Fantastic project! I'd be interested in a few, repeated speed trials: kayak paddling alone (with and without the prop deployed), foot pedaling alone, and (if possible) paddling and pedaling combined!
Thanks for this video. I have been trying for a while to find the seat peddle combo in a boat. My idea is to build a solar electric canoe bike boat. I will be using a mid drive electric bike motor converted to an generator driving two alternators with a common shaft.The solar panels will form a roof with a split down the middle during bike mode. when I transform into boat mode the two halves of the roof will lower to 45 degree angle even with the top of the boat, I will attach pontoons on the edges of the solar panels that will stabilize the boat when in down position. I will have a lipo battery pack placed in the front, two fat bike tires raised and lowered by actuators in the back along with two electric torpeedo motors on a horizontal bar in the rear. Two fat bike tires mounted close together in the center front raised and lowered by actuators. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sounds like a neat project! The first version of my pedal powered kayak I used a 250 watt scooter motor as a generator. It powered a 50 pound trolling motor. The system worked, but not very well. My legs will only produce about 100 to 150 watts continuously. With the inefficiencies in the system only about half of my power went to propelling me forward. It felt like I was pedaling through mud the whole time. A traditional mechanical bike transmission is way more efficient. I like the solar idea. At some point I would like to do a solar project like yours. I think a solar powered kayak would be cool!
What if there are 2 rotors connected to the bicycle instead of the just 1? Will it be more efdicient/faster or the same with extra steps? Btw this is exactly what I had in mind when I was searching for a "bicycle powered boat" in youtube!!
Man I’m impressed! You also seem to be the first guy to implement more then one gear. In the video it isn’t shown weather you change gears or not, so it got me wondering how the use of multiple gears works. Could you elaborate on that in a future video or just in a reply? Your answer is highly appreciated.
The pedal drive does not shift gear like a bicycle. I used the cassette gears so I can experiment with different gear ratios. To change the gear ratio I need to slack the chain and move the chain to another cog, then tighten the chain. I considered putting a derailleur on but that added a lot of complexity.
@@themellowmechanic thnx for your answer. Too bad it’s a bit of a hassle to change gears. Hope to see more of your findings on the different ratios. Hats off and good luck 💪
Definitely not the first. This is how most pedal drives are, whether gears or pulleys. It doesn't get much simpler. You don't want 1:1 ratio between your pedal speed and propeller speed because it would be absurdly slow.
And it'll probably go faster!🤔 , this is a great idea, and you release tension on arms and shoulders without the paddles, could a wind vane be added?! Sometimes on windy days the the water wave will make it harder to steer! What do you think 🤔
Great idea,how about adding a wind vane to guide the boat/canoe better, i was just thinking and wondering if i could do this myself, and perhaps adding bigger gears to propel faster without much effort!🤔👍
That’s really nice. Need a better hull speed design boat to make it better. I’m curious how much faster you can get with a catamaran hull like a small hobie cat.
That is a piece I made out of fiberglass. I cut a hole through the hull and then molded flanges the same shape as the hull. I made a tube the drive fits through and used the flanges to seal it.
incredible work. i like how you just glide over that rudder like "just a piece of wood that i shaped and fibreglassed" like it's nothing. have you ever thought of building a pedal powered hydrofoil board? might be fun
Thanks for watching! The original idea was to make a human powered hydrofoil. I had a frame welded and some pontoons made. I needed to refine my drive design before adding hydrofoils to it. I believe the drive has enough speed to get me up on a foil.
Steve, thanks for watching my videos! Is the mini truck build totally custom or is it from a kit? If it’s a kit it should be easier to set up. If it’s totally custom then we need the exact locations of all the pivot points measured from a common datum point. The crucial element is the steering geometry. Trying to eliminate the bump steer was my biggest problem. You can actually design your suspension geometry on graph paper because it’s just like connecting the dots. First make sure the frame is level with the ground. The using a square measure each pivot point from the ground. Draw a scaled version of all your point on the graph paper. Draw a line from the outer lower pivot through the inner lower pivot. Next draw a line from the upper outer pivot through the inner upper pivot. Next draw a line from where these two line intersect to the steering pivot on the spindle. Your steering pivot needs to be on this line. This should eliminate the bump steer.
