@@mindseyemelodies So very sorry - please accept our condolences. May his memory be for a blessing and support you and your family during this difficult time.
@@mindseyemelodies So sorry to hear the loss of your Dad. My Dad passed in 2013. But, you know what? I am glad he hasn't been here to see the changes in our country (USA). My Mom passed in 2015. I don't think it would have set too well with either one of them when we had the lock down in 2020. I love knowing they are in Heaven, and I am absolutely sure of that.
Well their economy and labor is under value tho so, its western countries exploit them for cheap labor and products. But won't hold forever tho, as their own people will want "fair" wages as well. If this was american made with fair wages without exploitation, its be 4-6x amount; thats if "fair" is in their business model lol..
@@koilamaoh4238 Its not about "fair". It is about cost of living. Everything is cheaper there. It is the economy of scale. A "dollar" in China goes much farther than a dollar here. You can't compare the two.
According to the Google camera translation app, the top yellow text is: "Normal Driving". Under that is "Green environmental protection". The bottom text is "Battery Power Indicator". On the right is "Full battery". On the left is "Please Charge".
this guy is not talking about Google Translate, he is using Google Lens built into Android phone cameras. if you don't understand, Google search for 'Google lens' if you cant do that then stick with google translate and suffer. You can't use google translate to do what this guy just did.
So basically the light indicates the battery. From right to left, the battery goes from full to low. Don't worry about the text in the middle and the bottom, they don't really have any use.
I bought the same boat. The first thing I did was to adapt a 9.9 Evinrude prop on it. Secondly, I installed a golf cart controller with the foot pedal to control prop speed. It will run about 9-10 mph now...
Interesting. What did you do to get the prop deeper into the water. At this point the biggest problem we see with it is the terrible cavitation because the prop is not fully below the surface of the water. And the prop really needs to be more than just a hair below the water, it should be several inches below at least. Your input welcome. Regards
@@micahsdad5388 We cut the old one out and I took a piece of 1-inch round stock for the prop shaft, a 1/14 pipe with two seals, to make the true hull pipe, fiber-glassed it back in the correct lower position, and then did away with the motor that came with it and used the entire electrical system out of an old Yamaha golf cart...
@@penskepc2374 True - But a jon boat doesn't have a full fixed canopy, molded in seating for 5, front steering, high free board, guard rails, self bailing hull, sealed ventilated below deck space, etc etc. So being able to buy any boat at less cost is not the same as buying a better boat with more features and better filling the need case. Just didn't want a clapped out jon boat. That's all. No basic disagreement.
An approximate translation of the Chinese on the gauge is, as follows: The long white string of characters at the very bottom reads: "Battery charge gauge". Above that, in white: "Eco-friendly" The red characters on the left: "Please charge" The blue/green characters on the right: "Fully charged" The yellow characters at the very top: "Nominal" (These are not literal translations but are what my wife and I arrived at as being most natural - My wife is Chinese and tried to explain the terms she was reading and I provided the more natural English terms)
As a Chinese myself, Chinese is as followed. White.. propeller might fail without warning. Blue.. well trained swimmers only . Red .. not recommend on weekends. Purple.. we really don’t know how it works please google when troubleshooting
❤❤❤ I was just gonna say that🎉🎉🎉 I guess I don’t remember doing much with my dad but he was my dad. He died in 1967. I was nine years old just saying that’s beautiful to have a father and son relationship good day, my friends❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
The meter is a 'Battery level indicator', red = 'please charge', yellow = 'normal drive', green = 'fully charged'. Enjoy your video man, great work! Also love your relationship with your dad, he is a cool guy!
My wife agrees with you. She says the white in the middle is something about "green-environmentally friendly" or something like that. She does not quite understand what they are getting at with that part of it.
*While seats are likely molded into deck, moving front seats inboard 5cm towards centerline and lower 5cm would greatly increase stability. Bow thruster in the rear (center) sponson would make it turn on a dime.*
The gauge is the battery level indicator. The bottom reads "battery level indicator". The center is "green and environment friendly". The green part is "battery full". The yellow is literally "normal drive", which means batter level is fine. The red characters are not clear in the video, but it is safe to guess it says battery low. These boats are used in urban parks in China. They are used on lakes crowded with its own kind and row boats, often operated by kids. So they are not supposed to be any quick. Like someone commented, the hull mold might be old. Actually the hull shape looks very much like those when this type of park boats are equipped with foot pedals twenty years ago. A lot of people are kind surprised that a Chinese company can sell such a boat so cheap yet still making profit. Some people even commented saying slave labor, which is very ridiculous. Most people in the US are just not familiar about how people live in China. I am not a economist knowing a lot of theories, but I came from China in the early two thousand. When the living essentials such as food, clothing, transportation, and house rental are so cheap, the labor cost (salary from the worker's point of view) is also very low, which is in turn, also the reason goods and services are cheap. When you convert the Chinese salary to US dollars, the number may seem outrageously low, but the living cost can also be outrageously low. So seriously, for those people saying slave labor, think hard or even better go and investigate yourself, how can a country become the second biggest economy in the world built on slave labor. So in general, the whole country lives in a different economic scale than the US. That's also the reason everything imported from the US or Europe is luxurious in China, and why China sells more good to the US than buying from the US.
I wish more Americans would research themselves and find the truth. Asian cultures are generally hard-working, and their success is certainly not ill-begotten.
I've got to say I'd spent that money on a small sailing boat any day, but then again, son-dad time with a project like this is priceless so can't say it's a bad decision in the end really
Nah Botes a fairly well known brand when it comes to inflatable paddle boards and such, those things have been around for awhile. Even seen some people tow them around on Seadews using it for camping tents on out the bays of FL.
Hi, Micah. Here's the translation for the Chinese on the gauge: Top line (red, yellow, green): "Normal behavior electricity" so it is a charge indicator, my guess is green is good, yellow not so good, red bad Middle line (white): "Green" Bottom line (white): "Battery indicator" Taking the top two lines together, I'd say they're trying to tell you that lights on the right side of the dial (the "green" side) = proper power from the battery Throttle: Top line = Forward Middle line (with arrows) = Neutral Bottom line = Backwards You likely figured that out already! Hope this helps
DC connected to batteries and now with a solar array up top to constantly keep charged. New video on it about to come out. Upgraded motor provides more speed !!
I cherish the time with my son, Micah. We have worked on projects together for nearly 30 years. MANY great memories. But the latest ones are more complicated (and dangerous !!). Still makes me laugh. I hope you have your own good memories of your dad, even though you had less time with him. Best regards
Mine died when I was 10, so I understand exactly. I've asked him "how am I doing, dad" a thousand times at least. But I'm 63 now. Never fought in a war like him - but I do love America.
Thank you for saying that wow wow wow that’s just how I felt about this father and son I love to see them together working together what a great father and son connection wow love it that’s just how I felt watching the whole thing watching them together was more important than anything I’ve ever thought about the boat or anything just the relationship between father and son beautiful awesome, it just warmed the cockles of my heart,Infinite blessings everyone
Seems you and your dad have a awesome relationship. I lost mine last year and I really miss him but watching yall together made me feel so peaceful thank you.
Wow - Such a beautiful comment. Thank you. Our sincere condolences on your loss. May the memories of the good times with your dad be a source of comfort for you and family during these difficult times. Be well. Stay safe. Love life.
I remember these types of boats when I was a child visiting China! They would be dotted across all the major lakes and rivers in major cities, and you could pay a couple of yuan to book them for a few hours. Those were really fun things, practically indestructible and were good childhood memories
They really don't compare to paddleboats though. You could probably just buy a paddleboat for a lot cheaper and jerry rig a trolling motor and anchor on it for the same or maybe even better effect, but there's also some research you would have to put in about weight distribution and listing and a whole bunch of nautical physics. And I know because did torture tests on a paddleboat before. But keep in mind I'm only talking about lakes specifically.
You should do a "Fixing everything thats wrong with my $1000 boat" video.. That would be really fun to watch! Maybe adding solarpanelos, better motor and prop etc. I would love to see that.
