor is working as good today as it was when I purchased it two years ago.

I have been a member of the Actor Bait Boat Community on Facebook for quite some time though, and have learnt to identify some of the common issues people have with the Actor, which I will explain below.

My personal experience with the Actor has been brilliant. It does exactly what I bought it for. It get’s my rig into positions where I couldn’t otherwise cast.

It’s helped me catch numerous carp over the last two years. And for just a few hundred quid, it’s price is a drop in the ocean compared to some other bait boats.

Common problems with the Actor Bait Boat

Bait Boats are technical pieces of kit. As a result they are prone to errors.

Problems are not just common on cheaper bait boats like the Actor. Typically, the more technical the bait boat, the more issues you are likely to run in to. As a result, you may find issues with higher-priced bait boats that most anglers buy on finance.

But if it’s common problems with the Actor that you’re looking to investigate, take a look at these:

Actor Bait Boat won’t sail straight

This is something that myself and many others have experienced with the Actor Bait Boat.

Being a lightweight bait boat, they tend not to be very well-balanced in the water. Even the weight of your lead can offset the boat to one side.

As a result, you may find that the boat doesn’t sail straight. This can be incredibly frustrating when you have to constantly adjust it’s course.

It also means the boat runs slower as you’re only using one side to recorrect constantly.

There is a solution though.

Every Actor Bait Boat comes with a Yaw Button. This button is designed to adjust and balance the motors. To adjust the Yaw, simply hold down the button whilst the boat is in the water and simultaneously hold the direction stick in the opposite direction to where the boat is pulling to.

Doing this incrementally will adjust the Yaw and help the boat go in a straight line.

Once you have done this, the boat will remember your settings for next time. No more going around in circles!

Battery runs out too quick

In my experience, the battery on my Actor MK4i has been fine and lasted sufficiently.

However, I do know of people who have had issues with the battery running flat unusually quick.

I guess it depends how often you’re catching and using it every session. I tend not to use it for every rod.

If you do find that the standard Actor Bait Boat are not sufficient for your needs, you can upgrade.

Lithium batteries are available from a number of manufacturers with connectors that clip straight into those supplied with your bait boat. Here is one solution from ALTechnologies.

Weed catching around the propellors

First things first, we don’t recommend using the Actor in heavy weed. However, there are times when you just can’t escape the stuff.

More often than not, you don’t know there is weed present until you get the boat back in and it’s clogged up. To make matters worse, the Actor does not come with weed guards. What you’re left with is two probs that are great at pulling in weed and getting wrapped up.

But fear not, there’s a simple solution.

You can add weed guards to your Actor. These are simply plastic guards that clip on to the back of your boat. They’re super cheap and make a big difference.

On/off button cover comes off

This is a silly little issue that has happened to me and a few people on the Facebook group.

On the front of the boat, the main on/off button is covered by a rubber button cover which very easily comes off.

I’m assuming if you manage to find yours on the floor, it can be easily put back on, however I lost mine completely.

Obviously this made me slightly worried about water ingress around the button itself. What I ended up doing was just adding a tiny bit of silicon around it to protect it slightly.

If you are lucky enough to still have the button cover, I would recommend adding a line of super glue around the edge to help keep it in place.

GPS not accurate on Actor

The GPS system on newer versions of the Actor can be a bit tricky to get your head around. This is exaggerated if you’ve never used a GPS device before.

One thing that you may notice is that the boat narrowly misses it’s intended return to home target.

This is usually as a result of not being connecting to enough satellites. If you are not connected to enough satellites, the boat will have a poor understanding of your actual home point.

As a result it may return to home a few meters down the bank, or in the next swim, which isn’t ideal.

The key is to ensure that you are connected to all satellites before using this feature. Boatman themselves have provided a video for connecting the GPS properly here:

Got a more serious problem? Check your warranty

If you’re unfortunate to have a more serious problem with your Actor, you can always turn to Boatman UK and check your warranty.

Boatman offer a decent warranty period, with 12 months for the boat, 6 months for the remote and 30 days for the battery. This starts from the day that you received the boat.

Any faulty items received must be returned to Boatman within 30 days of receiving the boat.

From my knowledge, Boatman are incredibly fair with their warranty and put up no silly hoops for you to jump through to solve your problems. I’ve seen a few people on the group receive faulty remotes, and these have been swapped out instantly, with no questions asked.

If you do have a problem with your Actor, you can contact Boatman UK, who are the official UK reseller of the Actor boats.