Very nice build! I’ve been wanting to do exactly this to add pedal drive to my 10’ inflatable pontoon for several years. Do you have any plans for the drive system build? I know that due to the elevated platform of the pontoons the drive shaft will need to be much longer than yours.
Thanks! Unfortunately I don’t have any plans as I’m horrible at documenting my builds. I think a pedal drive on a pontoon should do really well. My next build will be a pontoon.
Greetings from Turkey, great work👏👏 caught my attention!! Why is the propeller direction reversed? electric, gasoline, pedal all propellers all facing rear? your propeller is facing the opposite direction like in airplanes🙂
There is no real reason the prop is facing forward. The design of the lower gear dictated which way the prop faces. It was easier to fabricate it with the prop facing forward.
By chance do you have any links to the parts you used for the lower gears ? I like it especially since the boat didn't come with a slot to drop a pedal system in. Great job!
The upper bevel gears I got from EReplacementparts.com. The part numbers are #2227490-4 and #2227491-2. They are gears out of an angle grinder. The lower gears are standard 1:1 bevel gears.
Hi sir can I ask what did you do it on the hole and how it became a waterproof.. appreciate your reply .. thanks for sharing videos it help as a lot kayak lovers ..
For the hole through the hull, I molded a fiberglass tube that has an internal flange that seals the inside of the hull. Then I made another flange to seal the upper hull. I made the fiberglass tube first so I could use it as a template to cut the holes. I molded the upper flange of the hull before I cut the top hole. I then cut a hole in the top of the hull so I can mold the bottom flange using the inside of the hull. I cut the bottom of the hull and the molded lower flange so the tube would penetrate through both. I then fiberglassed the tube and the bottom flange together so they would be one piece. I cut the top flange I made with a hole the tube would fit through. The tube with the flange is installed through the top hole in the hull and sealed to the inside of the bottom hull. The top flange is then slid over the tube and sealed to the top side of the hull. The tube is then trimmed to the bottom of the hull and the top flange piece. A little long winded, but I hope it helps!
@@themellowmechanic thank you sir for very informative reply... I hope if your not busy in times come you can do video tutorial on that and upload it on YT hehe .. a highly request from Philippines budget kayakers like me .. hehe by the way done subscribing your channel so that I will notify if you post new video and especially the one I requested hehe .. thank you my friend
i would like to build something like your machine for the mr340 next year. guess i'll be the first to ask for more detailed "plans". i don't do machining as you do, but would pay for any detailed info on the construction. can you beat the hobie??? great build. congratulations.
I second that request. Any chance there's a CAD drawing and some details on how you built the pedal drive? I'm building a human power/sail powered boat myself.
Thanks for watching! The hole wasn’t to hard to cut. Before I cut the hole I made fiberglass molds of the hull so I could form the channel for the drive. The channel has flanges to seal against the hull.
Fantastic engineering! I just finished building a pedal powered two hull design. I'm looking for a pusher prop for the back (rudder and prop are combined) but not having much luck ..it needs to work in a CCW direction when viewed from the back. Any suggestions? Also in your vid your legs seemed over extended on the pedal stroke ..im guessing not a big deal if seat is adjustable
Thanks for watching! The best place to get props would be at your local hobby store. If they don’t have anything, try Tower Hobbies or Hobby King. They have a large online selection. I believe that APC makes their props in both push and pull configuration. You’re probably right about my seating position being too extended. This was my first try at a recumbent seating position.
@@themellowmechanic hi again..any chance you might have more product info on the prop you used? I'm having a hard time finding any pusher props that are 2 blade and with high pitches. I found one in a three blade configuration but nothing else. I would be ordering from Canada.
APC makes a 14x6 pusher. Part number lp14060p. I don’t know if that is what you are looking for. I started with a larger 14” prop and trimmed the tips until it felt right with my gearing. I trimmed about 1/2” off each tip. I was surprised by how much difference a little trim would make. So get one slightly larger than you think you’ll need and modify it to work.