It’s supposed to be a battery gauge. I spent most of my childhood in China and these little boats were everywhere. You can rent a boat like this at your local park for about 10 dollars an hour (and they also have pedal boats for rent at a even lower price). Because the boats can’t go very fast they even let kids to drive them. My favorite childhood memory was going to park and driving boats around with my grandparents. Sometimes my whole family would rent a bigger boat and have for a family picnic. This boat bring me so many memories, and now I want to buy one too 😂
This seems like it could be a great foundation for a project boat! Mods that you mentioned, such as upgrading the motor (along with a variable throttle), upgrade the prop and rudder, solar panels, storage... With sufficient battery capacity, you could put lighting on it, such as SUV/off-road lights, and running lights. I'd also look at filling much of the empty voids with buoyant expanding foam, as a safety measure! And the tubular steel cage it comes in, I'd bet it could be used to modify pretty much any basic frame trailer to properly carry the boat!
This type of boat would be often available to rent on German small lakes and rivers in the 1960”s . I have seen many photos and Super-8-Films of my mum, uncle and grandparent on them. A great fun family boat on a sunny Sunday. And since in the 50”s/60”s Italian style and dolce vita was a huge trend, the white and yellow colours are perfectly matching. Since many boats have female names, why not call it Bella (for Bella Italia) or Capri (an Italien island known for its beauty , lagoons and amazing flowers)? Or better Lemon Twist, that goes well with a Floridian cocktail or ice water 😊
First time watching your channel… boat and everything aside, I loved watching you and your dad working on it together and then laughing about it while riding it.. me and my dad were like this and he sadly passed away recently.. all I can say is be sure to really enjoy these moments.. it’s what you’ll miss the most ❤️
Having built an electric boat, I would say you have to get that prop fully under the water. Also try a bigger prop. Torqueedo makes some very nice efficient props. Then try a different controller with speed control.
I would install a longer propeller shafter to put that prop under the surface of the water! Or move the whole motor , shaft and prop to the stern to put the prop under water. Oh, thanks to your Dad. Great Dad to spend time with you.
Call it the Solar Duckling, which with the solar power would be a nice name, plus it is a nice little duckling. Solar panels will mean never needing to actually charge it, and you can also use the charge port to connect it to the truck, so that the larger panels can charge the truck at the same time. I would say that the plywood and steel in that frame is actually most of the price, seeing as you now can use it to make a whole lot of smaller projects, like a small shed to shelter the truck under, or a nice table or three in the garage.
Before upgrade the engine, better to try to add two more set of batteries, the controller supports 24V-48V. It should run faster with 4 sets of batteries and 48V voltage.
Two trolling motors in the rear with two toggle switches both having temporary forward off and temporary reverse would give you total control of the boat. Rented a mini pontoon boat with this set up 25 years ago. Lot of fun
On the motor controller there should be a thin blue wire that loops back to the controller with a connector block on it, if you disconnect it this will remove the 750w limit.
Not before running much heavier gauge wires from the batteries to the speed controller and onwards to and from the motor. That wire from China looks like string, probably get warm at 20A. Plus it's likely copper coated Aluminium which hates bending ever. Terrible stuff.
If you're thinking of doing a motor swap, I wonder if you'd be better off just mounting a large trolling motor in place of the rudder. This would use the built in steering, allow you to adjust the depth of your motor, give you a better prop and probably be a lot quieter. You'd also get better steering in both forward and reverse. You could sell the motor and speed controller to recover part of the cost or save it for a future project.
This is exactly what I was thinking too. You will get way better steering with an outboard type engine, which would be akin to a stern drive, as opposed to the fixed propeller and a rudder. And you would get rid of everything related to the pretty shady factory motor/drive system/propeller installation. You would also free up useful storage space in the "engine room."
Aren't most trolling motors 12VDC (or has that changed)? If so, that would also double your ampacity, but I think I would NOT put the battery packs in parallel, but use a switch arrangement to provide redundancy rather than ease of use. A 12VDC motor would of course also change your battery state indicator...but since the one provided is kind of iffy anyway, I'd use a voltage monitor in which I have more confidence and actually shows voltage...not dumb idiot lights.
@@exgenica Most are 12 volt, but some of the higher output ones are 24 volt. (usually in models over 50 lbs of thrust) I notice that Minn Kota has a 24v trolling motor with 80 lbs of thrust. Something like that would be awesome on a little boat like this.
Awesome toy. A Cyclone motor (at 3k watts) might expand the uses. I want to see a race between the boat and the ducks;) Your dad is awesome. Loved his reactions to the boat.
You could divide the batteries in half or partition them. Have half charging while the other half is in use. Have a switch or switches so you can select half or full battery range.
Thanks for taking us on this journey. It's fun to see all this stuff that I didn't even know existed, and yet now I want for myself. Please post more videos of this boat out in open water.
The gauge is a 电瓶电量指示 （Battery Level Indicator). Red reads 请充电 （Please Recharge), yellow reads 正常行驶 （Normal Driving/Operation, and the green reads 电量满 （Battery Level Full). I would love to see if that prop can be replaced with something off the shelf, that wasn't made by a 12 year old on his first day doing stick welding. Upgrading the motor and controller sounds great as well, I can't wait to see you tear into that boat and redoing the wiring. Based solely on looks and my previous experiences with Chinese wiring, I suspect the actual gauge of the wire (inside the insulating jacket) is on the higher side, meaning it could be closer to 16AWG instead of 12AWG. So before you upgrade the motor and controller, I suggest taking a close look at the wiring loom and upgrade as necessary.
love the light hearted tone of this video. and that you were brave enough to buy and test this 'cheap' boat. Well you saved me money on trying same buy. thanks!!!
The most impressive thing in this video is the quality and stability of that inflatable dock! Yeah, as others have said you need to get that prop both replaced and located completely underwater, as you are losing so much propulsion and steering control the way it currently is with the prop just cavitating halfway out of the water. With the correct propeller type & location and appropriate gearing, you could easily double if not triple the current speed of that boat (and attain effective steering control), making it safe for river use. And the way that the drive-belt system is set up you can easily alter the gearing by simply swapping-out the drive pulleys for different sized ones to optimize the motor's output to the size & pitch of the new propeller you install. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.
Just a thought about the bare fiberglass: I had a Balboa 20 sloop that matched the yellow/white of your boat and I performed similar modifications to those you anticipate. I found that Pettit EZ Poxy paint easily covered the bare glass and (in 1970s) had colors that blended perfectly with the white and yellow gel coat. Looking forward to your future videos.
I’ve owned 17 or 18 Boats (so far) and for the money you spent on this one it appears you got a fair deal the Hull Portion looks like to me they had a old Mold for older Peddle Boats that they create a new Top half or Deck part for the Hull should give you a pretty safe Steady Hill but not necessarily a very fast one , which isn’t or shouldn’t be why you bought this type of a boat I think it’s really Cool
Just imagine if he bought a similar boat here in the US, the wood that they used to box the boat alone would have cost about $1000! Then expect at least another $1000 for shipping! And those are just the costs for the wood and the shipping alone, we're not even talking about the cost of the boat! Frankly, I don't know how those Chinese companies are able to sell such a boat for such a low price!
Please do another videos upgrading the electric motor to something more powerful to see if it will make it worthy of open waters. It’s clearly underpowered and if you do that including a controllable throttle instead of on/off and maybe replace and lower the prop a little, I think it would make it capable of the open waters and rivers! Can’t wait to see the upgraded version!
Ha ha ! The Pond Barge !!😆 I can’t wait for Micah to explain (demonstrate 😉) how he turns the boat prop from a air fan into a actual submerged propeller 😁 Nice inflatable dock too. Looking forward to boat upgrade videos 👍🏻
We have some plans for that. I assume that the prop height was pretty constrained by the hull design and with 5 people in the boat it would definitely place the prop fully in the water. For now, living with cavitation is just the way it is. I'll grind the leading edge of the prop to at least provide some reasonable profile until we do a prop upgrade
My thoughts are 2 jet drives mounted in the sponsoons (outer lower hull sections) the suction ports/inlets would be at the lowest points in the hull using mechanical reversers as they would both allow for stable directional control and have added safety as there would be no prop to catch on anyone/anything
if you come to think, the items you bought is nothing compare to the time you spend with your dad and the laugher together with your friends and neighbours and family on reviewing the items you bought.. great work!
Just an idea before changing motors is to try a larger size pulley to change the spin ratio. BTW solar panels on the roof was my first thought as well.
@@colstace2560 this guy is literally the electric channel. His books are all about electric batteries, bikes, solar power... what a hypocrite he would be to put an ICE into this boat.
Something to consider is using the weight of extra batteries as ballast on top of using lead counter-weights. Along with the solar panels, you'll have basically UnLiMiTeD pOwEr(!!!) and you can run things like MFDs to monitor power storage and output, refrigeration, flood lights and a stereo system. I would honestly go with quadruple the power, double the suggested motor power to 4000 watts, a couple of MFDs and a proper throttle. The added weight will drop your draft so that the screw reaches maximum efficiency and putting it in the bilge will lower your center of weight so it's more stable. An extra 500 lbs with at least 150 of that centered in the aft should do the trick.
@20:00 yes, this is a standard single-phase CEE (IEC 60309) socket, typically used for industrial applications, stage lighting/audio and campers all around the world. Those usually have at least an IP44 rating. As for balance and the propeller sticking out above the water: I guess the boat was probably designed for lead batteries, which would be significantly more weight than you LiFePOs.
I'm sure someone else has mentioned this, but with a proper speed controller, combined with a reduced gearing at the belt, and a better prop (that is actually all the way in the water) it would not be unreasonable to expect 10 knotts. Also, shipping from China is always expensive. They charge by the square inch on those freighters! The only way to save on shipping is to order in bulk, like a 20 foot shipping container full (4 of those boats?) then you might see your cost per boat reduced by 50 to 70 %
I really enjoyed the video . The relationship between the two of you is awesome. With the motor being belt driven, you can play with pulley size. Is there anyway you can put a shroud around the propeller so you can concentrate the propulsion.
If you get a larger prop that is shaped like a proper prop and put a smaller pulley on the motor you'll get better torque with a slower prop speed (get rid of cavitation). Think nice easy paddling that actually moves you faster and for relatively low cost. Variable speed controller would also help a lot too!
Just wanted to say that I really love how you make your videos. Not the typical shouting that is so common. The interaction with your dad is also very nice to see on video. Keep it up!
Love it! The fact that it's basically a pedal boat conversion with better seating for $1,000 it's pretty wild. I just added this video to my playlist about electric boats.
@@murraychadwick9362 you can explain as well. whats wrong with completing a full paragraph or so of useful information? Might as well just type "on the water!!!"
@Motors and Volts and Robots ah! and the inside and no compartments for floatation. so if water gets in it fills the hull of the boat! so really he needs to close that hole in the center as well as put a water proof locker where the rear seat is. even so you are probably right in that might be best on a lake only, yet I would like to see if he can improve it all and take it on a river. perhaps he should spray foam the entire inside except for the "engine room"
That's a toy for ponds or small lakes like he's in now. Buy a real boat if you want to go out on big water. For what you spent on that rig and dock and batteries you could have bought a decent small boat.
Cute little boat. I think if you put rubber grommets on the mounting bolts for the motor it will run much quieter. As for the prop you need a much better one to get any speed from it and with that motor it may not do much. Then get new pulleys and arrange them for better prop speed. That should improve Speed performance and noise. Maybe put some ballast in the bottom of the boat to lower it in the water so as not to have the prop sticking out and causing cavitation witch destroys your prop performance. A bigger Rudder will improve your steering performance quite a bit. From an old sea dog.
You wluld be sacrificing what little torque you had for some speed that might not even improve if you have too much weight. I would have tried to see incould have paid more for a more powerful motor and speed controller. Those batteries can put out 10x as much power that the motor can take.
Right after the word Cavitation i knew. Me not not done fishing but coasting vessels. If that is the correct English word. I have been fishing of them sometimes but then we had anchor. What i do have in common is that i am also old.🤤
My Chinese is a little rusty but that dial is indeed a battery charge meter. Red is low charge and the green section indicates a full battery charge. It should go off the in the counter clockwise direction as you use up battery power. So when it gets to the red you are close to ‘empty’ The words in the middle of the dial say green protects environment so it’s ‘environmentally friendly’ 😊
It's a really nice boat for what you're using it for right now. It's nice for a backyard pond Big pond. Upgrade to motor and you'll be set. Nice little unit.😊
The canopy would be dangerous in a wind - could capsize you. If you could either extend the shaft, or lower it, so the prop was always in the water, it would improve your apparent power. Also, buying a better prop would probably improve your thrust from that motor. Of course, getting a more powerful motor would also be an idea, and perhaps a better rudder. As for a name - I'd call it The MV Sunflower. You might even want to consider putting a bit of ballast in the bottom - although that would decrease your load carrying capacity. Wouldn't hurt to keep a paddle on board - in case of engine failure, or for manoeuvering in tight spots.
I would look into angling the motor down towards the back. It should be easy enough to mount the shaft gland at a compensating angle. A more effecient prop and more poweful motor if you are sticking with one prop and perormance should be goid enough for a mild current.
Wow! I really enjoyed this video, you and your dad seemed to be having a good time. I would totally love having a beverage and watching the scenery or dropping a line on this little boat. I think if they were imported and sold complete with a trailer people would buy them. As a woman with very basic mechanical knowledge this is really appealing as something I could handle myself. I’d name it the Lucky Duck 😃
For the issue with listing when only one person is on the boat, you could consider mounting the batteries in such a way that you can shift them to the far side, or the middle, as needed. Naturally, they would need to latch into position so they don't shift when the boat is underway.
Mount 90% of the batteries in the rear. Put 10% under the passenger seat. Mount it with longer cables so you could move it to front center when carrying a passenger. Maybe 75%/25%.
Personally I think just getting the hull and telling them to leave off the canopy, the propeller, and the motor would be the smart choice. Those items are easily the most important things to upgrade that boat and are the most detrimental the hull really is quite good. Honestly I'm half surprised there isn't a company that just buys hulls from them.
if you pause this part of the video you'll see why. this kind of glass work would not fly in the first world. 4:30. you can see clear thru it right in the bow where you want it strong and the reinforcing wood under that deck hasn't even got glass on it in places. [and there's not a lot of it] the resin hasn't saturated the sheets in many spots leaving it open to wicking water. the overall way it sits in the water is awful, it looks very top heavy. this things is a death trap and i wouldn't take it anywhere but a local pond or something.
Micah, Here are some idea to gain boat speed which probably already know (1) Change the pulley ratio from motor to drive shaft. (2) Better propeller design. (3) Stronger motor and faster reving motor (3) Better drag coefficient of the boat. You need to install an additional bunks mounting brackets to secure the front bunks for safety. On the video, the boat is rocking, front and back. I'm surprised you guys did not cut the shipping container top brackets from the bottom base and lift the complete bracket off and away from the boat. It could have eliminated the pushing and shoving effort. You could have adapted the shipping container base to the trailer as your bunks. For new $4280 E-boat with future mods option, I think good price. For the name? CHARGE-ME- UP or AMPED- UP
For a cheap pondboat its quite cute. And i see lots of potentials to upgrade it, other stronger engine, and a stereo. Fixing those inner pillar surfaces maybe put some leds there to. 😀👍
Lots of fun hearing all that you did to accomplish your journey. Very nice looking boat! You and your father are enjoying each other which is the greatest part of your story. I look forward to following you, I really enjoyed it..
For a start, I'ld change the motor pulley for a larger pulley, maybe twice as big. That would spin the prop shaft twice as fast. Also, I'ld install a potentiometer to adjust the motor speed. Have fun! 🙂
Loved your video, love the electric setup and the upgrade thoughts from comments here. My hobby is electric planes and jets so I appreciate what you are doing here for the sake of electric (non-fossil fuel) power and the practicality of it. Of course, for the cost of the boat and shipping, you could have had a pretty nice used boat and motor but that would have defeated your goals. Keep up the good work...subscribed!