@@themellowmechanic with my gearing I'm getting 6 revs of the rotor for every pedal rev. It would be handy to have a chart that outlines ideal prop diameter and pitch for set parameters like boat weight and pedal cadence etc. I've made a bicycle catamaran that I'm trying to optimize ...the pedal drive attaches to the rear sprocket.
Where did you get the lower unit piece where the mechanical effort of the downward verticle shaft is transferred to the horizontal direction of the propeller? I think you must have the same kind of thing going on above the deck where you installed a gear box that you said you bought or got.
Epic.. have been thinking about doing something like this but scared to cut a hole for the pedal drive system, I don’t have the bank roll to be ruining kayaks.. Are there any words of wisdom u could give for the cutting of said hole? How big u made it, troubles you had, buoyancy issues, did u have to build an attachment to go over the top of the hole to help keep water from coming up to your chin?
Thanks for watching! The best advice I can give you is to make a mold of the area you want to cut in fiberglass. Make one for the top and bottom inside of the hull. Use these to make flanges to seal the opening that will be cut. I then made a tube out of fiberglass the shape of the hole I needed. I made this piece longer so I could trim it later. I cut the boat so this tube would slip all the way through the hull. I put a flange made from the mold on the top side of the bottom of the hull. (On the inside) I then slid the tube through both the flange and the hull and left it long on the bottom. I fiberglassed the tube to the flange. I made the top hole a bit bigger so I can get my hand inside to fiberglass the two together. Once that cured I pulled it out of the hull and trimmed it smooth. I used silicone sealer on the flange and placed it back in the hull. I used stainless fasteners from the bottom up through the hull and into the flange to secure it. I then placed the top flange on the top of the hull with the tube through it. I used silicone and stainless fasteners to secure it. I trimmed the tube to length then fiberglassed it to the flange. I trimmed the bottom of the tube flush with the bottom of the hull. Everything got a quick sanding and paint. Sorry for the long explanation! I hope it helps!
Hello, it's me again 🙂 Another thing I'm wondering is, when you turn the pedal to the front, in which direction does the propeller turn, right or left?
Hello, why not putting an APC marine propeller, like the 14*13M or 14*17M ? I also have another question. I am testing a hydrofoil bike that I made myself, but I'm not sure if pitch or gear ratio is the most important. Can someone help me on that ? For the moment I have a 1/4 ratio and a 16/8 aircraft propeller that is absolutely not efficient. I have a lot of drag, so I'd like to get a stronger pitch, but are 17 inches too much ? Maybe 14 ?
I used a model airplane propeller because I already had one, and that’s what the human powered hydrofoil guys use. I found a 13 to 14 inch prop worked the best for me. My ratio is about 7:1.
My friend Barry would loves you. He's the man that started Lifetime Products - you bought his kayak and his folding table.
Awesome job 👍🏻
Pretty darn cool. Looking in to a pedal system for my lifetime Tamarack kayak.
Thanks for watching! Are you going to build a pedal drive or retrofit one to your kayak?
I would love to see that on a 18 feet cruising kayak, great craftsmanship thank you for sharing :)
Fantastic project! I'd be interested in a few, repeated speed trials: kayak paddling alone (with and without the prop deployed), foot pedaling alone, and (if possible) paddling and pedaling combined!
Very Smart putting the propeller on the front making it more efficient
This is such a cool design!
Nice build. Thanks for posting
As you discovered, the bigger the propeller, the more energy is expended pushing the boat forward rather than accelarating water backwards.
Awesome design
Niiiiiiice boss
Youve given me an idea
Hope it will work on a bigger boat
Nice job. Got me thinking.i want to build something similar.
Very good concept 😂
VERY nice!