Hey guys great video. I think the manufacturer expected people to use lead acid batteries which would have more than doubled the weight in back and fixed the prop out of water issue, however a smaller prop with a higher pitch will work. As far as your unfinished fiberglass you might want to try Bedliner paint. Sounds goofy but we have tested it on docks and it holds up underwater very well and gives you a decent finish for very little money and a whole lot less work that other options . Looking forward to whatever you do with it . 😁👍
Flex seal is not the way to go after it cures it just builds air pockets between layers.i tryed using it to seal and refresh my jet ski bumper trim,within week air n water pressure just peeled most of it off,might work good on tar roof but boats its junk!!snookie pa.💥👍🤪🖐💥
I would have done some Trojan lead acid batteries, they take abuse better then Lithium batteries and proper weight distribution..lithium is not the answer to everything
@Allen Snook I used flex seal tape to repair a large crack in my jet ski hull where it had been holed and sunk by a submerged tree stump. It worked great for the 3 seasons I used it after that.
Your dad was cracking up laughing at the boat but honestly for $1000 you can NOT complain! Throw a larger prop on or just change the motor, create some storage, and find a way to charge it (most likely solar) and you will have a really cool machine. It's soo bad that you paid double the rice of the boat for shipping. Even if you could get the whole machine with shipping and batteries for under $3000 you have a hell of a machine! Edit. After watching the rest of the video you mention exactly what I said you should do, lol.
To get discounted shipping (about 10-25%) buy with 3 other friends or acquaintances at the same time. The seller/shipper uses 1 cargo container to one destination instead of 1 container with 4 crates to 4 destinations.
You could do many cool things to do with that cage as a starting point. The first that comes to mind is to put it on a cheap/free converted flatbed trailer that you found on craigslist and build a homemade camper out of it. Bolted onto a trailer that would be a very strong support structure
I really like the inflatable dock with the tie downs built in! That would be great for accessing the water without having to walk through the weeds and mud along the shoreline.
With that dock, a piece of wood and a trolling motor You could run rings around the boat. I recommend "the Donald" as a name in honor of the Disney character (not the former President - :)).
Hi, very entertaining, your Dad's laugh is infectious. All these interesting electric vehicles you try, show's what is possible with electric mobility.
Did I just see a HF mult position sawz all in action? I've got one and it is the Boss. Got a Makita and a DeWalt but that swivel head is a great thing. That inflatable boat dock looks like just the thing for my camp on a 400 acre pond. Put it out while there, pull it into the shed for the winter. This boat is so much fun for the money
You are very fortunate. Your Dad appears to love doing anything as long as he is doing it with his son. Priceless!
You, sir, are absolutely correct. Cherish the time with my son. Best regards
Absolutely nothing more valuable , awesome than fun with your children!!
That’s not a boat.
I think the relationship you have with your Dad is one that every man wishes he had with his. Thank you both for a very enjoyable video
My Dad liked the mini truck video, He has since died of cancer :(
@@mindseyemelodies So very sorry - please accept our condolences. May his memory be for a blessing and support you and your family during this difficult time.
@@mindseyemelodies So sorry to hear the loss of your Dad. My Dad passed in 2013. But, you know what? I am glad he hasn't been here to see the changes in our country (USA). My Mom passed in 2015. I don't think it would have set too well with either one of them when we had the lock down in 2020. I love knowing they are in Heaven, and I am absolutely sure of that.
Thank you so much. Micah and I have done projects together starting when he was 4. But they are getting more complicated each time !!
I went to the comments to say this and you put it well. I hope to have a relationship like this with my son.
The fact that the company can make the boat, make the cage give you a million life jackets and make a profit is mind blowing.
Well their economy and labor is under value tho so, its western countries exploit them for cheap labor and products. But won't hold forever tho, as their own people will want "fair" wages as well. If this was american made with fair wages without exploitation, its be 4-6x amount; thats if "fair" is in their business model lol..
It shows how much things really cost without all of the taxes.
@@koilamaoh4238 Its not about "fair". It is about cost of living. Everything is cheaper there. It is the economy of scale. A "dollar" in China goes much farther than a dollar here. You can't compare the two.
It's an economic tactic of domination... they basically do it for free... a war effort.
@James Craig Henderson that is just the taxes. Not the labor and supplies.
According to the Google camera translation app, the top yellow text is: "Normal Driving". Under that is "Green environmental protection". The bottom text is "Battery Power Indicator". On the right is "Full battery". On the left is "Please Charge".
the app is called "Google Lens" and a sad lot of people don't seem to know about it.
@@kirstyblack3432 Google Translate and a downloaded language is like a superpower when traveling
this guy is not talking about Google Translate, he is using Google Lens built into Android phone cameras. if you don't understand, Google search for 'Google lens' if you cant do that then stick with google translate and suffer. You can't use google translate to do what this guy just did.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing I don't know how people don't know what Google lens is it's a lifesaver and easy.
So basically the light indicates the battery. From right to left, the battery goes from full to low. Don't worry about the text in the middle and the bottom, they don't really have any use.
I bought the same boat. The first thing I did was to adapt a 9.9 Evinrude prop on it. Secondly, I installed a golf cart controller with the foot pedal to control prop speed. It will run about 9-10 mph now...
Interesting. What did you do to get the prop deeper into the water. At this point the biggest problem we see with it is the terrible cavitation because the prop is not fully below the surface of the water. And the prop really needs to be more than just a hair below the water, it should be several inches below at least. Your input welcome. Regards
@@micahsdad5388 We cut the old one out and I took a piece of 1-inch round stock for the prop shaft, a 1/14 pipe with two seals, to make the true hull pipe, fiber-glassed it back in the correct lower position, and then did away with the motor that came with it and used the entire electrical system out of an old Yamaha golf cart...
Would that setup you did be good enough to go against the current of the Colorado River?
@@gregorydaniels3884 Wow, I do not know how to answer that question as I have not experienced the Colorado River...
Yellow Bird or Ebby(electric boat)
In the US, it would have been impressive to get the 300 screws, metal frame and plywood that made up the packaging for $1000.
sad but true
@@micahsdad5388 In Canada it would cost $9000 easily and 5 ppl would live in it
In the US you could get a jon boat and a trolling motor for half the price that would last 2 decade unlike this junk
@@penskepc2374 True - But a jon boat doesn't have a full fixed canopy, molded in seating for 5, front steering, high free board, guard rails, self bailing hull, sealed ventilated below deck space, etc etc. So being able to buy any boat at less cost is not the same as buying a better boat with more features and better filling the need case. Just didn't want a clapped out jon boat. That's all. No basic disagreement.
Yep. Amazing what slave/child labor can accomplish.
An approximate translation of the Chinese on the gauge is, as follows:
The long white string of characters at the very bottom reads: "Battery charge gauge".
Above that, in white: "Eco-friendly"
The red characters on the left: "Please charge"
The blue/green characters on the right: "Fully charged"
The yellow characters at the very top: "Nominal"
(These are not literal translations but are what my wife and I arrived at as being most natural - My wife is Chinese and tried to explain the terms she was reading and I provided the more natural English terms)
Well done! 👍
Good explanation❗️
Super production and info THANKS
As a Chinese myself, Chinese is as followed. White.. propeller might fail without warning. Blue.. well trained swimmers only . Red .. not recommend on weekends. Purple.. we really don’t know how it works please google when troubleshooting
😂🤣With all those lifejackets, 'Blue' can be ignored!!@@youtubechangemynamewhy
I love the dad and son working together on this, great family fun!
I was just saying that to myself as I grew up without a father and I wish I knew my dad.
My dad was always working and never got into hands-on craftsmanship or anything like that
❤❤❤ I was just gonna say that🎉🎉🎉 I guess I don’t remember doing much with my dad but he was my dad. He died in 1967. I was nine years old just saying that’s beautiful to have a father and son relationship good day, my friends❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
Im so glad you were able to forge these memories with your pops. IYou two laughing together made me really miss my dad. ❤
very true. i never knew my dad. no memories to forge. dont ever miss out.
The meter is a 'Battery level indicator', red = 'please charge', yellow = 'normal drive', green = 'fully charged'. Enjoy your video man, great work! Also love your relationship with your dad, he is a cool guy!
Thanks. I keep telling Micah how cool his father is LOL. Best regards
My wife agrees with you. She says the white in the middle is something about "green-environmentally friendly" or something like that. She does not quite understand what they are getting at with that part of it.
Thank you
*While seats are likely molded into deck, moving front seats inboard 5cm towards centerline and lower 5cm would greatly increase stability. Bow thruster in the rear (center) sponson would make it turn on a dime.*
The gauge is the battery level indicator. The bottom reads "battery level indicator". The center is "green and environment friendly". The green part is "battery full". The yellow is literally "normal drive", which means batter level is fine. The red characters are not clear in the video, but it is safe to guess it says battery low.
These boats are used in urban parks in China. They are used on lakes crowded with its own kind and row boats, often operated by kids. So they are not supposed to be any quick. Like someone commented, the hull mold might be old. Actually the hull shape looks very much like those when this type of park boats are equipped with foot pedals twenty years ago.
A lot of people are kind surprised that a Chinese company can sell such a boat so cheap yet still making profit. Some people even commented saying slave labor, which is very ridiculous. Most people in the US are just not familiar about how people live in China. I am not a economist knowing a lot of theories, but I came from China in the early two thousand. When the living essentials such as food, clothing, transportation, and house rental are so cheap, the labor cost (salary from the worker's point of view) is also very low, which is in turn, also the reason goods and services are cheap. When you convert the Chinese salary to US dollars, the number may seem outrageously low, but the living cost can also be outrageously low. So seriously, for those people saying slave labor, think hard or even better go and investigate yourself, how can a country become the second biggest economy in the world built on slave labor. So in general, the whole country lives in a different economic scale than the US. That's also the reason everything imported from the US or Europe is luxurious in China, and why China sells more good to the US than buying from the US.
Thank you. I appreciate your insights.
Me as well
I wish more Americans would research themselves and find the truth. Asian cultures are generally hard-working, and their success is certainly not ill-begotten.
We are not all lacking that insight, but mostly are here in America. Our schools need to teach the world better.
What are the batteries made of???
I've got to say I'd spent that money on a small sailing boat any day, but then again, son-dad time with a project like this is priceless so can't say it's a bad decision in the end really
The biggest surprise for me was the inflatable dock. I was expecting that to sag wherever you stepped on it. It looked surprisingly rigid.
Yes because it's like a big inflatable SUP with dropstitch tech. Awesome!
@@simonmiller5118 The inflatable dock is killer - so much more than we thought.
Its got strands that pull the top and bottom rigid. thats how inflatable paddle boards work.
Nah Botes a fairly well known brand when it comes to inflatable paddle boards and such, those things have been around for awhile. Even seen some people tow them around on Seadews using it for camping tents on out the bays of FL.
Ss sunken nugget...
Hi, Micah.
Here's the translation for the Chinese on the gauge:
Top line (red, yellow, green): "Normal behavior electricity" so it is a charge indicator, my guess is green is good, yellow not so good, red bad
Middle line (white): "Green"
Bottom line (white): "Battery indicator"
Taking the top two lines together, I'd say they're trying to tell you that lights on the right side of the dial (the "green" side) = proper power from the battery
Throttle:
Top line = Forward
Middle line (with arrows) = Neutral
Bottom line = Backwards
You likely figured that out already!
Hope this helps
i assume that the LEDs are single color with basic control circuit, and since 3 seem to be dead you could swap each segment with color matching LEDs
Do girls also have interest in these types of videos
@@juliettaylorswift Good idea. My husband could do that pretty easily, I'd have to study on it.
@@khanbasharat Probably not a lot, but I love gadgets and especially anything electrical.
Google Translate rules!
Honestly wish I had a dad like this! My dad died as a kid so never go to experience precious goofy moments with my dad like this
Rip
Never had a father either myself always wish I had one to do the smallest things like this with em some people are truly blessed
I had a dad growing up but he was very abusive and I was always afraid of him.
@@TheMidnightToke 😢
@@July9326 😢
What kind of motor is it is it AC or DC? And does it have a inverter or how is it connected thanks awesome video
DC connected to batteries and now with a solar array up top to constantly keep charged. New video on it about to come out. Upgraded motor provides more speed !!
This was just lovely. My father died when I was 19. I like to think we could have spent time together like this.
Wow, I was thinking how cool of a memory an event like this would have been.
I cherish the time with my son, Micah. We have worked on projects together for nearly 30 years. MANY great memories. But the latest ones are more complicated (and dangerous !!). Still makes me laugh. I hope you have your own good memories of your dad, even though you had less time with him. Best regards
Mine died when I was 10, so I understand exactly. I've asked him "how am I doing, dad" a thousand times at least. But I'm 63 now. Never fought in a war like him - but I do love America.
@@gregwillis7767 thank you
Thank you for saying that wow wow wow that’s just how I felt about this father and son I love to see them together working together what a great father and son connection wow love it that’s just how I felt watching the whole thing watching them together was more important than anything I’ve ever thought about the boat or anything just the relationship between father and son beautiful awesome, it just warmed the cockles of my heart,Infinite blessings everyone
Seems you and your dad have a awesome relationship. I lost mine last year and I really miss him but watching yall together made me feel so peaceful thank you.
Wow - Such a beautiful comment. Thank you. Our sincere condolences on your loss. May the memories of the good times with your dad be a source of comfort for you and family during these difficult times. Be well. Stay safe. Love life.
Loosing your Dad is a tough thing to accept and my condolences go out to you. Just remember the good memories and know you will see him again.
💉💉💉☠️☠️☠️
I remember these types of boats when I was a child visiting China! They would be dotted across all the major lakes and rivers in major cities, and you could pay a couple of yuan to book them for a few hours. Those were really fun things, practically indestructible and were good childhood memories
i like it. I would find an old wave runner somewhere and take the motor out put it in the boat.
I was thinking it looked like it was designed for that kind of use, certainly nicer than a pedalo.
They really don't compare to paddleboats though. You could probably just buy a paddleboat for a lot cheaper and jerry rig a trolling motor and anchor on it for the same or maybe even better effect, but there's also some research you would have to put in about weight distribution and listing and a whole bunch of nautical physics. And I know because did torture tests on a paddleboat before. But keep in mind I'm only talking about lakes specifically.
@@nickirmen6671 lettem twist the engine out of the hull, we need more videos.
@@gabbymcgibson984I'm talking about if anyone wants to make one at home. A lot more reliable than something chinese.
You should do a "Fixing everything thats wrong with my $1000 boat" video.. That would be really fun to watch! Maybe adding solarpanelos, better motor and prop etc. I would love to see that.
working on it now. stay tuned
Better yet yank that electric crap out and put about a 10-horse outboard on it
It’s supposed to be a battery gauge. I spent most of my childhood in China and these little boats were everywhere. You can rent a boat like this at your local park for about 10 dollars an hour (and they also have pedal boats for rent at a even lower price). Because the boats can’t go very fast they even let kids to drive them. My favorite childhood memory was going to park and driving boats around with my grandparents. Sometimes my whole family would rent a bigger boat and have for a family picnic. This boat bring me so many memories, and now I want to buy one too 😂
This seems like it could be a great foundation for a project boat! Mods that you mentioned, such as upgrading the motor (along with a variable throttle), upgrade the prop and rudder, solar panels, storage... With sufficient battery capacity, you could put lighting on it, such as SUV/off-road lights, and running lights. I'd also look at filling much of the empty voids with buoyant expanding foam, as a safety measure! And the tubular steel cage it comes in, I'd bet it could be used to modify pretty much any basic frame trailer to properly carry the boat!
Seems like you could get an entire package from Bass Pro Shop for about the same money and no hassle.