Damn what a great diy
Thanks!
nice to sharing bro.thanks
J'aime bien le vélo cargo, mais celui la, je l'aime bien aussi 👍
Thanks for this video. I have been trying for a while to find the seat peddle combo in a boat. My idea is to build a solar electric canoe bike boat. I will be using a mid drive electric bike motor converted to an generator driving two alternators with a common shaft.The solar panels will form a roof with a split down the middle during bike mode. when I transform into boat mode the two halves of the roof will lower to 45 degree angle even with the top of the boat, I will attach pontoons on the edges of the solar panels that will stabilize the boat when in down position. I will have a lipo battery pack placed in the front, two fat bike tires raised and lowered by actuators in the back along with two electric torpeedo motors on a horizontal bar in the rear. Two fat bike tires mounted close together in the center front raised and lowered by actuators. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sounds like a neat project! The first version of my pedal powered kayak I used a 250 watt scooter motor as a generator. It powered a 50 pound trolling motor. The system worked, but not very well. My legs will only produce about 100 to 150 watts continuously. With the inefficiencies in the system only about half of my power went to propelling me forward. It felt like I was pedaling through mud the whole time. A traditional mechanical bike transmission is way more efficient. I like the solar idea. At some point I would like to do a solar project like yours. I think a solar powered kayak would be cool!
What if there are 2 rotors connected to the bicycle instead of the just 1? Will it be more efdicient/faster or the same with extra steps? Btw this is exactly what I had in mind when I was searching for a "bicycle powered boat" in youtube!!
Wow youre an exceptional builder/designer. Nicely done! its a shame there are not many petal powered boats around.
Thanks! I agree, there should be more pedal powered boats in the world!
Have u gor a video of u cutting a hole to the kayak and sealing it
I love it
Thanks!
Man I’m impressed! You also seem to be the first guy to implement more then one gear. In the video it isn’t shown weather you change gears or not, so it got me wondering how the use of multiple gears works. Could you elaborate on that in a future video or just in a reply? Your answer is highly appreciated.
The pedal drive does not shift gear like a bicycle. I used the cassette gears so I can experiment with different gear ratios. To change the gear ratio I need to slack the chain and move the chain to another cog, then tighten the chain. I considered putting a derailleur on but that added a lot of complexity.
@@themellowmechanic thnx for your answer. Too bad it’s a bit of a hassle to change gears. Hope to see more of your findings on the different ratios. Hats off and good luck 💪
Definitely not the first. This is how most pedal drives are, whether gears or pulleys. It doesn't get much simpler. You don't want 1:1 ratio between your pedal speed and propeller speed because it would be absurdly slow.
And it'll probably go faster!🤔 , this is a great idea, and you release tension on arms and shoulders without the paddles, could a wind vane be added?! Sometimes on windy days the
the water wave will make it harder to steer! What do you think 🤔
Great idea,how about adding a wind vane to guide the boat/canoe better, i was just thinking and wondering if i could do this myself, and perhaps adding bigger gears to propel faster without much effort!🤔👍
That’s really nice. Need a better hull speed design boat to make it better. I’m curious how much faster you can get with a catamaran hull like a small hobie cat.
Thanks! I agree it could go much faster with a less draggy hull. I’m working on another design that is a catamaran.
Wow
awesome work. Im interested in the black thru-hull piece that closes in the kayak hole for the pedal drive.....
That is a piece I made out of fiberglass. I cut a hole through the hull and then molded flanges the same shape as the hull. I made a tube the drive fits through and used the flanges to seal it.
I would like to know how. you made a hole in the kayak floor
Fastest pedal kayak I have ever seen
Would not take very long crossing the English channel with that !!!
A canoe setup would be cool also
incredible work. i like how you just glide over that rudder like "just a piece of wood that i shaped and fibreglassed" like it's nothing. have you ever thought of building a pedal powered hydrofoil board? might be fun
Thanks for watching! The original idea was to make a human powered hydrofoil. I had a frame welded and some pontoons made. I needed to refine my drive design before adding hydrofoils to it. I believe the drive has enough speed to get me up on a foil.
Hi real cool boat build this could be done on a flat bottom boat too I would want a wider boat to be more stable but nice build.
Steve, thanks for watching my videos! Is the mini truck build totally custom or is it from a kit? If it’s a kit it should be easier to set up. If it’s totally custom then we need the exact locations of all the pivot points measured from a common datum point. The crucial element is the steering geometry. Trying to eliminate the bump steer was my biggest problem. You can actually design your suspension geometry on graph paper because it’s just like connecting the dots. First make sure the frame is level with the ground. The using a square measure each pivot point from the ground. Draw a scaled version of all your point on the graph paper. Draw a line from the outer lower pivot through the inner lower pivot. Next draw a line from the upper outer pivot through the inner upper pivot. Next draw a line from where these two line intersect to the steering pivot on the spindle. Your steering pivot needs to be on this line. This should eliminate the bump steer.
Very nice build!
I’ve been wanting to do exactly this to add pedal drive to my 10’ inflatable pontoon for several years. Do you have any plans for the drive system build? I know that due to the elevated platform of the pontoons the drive shaft will need to be much longer than yours.
Thanks! Unfortunately I don’t have any plans as I’m horrible at documenting my builds. I think a pedal drive on a pontoon should do really well. My next build will be a pontoon.
Greetings from Turkey, great work👏👏 caught my attention!! Why is the propeller direction reversed?
electric, gasoline, pedal all propellers all facing rear?
your propeller is facing the opposite direction like in airplanes🙂
There is no real reason the prop is facing forward. The design of the lower gear dictated which way the prop faces. It was easier to fabricate it with the prop facing forward.
Imaginé if they doné this in the middle ages!🤔😂
now let's start fishing!
How much does the unit weigh?
By chance do you have any links to the parts you used for the lower gears ? I like it especially since the boat didn't come with a slot to drop a pedal system in. Great job!
The upper bevel gears I got from EReplacementparts.com. The part numbers are #2227490-4 and #2227491-2. They are gears out of an angle grinder. The lower gears are standard 1:1 bevel gears.
@@themellowmechanic thank you...thanks for sharing
Hi sir can I ask what did you do it on the hole and how it became a waterproof.. appreciate your reply .. thanks for sharing videos it help as a lot kayak lovers ..
For the hole through the hull, I molded a fiberglass tube that has an internal flange that seals the inside of the hull. Then I made another flange to seal the upper hull. I made the fiberglass tube first so I could use it as a template to cut the holes. I molded the upper flange of the hull before I cut the top hole. I then cut a hole in the top of the hull so I can mold the bottom flange using the inside of the hull. I cut the bottom of the hull and the molded lower flange so the tube would penetrate through both. I then fiberglassed the tube and the bottom flange together so they would be one piece. I cut the top flange I made with a hole the tube would fit through. The tube with the flange is installed through the top hole in the hull and sealed to the inside of the bottom hull. The top flange is then slid over the tube and sealed to the top side of the hull. The tube is then trimmed to the bottom of the hull and the top flange piece. A little long winded, but I hope it helps!
@@themellowmechanic thank you sir for very informative reply... I hope if your not busy in times come you can do video tutorial on that and upload it on YT hehe .. a highly request from Philippines budget kayakers like me .. hehe by the way done subscribing your channel so that I will notify if you post new video and especially the one I requested hehe .. thank you my friend
i would like to build something like your machine for the mr340 next year. guess i'll be the first to ask for more detailed "plans". i don't do machining as you do, but would pay for any detailed info on the construction. can you beat the hobie??? great build. congratulations.
Thanks! I have not had a chance to race the Hobbie yet!
I second that request. Any chance there's a CAD drawing and some details on how you built the pedal drive? I'm building a human power/sail powered boat myself.
Love your project. How hard was to cut through your kayak and how you seal the hole to acomodate the pedal system? Any links to buy the prop.?
Thanks for watching! The hole wasn’t to hard to cut. Before I cut the hole I made fiberglass molds of the hull so I could form the channel for the drive. The channel has flanges to seal against the hull.
@@themellowmechanic No pics or videos from the process???
@The Mellow Mechanic what did you use for the hole you made through the kayak to mount the motor through the hull?
I made the through hole out of fiberglass.
wow..
Fantastic engineering! I just finished building a pedal powered two hull design. I'm looking for a pusher prop for the back (rudder and prop are combined) but not having much luck ..it needs to work in a CCW direction when viewed from the back. Any suggestions? Also in your vid your legs seemed over extended on the pedal stroke ..im guessing not a big deal if seat is adjustable
Thanks for watching! The best place to get props would be at your local hobby store. If they don’t have anything, try Tower Hobbies or Hobby King. They have a large online selection. I believe that APC makes their props in both push and pull configuration. You’re probably right about my seating position being too extended. This was my first try at a recumbent seating position.