Sea Doo motor and this thing would move
That laugh after he said its completely ridiculous was genuine, hes awesome. hope you can upgrade and have fun with your new toy
Working on the upgrades. Best regards
This type of boat would be often available to rent on German small lakes and rivers in the 1960”s . I have seen many photos and Super-8-Films of my mum, uncle and grandparent on them. A great fun family boat on a sunny Sunday. And since in the 50”s/60”s Italian style and dolce vita was a huge trend, the white and yellow colours are perfectly matching.
Since many boats have female names, why not call it Bella (for Bella Italia) or Capri (an Italien island known for its beauty , lagoons and amazing flowers)? Or better Lemon Twist, that goes well with a Floridian cocktail or ice water 😊
S. S. Quack quack
First time watching your channel… boat and everything aside, I loved watching you and your dad working on it together and then laughing about it while riding it.. me and my dad were like this and he sadly passed away recently.. all I can say is be sure to really enjoy these moments.. it’s what you’ll miss the most ❤️
Having built an electric boat, I would say you have to get that prop fully under the water. Also try a bigger prop. Torqueedo makes some very nice efficient props. Then try a different controller with speed control.
Probably should have used the heavier acid lead batteries
I would install a longer propeller shafter to put that prop under the surface of the water! Or move the whole motor , shaft and prop to the stern to put the prop under water. Oh, thanks to your Dad. Great Dad to spend time with you.
as an oceanographer he needed a good laugh
Listening to your poppa and yourself laugh an joke on the water was truly priceless to me. I lost my father 7 years ago. Godspeed my brother!
actually seems very practical for a pond or closed lake that does not allow gas powered motors
Call it the Solar Duckling, which with the solar power would be a nice name, plus it is a nice little duckling. Solar panels will mean never needing to actually charge it, and you can also use the charge port to connect it to the truck, so that the larger panels can charge the truck at the same time. I would say that the plywood and steel in that frame is actually most of the price, seeing as you now can use it to make a whole lot of smaller projects, like a small shed to shelter the truck under, or a nice table or three in the garage.
I love seeing you and your dad together. I miss my dad so much. Spend time together as much as you can!
Before upgrade the engine, better to try to add two more set of batteries, the controller supports 24V-48V. It should run faster with 4 sets of batteries and 48V voltage.
But he said the 6.5 hours from the 24v was more than enough time he wanted to spend on the tiny boat…
Two trolling motors in the rear with two toggle switches both having temporary forward off and temporary reverse would give you total control of the boat. Rented a mini pontoon boat with this set up 25 years ago. Lot of fun
On the motor controller there should be a thin blue wire that loops back to the controller with a connector block on it, if you disconnect it this will remove the 750w limit.
Not before running much heavier gauge wires from the batteries to the speed controller
and onwards to and from the motor. That wire from China looks like string, probably get
warm at 20A. Plus it's likely copper coated Aluminium which hates bending ever.
Terrible stuff.
@@Jeff44 Well it will be pulling 30A at 24v to make the 750w. I would go 48/52v ideally and replace the motor and controller.
@@Jeff44 The first thing i saw as well.
If you're thinking of doing a motor swap, I wonder if you'd be better off just mounting a large trolling motor in place of the rudder. This would use the built in steering, allow you to adjust the depth of your motor, give you a better prop and probably be a lot quieter. You'd also get better steering in both forward and reverse.
You could sell the motor and speed controller to recover part of the cost or save it for a future project.
This is exactly what I was thinking too. You will get way better steering with an outboard type engine, which would be akin to a stern drive, as opposed to the fixed propeller and a rudder. And you would get rid of everything related to the pretty shady factory motor/drive system/propeller installation. You would also free up useful storage space in the "engine room."
That's what I would do.
Aren't most trolling motors 12VDC (or has that changed)?
If so, that would also double your ampacity, but I think I would NOT put the battery packs in parallel, but use a switch arrangement to provide redundancy rather than ease of use.
A 12VDC motor would of course also change your battery state indicator...but since the one provided is kind of iffy anyway, I'd use a voltage monitor in which I have more confidence and actually shows voltage...not dumb idiot lights.
What fun!
@@exgenica Most are 12 volt, but some of the higher output ones are 24 volt. (usually in models over 50 lbs of thrust)
I notice that Minn Kota has a 24v trolling motor with 80 lbs of thrust. Something like that would be awesome on a little boat like this.
Awesome toy.
A Cyclone motor (at 3k watts) might expand the uses.
I want to see a race between the boat and the ducks;)
Your dad is awesome. Loved his reactions to the boat.
I was laughing a great deal, for sure !
@@micahsdad5388 זה היה לצחוק.
@@michaelsprinzeles4022
@@micahsdad5388 Are you his daddy?
You could divide the batteries in half or partition them. Have half charging while the other half is in use. Have a switch or switches so you can select half or full battery range.
Thanks for taking us on this journey. It's fun to see all this stuff that I didn't even know existed, and yet now I want for myself. Please post more videos of this boat out in open water.
The gauge is a 电瓶电量指示 （Battery Level Indicator). Red reads 请充电 （Please Recharge), yellow reads 正常行驶 （Normal Driving/Operation, and the green reads 电量满 （Battery Level Full). I would love to see if that prop can be replaced with something off the shelf, that wasn't made by a 12 year old on his first day doing stick welding.
Upgrading the motor and controller sounds great as well, I can't wait to see you tear into that boat and redoing the wiring. Based solely on looks and my previous experiences with Chinese wiring, I suspect the actual gauge of the wire (inside the insulating jacket) is on the higher side, meaning it could be closer to 16AWG instead of 12AWG. So before you upgrade the motor and controller, I suggest taking a close look at the wiring loom and upgrade as necessary.
Honestly, I'm most impressed with the dock. I thought that duck was gonna sweep in and capsize you. Your dad's laugh is infectious.
Thanks. My laugh got a good workout on this project. And I continue to laugh every time I take it for a spin. Best regards
👆Write to me for gifting….###
You paid more for the dock then the boat...lol. I love the Bote products, I have one of their kayaks.
love the light hearted tone of this video. and that you were brave enough to buy and test this 'cheap' boat. Well you saved me money on trying same buy. thanks!!!
The most impressive thing in this video is the quality and stability of that inflatable dock! Yeah, as others have said you need to get that prop both replaced and located completely underwater, as you are losing so much propulsion and steering control the way it currently is with the prop just cavitating halfway out of the water.
With the correct propeller type & location and appropriate gearing, you could easily double if not triple the current speed of that boat (and attain effective steering control), making it safe for river use. And the way that the drive-belt system is set up you can easily alter the gearing by simply swapping-out the drive pulleys for different sized ones to optimize the motor's output to the size & pitch of the new propeller you install. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.
extend the shaft to get the propeller fully in the water?
@@nancyg7267 only works if it's angled down and it's in line with the rudder so can only extend so far
I agree the dock is very interesting and deserves a review of its own.
Just a thought about the bare fiberglass: I had a Balboa 20 sloop that matched the yellow/white of your boat and I performed similar modifications to those you anticipate. I found that Pettit EZ Poxy paint easily covered the bare glass and (in 1970s) had colors that blended perfectly with the white and yellow gel coat.
Looking forward to your future videos.
Great info - thanks
I would use West Systems Epoxy for any work on the boat.
@@fhuber7507 I have used it - great product
I’ve owned 17 or 18 Boats (so far) and for the money you spent on this one it appears you got a fair deal the Hull Portion looks like to me they had a old Mold for older Peddle Boats that they create a new Top half or Deck part for the Hull should give you a pretty safe Steady Hill but not necessarily a very fast one , which isn’t or shouldn’t be why you bought this type of a boat I think it’s really Cool
Just imagine if he bought a similar boat here in the US, the wood that they used to box the boat alone would have cost about $1000! Then expect at least another $1000 for shipping! And those are just the costs for the wood and the shipping alone, we're not even talking about the cost of the boat! Frankly, I don't know how those Chinese companies are able to sell such a boat for such a low price!
@@grandwonder5858 slave labor
Put a Motorguide trolling motor on the front. They have a control pedal and built in GPS.
It would be perfect for that craft
Please do another videos upgrading the electric motor to something more powerful to see if it will make it worthy of open waters. It’s clearly underpowered and if you do that including a controllable throttle instead of on/off and maybe replace and lower the prop a little, I think it would make it capable of the open waters and rivers! Can’t wait to see the upgraded version!