@@themellowmechanic hi again..any chance you might have more product info on the prop you used? I'm having a hard time finding any pusher props that are 2 blade and with high pitches. I found one in a three blade configuration but nothing else. I would be ordering from Canada.
APC makes a 14x6 pusher. Part number lp14060p. I don’t know if that is what you are looking for. I started with a larger 14” prop and trimmed the tips until it felt right with my gearing. I trimmed about 1/2” off each tip. I was surprised by how much difference a little trim would make. So get one slightly larger than you think you’ll need and modify it to work.
@@themellowmechanic with my gearing I'm getting 6 revs of the rotor for every pedal rev. It would be handy to have a chart that outlines ideal prop diameter and pitch for set parameters like boat weight and pedal cadence etc. I've made a bicycle catamaran that I'm trying to optimize ...the pedal drive attaches to the rear sprocket.
Foils....oh those foils....
Where did you get the lower unit piece where the mechanical effort of the downward verticle shaft is transferred to the horizontal direction of the propeller? I think you must have the same kind of thing going on above the deck where you installed a gear box that you said you bought or got.
The lower unit is just a simple bevel gear setup. The upper unit is a spiral bevel gear set out of an angle grinder. It has a ratio of about 4:1.
Epic.. have been thinking about doing something like this but scared to cut a hole for the pedal drive system, I don’t have the bank roll to be ruining kayaks.. Are there any words of wisdom u could give for the cutting of said hole? How big u made it, troubles you had, buoyancy issues, did u have to build an attachment to go over the top of the hole to help keep water from coming up to your chin?
Thanks for watching! The best advice I can give you is to make a mold of the area you want to cut in fiberglass. Make one for the top and bottom inside of the hull. Use these to make flanges to seal the opening that will be cut. I then made a tube out of fiberglass the shape of the hole I needed. I made this piece longer so I could trim it later. I cut the boat so this tube would slip all the way through the hull. I put a flange made from the mold on the top side of the bottom of the hull. (On the inside) I then slid the tube through both the flange and the hull and left it long on the bottom. I fiberglassed the tube to the flange. I made the top hole a bit bigger so I can get my hand inside to fiberglass the two together. Once that cured I pulled it out of the hull and trimmed it smooth. I used silicone sealer on the flange and placed it back in the hull. I used stainless fasteners from the bottom up through the hull and into the flange to secure it. I then placed the top flange on the top of the hull with the tube through it. I used silicone and stainless fasteners to secure it. I trimmed the tube to length then fiberglassed it to the flange. I trimmed the bottom of the tube flush with the bottom of the hull. Everything got a quick sanding and paint. Sorry for the long explanation! I hope it helps!
@@themellowmechanic I preferred a long explanation thank you. And thanks for such a quick response I shall now subscribe
Hello, it's me again 🙂 Another thing I'm wondering is, when you turn the pedal to the front, in which direction does the propeller turn, right or left?
The prop turns counter clockwise looking at it from the front.
Thank you👍
Hello, why not putting an APC marine propeller, like the 14*13M or 14*17M ? I also have another question. I am testing a hydrofoil bike that I made myself, but I'm not sure if pitch or gear ratio is the most important. Can someone help me on that ? For the moment I have a 1/4 ratio and a 16/8 aircraft propeller that is absolutely not efficient. I have a lot of drag, so I'd like to get a stronger pitch, but are 17 inches too much ? Maybe 14 ?
I used a model airplane propeller because I already had one, and that’s what the human powered hydrofoil guys use. I found a 13 to 14 inch prop worked the best for me. My ratio is about 7:1.
You’d be able to put a power meter pedal set on there.
Yes, that would be cool to see my watts on the water!
I’ve been there before
Nice project. But as I can see you have a "tractor engine" scheme, why not a "pusher" one?
It was easier to do a tractor setup with the parts I had.
What stuff could you possibly bring with you if you don’t fish😜
Camping gear and food!
Whats the speed then, for crying out loud ???
The fastest I’ve managed so far is 5.5 mph. The kayak is very draggy. I’d like to put the pedal drive in a slippery boat and see how fast it will go.
@@themellowmechaniccould you add a wind vane to make it flow smoother?