Ha ha ! The Pond Barge !!😆
I can’t wait for Micah to explain (demonstrate 😉) how he turns the boat prop from a air fan into a actual submerged propeller 😁
Nice inflatable dock too. Looking forward to boat upgrade videos 👍🏻
We have some plans for that. I assume that the prop height was pretty constrained by the hull design and with 5 people in the boat it would definitely place the prop fully in the water. For now, living with cavitation is just the way it is. I'll grind the leading edge of the prop to at least provide some reasonable profile until we do a prop upgrade
@@micahsdad5388 it’s a worthy endeavor. Good to see a father son collaboration and a few laughs too !
My thoughts are 2 jet drives mounted in the sponsoons (outer lower hull sections) the suction ports/inlets would be at the lowest points in the hull using mechanical reversers as they would both allow for stable directional control and have added safety as there would be no prop to catch on anyone/anything
It was fun just watching you and your dad enjoying your time together! Priceless. Ty for sharing.
I 2nd that.. Great for the memories..
if you come to think, the items you bought is nothing compare to the time you spend with your dad and the laugher together with your friends and neighbours and family on reviewing the items you bought.. great work!
There's always a silver lining. 👍
Just an idea before changing motors is to try a larger size pulley to change the spin ratio. BTW solar panels on the roof was my first thought as well.
That's what I was thinking. Since it's low hp but kinda big, it probably has enough to torque for a bigger pulley.
Put in a gas motor
@@colstace2560 a small gas motor would cost almost as much as the boat. My suggestion is working with what he already has.
@@colstace2560 this guy is literally the electric channel. His books are all about electric batteries, bikes, solar power... what a hypocrite he would be to put an ICE into this boat.
Something to consider is using the weight of extra batteries as ballast on top of using lead counter-weights. Along with the solar panels, you'll have basically UnLiMiTeD pOwEr(!!!) and you can run things like MFDs to monitor power storage and output, refrigeration, flood lights and a stereo system. I would honestly go with quadruple the power, double the suggested motor power to 4000 watts, a couple of MFDs and a proper throttle. The added weight will drop your draft so that the screw reaches maximum efficiency and putting it in the bilge will lower your center of weight so it's more stable. An extra 500 lbs with at least 150 of that centered in the aft should do the trick.
Double up the batteries and go 48/52volt. Go 3000 watt motor. Solar panel and a better prop. You forgot Life Jackets, be safe.
and dont go any farther away from shore than you can swim 😂
The life jackets came with the boat!!
DEFINITELY SOLAR PANELS
@@martinedwards4522 Add pedals or oars
@@toyotaprius79 and a bilge pump
@20:00 yes, this is a standard single-phase CEE (IEC 60309) socket, typically used for industrial applications, stage lighting/audio and campers all around the world. Those usually have at least an IP44 rating.
As for balance and the propeller sticking out above the water: I guess the boat was probably designed for lead batteries, which would be significantly more weight than you LiFePOs.
I love to watch these Chinese Imports, equally love watching you & your Dad trying them out together.
I'm sure someone else has mentioned this, but with a proper speed controller, combined with a reduced gearing at the belt, and a better prop (that is actually all the way in the water) it would not be unreasonable to expect 10 knotts.
Also, shipping from China is always expensive. They charge by the square inch on those freighters! The only way to save on shipping is to order in bulk, like a 20 foot shipping container full (4 of those boats?) then you might see your cost per boat reduced by 50 to 70 %
I was thinking the same thing about shipping--probably $3,000 to have that shipped, so now it's a $4,000 boat, and so not worth it anymore.
Oops forgot to mention the 2k for batteries, this is getting expensive fast.
I really enjoyed the video . The relationship between the two of you is awesome. With the motor being belt driven, you can play with pulley size. Is there anyway you can put a shroud around the propeller so you can concentrate the propulsion.
I was smiling the whole time. Lovely Dad/son interaction
Thanks. The time with my son is priceless. Best regards
I was, perhaps, particularly happy to see that the Coast Guard sent a plane to make sure you guys were okay! :-)
Yep - we love our first responders !!
If you get a larger prop that is shaped like a proper prop and put a smaller pulley on the motor you'll get better torque with a slower prop speed (get rid of cavitation). Think nice easy paddling that actually moves you faster and for relatively low cost. Variable speed controller would also help a lot too!
I was eyeing this boat for myself as well. Thank you for taking one for the team and posting this, now I don’t have to think it anymore! 😝
Cool little boat for an amazing price! I love the walk through in the bow. 👍
Just wanted to say that I really love how you make your videos. Not the typical shouting that is so common.
The interaction with your dad is also very nice to see on video.
Keep it up!
Love it! The fact that it's basically a pedal boat conversion with better seating for $1,000 it's pretty wild. I just added this video to my playlist about electric boats.
Did you watch the video? It was more like $5,000 after shipping, batteries etc.
You would be better off buying a small used gas boat for that much.
@@NoNORADon911 Thanks, that is what i about to ask. Guess I will just continue fixing my boat as it will on take a bout a thousand to fix it..
Your Dads laugh is worth more than what you spend the boat with. Happy memories 😊.
The quality time with my son on projects like this is certainly worth much much more. thank you and best regards
Love his dad’s response! So cute ☺️
I really hope this turns into a short series. I'd love to see you out on the big water ripping that thing around with some power upgrades!
@Motors and Volts and Robots please explain.
With a 150 hp motor😂
@@murraychadwick9362 you can explain as well. whats wrong with completing a full paragraph or so of useful information? Might as well just type "on the water!!!"
@Motors and Volts and Robots ah! and the inside and no compartments for floatation. so if water gets in it fills the hull of the boat! so really he needs to close that hole in the center as well as put a water proof locker where the rear seat is. even so you are probably right in that might be best on a lake only, yet I would like to see if he can improve it all and take it on a river. perhaps he should spray foam the entire inside except for the "engine room"
That's a toy for ponds or small lakes like he's in now. Buy a real boat if you want to go out on big water. For what you spent on that rig and dock and batteries you could have bought a decent small boat.
Cute little boat. I think if you put rubber grommets on the mounting bolts for the motor it will run much quieter. As for the prop you need a much better one to get any speed from it and with that motor it may not do much. Then get new pulleys and arrange them for better prop speed. That should improve Speed performance and noise. Maybe put some ballast in the bottom of the boat to lower it in the water so as not to have the prop sticking out and causing cavitation witch destroys your prop performance. A bigger Rudder will improve your steering performance quite a bit. From an old sea dog.
Fisherman?
Yes sir, and a commercial shrimper as well as fisherman, I know enough to get me in trouble and out most of the time lol.
You wluld be sacrificing what little torque you had for some speed that might not even improve if you have too much weight. I would have tried to see incould have paid more for a more powerful motor and speed controller. Those batteries can put out 10x as much power that the motor can take.
Right after the word Cavitation i knew. Me not not done fishing but coasting vessels. If that is the correct English word. I have been fishing of them sometimes but then we had anchor. What i do have in common is that i am also old.🤤
My Chinese is a little rusty but that dial is indeed a battery charge meter. Red is low charge and the green section indicates a full battery charge. It should go off the in the counter clockwise direction as you use up battery power. So when it gets to the red you are close to ‘empty’ The words in the middle of the dial say green protects environment so it’s ‘environmentally friendly’ 😊
Normal driving
Green Quantity Full
battery power indicator
Translated with Google Lens
It's a really nice boat for what you're using it for right now. It's nice for a backyard pond Big pond. Upgrade to motor and you'll be set. Nice little unit.😊
The canopy would be dangerous in a wind - could capsize you. If you could either extend the shaft, or lower it, so the prop was always in the water, it would improve your apparent power. Also, buying a better prop would probably improve your thrust from that motor. Of course, getting a more powerful motor would also be an idea, and perhaps a better rudder. As for a name - I'd call it The MV Sunflower. You might even want to consider putting a bit of ballast in the bottom - although that would decrease your load carrying capacity. Wouldn't hurt to keep a paddle on board - in case of engine failure, or for manoeuvering in tight spots.
A nice floor / deck and some storage would make a great ballast, imo.
Love this, it’s great to see a Dad and son duo playing together ❤
A boat this cheap would feel weird to complaint on anything else than the floating ability. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I would look into angling the motor down towards the back. It should be easy enough to mount the shaft gland at a compensating angle. A more effecient prop and more poweful motor if you are sticking with one prop and perormance should be goid enough for a mild current.
Wow! I really enjoyed this video, you and your dad seemed to be having a good time. I would totally love having a beverage and watching the scenery or dropping a line on this little boat. I think if they were imported and sold complete with a trailer people would buy them. As a woman with very basic mechanical knowledge this is really appealing as something I could handle myself. I’d name it the Lucky Duck 😃
What a fun memory to have with your dad! This boat seems so fun and practical!
For the issue with listing when only one person is on the boat, you could consider mounting the batteries in such a way that you can shift them to the far side, or the middle, as needed. Naturally, they would need to latch into position so they don't shift when the boat is underway.
A slide rail rack so it can be adjusted quick and easy depending on the number of guests. 👍
Mount 90% of the batteries in the rear. Put 10% under the passenger seat. Mount it with longer cables so you could move it to front center when carrying a passenger. Maybe 75%/25%.
I honestly like these videos that are more on other things electric than an all bike play list 😊
Personally I think just getting the hull and telling them to leave off the canopy, the propeller, and the motor would be the smart choice. Those items are easily the most important things to upgrade that boat and are the most detrimental the hull really is quite good. Honestly I'm half surprised there isn't a company that just buys hulls from them.
if you pause this part of the video you'll see why. this kind of glass work would not fly in the first world. 4:30.
you can see clear thru it right in the bow where you want it strong and the reinforcing wood under that deck hasn't
even got glass on it in places. [and there's not a lot of it] the resin hasn't saturated the sheets in many spots leaving it open to wicking water. the overall way it sits in the water is awful, it looks very top heavy. this things is a death trap and i wouldn't take it anywhere but a local pond or something.
Micah, Here are some idea to gain boat speed which probably already know (1) Change the pulley ratio from motor to drive shaft. (2) Better propeller design. (3) Stronger motor and faster reving motor (3) Better drag coefficient of the boat. You need to install an additional bunks mounting brackets to secure the front bunks for safety. On the video, the boat is rocking, front and back. I'm surprised you guys did not cut the shipping container top brackets from the bottom base and lift the complete bracket off and away from the boat. It could have eliminated the pushing and shoving effort. You could have adapted the shipping container base to the trailer as your bunks. For new $4280 E-boat with future mods option, I think good price. For the name? CHARGE-ME- UP or AMPED- UP
Xxk
Love your channel man. You’re a great guy and I’m glad you get to experience the fun of building with your family
Building with my son is a real joy. Thanks so much !!!
For a cheap pondboat its quite cute.
And i see lots of potentials to upgrade it, other stronger engine, and a stereo.
Fixing those inner pillar surfaces maybe put some leds there to.
😀👍
The first thing I would upgrade is extending the stiring wheel shaft so your not always leaning over when driving.
Realize that this boat (like most stuff from china) is designed for people 5 foot or less....
Lots of fun hearing all that you did to accomplish your journey. Very nice looking boat! You and your father are enjoying each other which is the greatest part of your story. I look forward to following you, I really enjoyed it..
For a start, I'ld change the motor pulley for a larger pulley, maybe twice as big. That would spin the prop shaft twice as fast. Also, I'ld install a potentiometer to adjust the motor speed. Have fun! 🙂
That isn't how to control motor speed.
No, but surely won’t change the motor speed. But, it is a damn affective way to control the prop shaft speed!
Cheers!
@@joewoodchuck3824 seems like a PWM would probably work a lot better.
@@0xKruzr That's what I had in mind, but I doubt the potentiometer poster has the knowledge.
@@dcmp3po Umm, the motor speed IS the prop speed.
The question at 19:43 shows battery level, red to yellow to green means need charge, middle charge to fully charged.
Loved your video, love the electric setup and the upgrade thoughts from comments here. My hobby is electric planes and jets so I appreciate what you are doing here for the sake of electric (non-fossil fuel) power and the practicality of it. Of course, for the cost of the boat and shipping, you could have had a pretty nice used boat and motor but that would have defeated your goals. Keep up the good work...subscribed!
Hey guys great video. I think the manufacturer expected people to use lead acid batteries which would have more than doubled the weight in back and fixed the prop out of water issue, however a smaller prop with a higher pitch will work. As far as your unfinished fiberglass you might want to try Bedliner paint. Sounds goofy but we have tested it on docks and it holds up underwater very well and gives you a decent finish for very little money and a whole lot less work that other options . Looking forward to whatever you do with it .
😁👍
Flex seal might work. Fiberglass ain't hard to do either just itchy
Flex seal is not the way to go after it cures it just builds air pockets between layers.i tryed using it to seal and refresh my jet ski bumper trim,within week air n water pressure just peeled most of it off,might work good on tar roof but boats its junk!!snookie pa.💥👍🤪🖐💥
l😊😊😊
I would have done some Trojan lead acid batteries, they take abuse better then Lithium batteries and proper weight distribution..lithium is not the answer to everything
@Allen Snook I used flex seal tape to repair a large crack in my jet ski hull where it had been holed and sunk by a submerged tree stump. It worked great for the 3 seasons I used it after that.
Listening to your dad finally laughing is infectious - I was in tears!
Brilliant. One thing though. How good is that power unit and steering in the long term? Maybe oars as a back up! Still not bad for £800+ Batts+deck.
Your dad was cracking up laughing at the boat but honestly for $1000 you can NOT complain! Throw a larger prop on or just change the motor, create some storage, and find a way to charge it (most likely solar) and you will have a really cool machine. It's soo bad that you paid double the rice of the boat for shipping. Even if you could get the whole machine with shipping and batteries for under $3000 you have a hell of a machine! Edit. After watching the rest of the video you mention exactly what I said you should do, lol.
But for what he spent, a used boat off FB Marketplace is much more useful.
To get discounted shipping (about 10-25%) buy with 3 other friends or acquaintances at the same time. The seller/shipper uses 1 cargo container to one destination instead of 1 container with 4 crates to 4 destinations.
Yes, your Dad laughing made the video enjoyable. I think your Dad named the boat already. “This is ‘Absolutely Ridiculous’”
I like the name Electric Daisy for the boat. I bet she would be amazing with a jet propusion setup. Looks great for a grand.
I Second Electric Daisy! Driving ms. Daisy !!😆
I am just wondering if they had 24 VOLT batteries as the electrical system is 24 VOLTS. AND what would be the cost of 12 VOLT vs 24 VOLT batteries.
You could do many cool things to do with that cage as a starting point. The first that comes to mind is to put it on a cheap/free converted flatbed trailer that you found on craigslist and build a homemade camper out of it. Bolted onto a trailer that would be a very strong support structure
Its so good seeing a father and son working together
Looks like a fun boat. Who else can say they can go through a no wake zone at full throttle! :) You should name it literally, Slow Boat From China!
China's extraordinary like that with some of its manufactured products. Was there a section on battery maintainance and keeping the boat powered up?
I really like the inflatable dock with the tie downs built in! That would be great for accessing the water without having to walk through the weeds and mud along the shoreline.
With that dock, a piece of wood and a trolling motor You could run rings around the boat. I recommend "the Donald" as a name in honor of the Disney character (not the former President - :)).
The $1000 was worth the extra quality time with your Dad and all the laughs.
Hi, very entertaining, your Dad's laugh is infectious. All these interesting electric vehicles you try, show's what is possible with electric mobility.
Did I just see a HF mult position sawz all in action? I've got one and it is the Boss. Got a Makita and a DeWalt but that swivel head is a great thing. That inflatable boat dock looks like just the thing for my camp on a 400 acre pond. Put it out while there, pull it into the shed for the winter. This boat is so much fun for the money