Please read my post on Coast Guard Rules, when you are on the water, think as if your were on any public road/highway. Would you drive your RCs on an interstate? Lights mean very specific things, and you are not following the rules. Please don't FAAFO with fines or worse, cause and accident.
Hi I'm from Germany and I'm in a model boat club and as a last resort against water in the boat we use a so-called bilge pump with a float switch that pumps the water off automatically when it reaches a certain height in the hull You could also use a shaft seal ring to seal the stern tube to the shaft. Hope my suggestions are helpful😅
@@alwinfrisk1482 so not really, as they fire metal rounds, but if they’re air soft mechanisms that’s interesting. Feel free to educate instead of being smugger
Yes he could totally use the microcontrollers he got with the water sensors and hook it up to a pump. Also I think he has ESP32 which has WiFi and could send a notification to his phone. So many possibilities
Your projects just keep getting more impressive. I'm a pretty big R/C nerd but you've evolved to the point that I don't understand half of the tech you're using now. Keep up the great work.
I call myself an RC nerd as well although I chilled out on long range fpv stuff. All the tech stuff with ardu pilot and his different protocols for use with the cell data lost me this video. Off to google I go.
This kind of stuff is barely "RC" anymore, we are solidly into autononmous robotics/drone tech at this stage, so no worries if that confuses you as an RC nerd ;)
It's all Ardupilot... pretty straightforward once you understand how Ardupilot works. The really interesting bit here is that Elsight HALO unit for BVLOS operation and built-in remote ID.
The props are for a surface vessel (design to stay half submerged and to spray a mix of water and air). To improve the speed, efficiency and tug force you should use a different props, a full submerged one, without the flat part on the blade. Beautiful video as always!
Nobody will ever see this but, I just want to thank you for existing, I get sick a lot and whenever I do, I know that I can always just sit back and watch some good old rctestflight. Thanks you.
I really appreciate that you show the parts that dont work. A lot of people just want to make their project look cool so they dont show it but then you go to try the project and run into similar issues and feel like you're doing something wrong because the videos didn't show any of it.
Add AI module that converts text to speech and vice versa. Better comms reliability, plus log. Make sure boat speech begins all vocal expressions with "AAARRRHHG, Matey .." and concludes with " ..., savvy?"
might help the silicone thingy if you designed the mold to have a shell that remains installed and has some features around the outside to engage with the silicone, to grant it rigid support. This might also let you make the silicone thingies much smaller if that's useful.
I cannot even begin to explain how interesting this is. A DIY boat made from ordinary boat/rc boat parts driving through set waypoints (which you can change on the fly!) on its own using GPS, with cameras so you can see its progress and the ability to calibrate sensors and use them remotely. This creation makes this whole process look so flawless I'm shook. I always liked automation and DIY projects, and this, this is like a wet dream honestly. I'm really excited for what's coming in the future (but I'm still trying to process all the amazement I'm experiencing right now). Great work love your content!
When I was a kid in the late 90s I specifically would daydream about a semi-autonomous internet connected airplane. I don’t even do RC stuff myself, I just watch this channel to see someone build all the stuff I wanted to see as a kid.
Great to see a new boat video! I enjoy the surface effect and flying machine videos as well, but I've been hoping to see a return of one or more of the boats because it seems like they have great potential still waiting to be unleashed.
You should put a speaker on it so that if anyone does approach it, you can just tell them, "Hey, this is a test of a top secret DARPA project. Back away or the FBI will arrest you." Lol
To avoid sea weed: You need to increase the size of the water intake and egress ports. Just add large spherical indents in the front and the back of the hull and cover them with a fine mesh. In the middle of the hole you can add the propeller inside a tube connecting the front and the back. You just need a shaft inside the pipe without any connection to the outside. By adding magnets in the tips of the propeller you could use a rotating ring of magnets outside the shaft to transfer the energy of the motor, leveraging the concept of a magnetic gear. Another option would be to split a permanent magnet motor and use the outer part with the electro magnets to rotate the propeller directly.
@@trhosking that's also a fair point... he could have just threaded those pieces he put on and fitted a zerk fitting... our boy is smart but rushes a lot.
Fascinating. Working perfectly. Needs a message sign to leave it alone. Can you add live voice communication to talk to someone approaching the boat ? Weed problem solved? Solar recharge? Long range mission? Love this project. Great job.
Dude you're fulfilling every nerd's dream of controlling an RC vehicle from a Coffee shop, The fact that its a boat makes it even better. Thank you man.
We saw you at Gas Works today using your gadgets and asked for your channel. Thanks for sharing! My 2 sons (13 & 10) were curious as to what you were up to. We look forward to learning more. 👍🏻
This is so fantastic. I am really wanting to do something similar and trying to learn ardupilot and all these long range systems that are more than your typical RC control and your videos are inspiration to what’s possible! Super cool. Keep ‘em coming!
This was incredible! Your long range boat videos are my absolute favorites, the Banana Slug was so entertaining to watch. I'm really excited to see what you can accomplish with this! Amazing work as always 😊
It would be cool if you added back the solar panel for the next mission! Then you wouldn’t have to worry about battery as much. Also possibly repositioning the cellular antennas to be on the same mast as the camera, and moving the module inside the hull. Just an idea as it looked like they could be disconnected. Like others are saying, an automatic bilge pump would be a good idea too.
Controlled via satellite internet. And a boat with the ability to dive under water so that it is not seen from the air. It will turn out a very good marine drone for transporting payloads.
You'd be better using a long propeller tube, running at a shallow angle to the motor mounted above the waterline. That way, the tube does not act as a passage into the hull for water. Also why not use your water sensor to run a bilge pump automatically?
Have you ever thought of using magnetic couplers for the shaft? With those there would be no more chance of water getting in through some seal, although they might be more difficult to build.
I enjoy RC. It feels cool you are local. Hopefully, you're getting to enjoy this bit of warm weather this weekend. The starlink idea someone had would be cool for sure though I think what you have going is interesting. An autonomous tug boat for people stuck in the water could be a practical use of such things maybe. Hmm.
Your videos are always a joy to watch, and this one was no exception! I think it would be cool to add some sort of flag or banner displaying a QR code that takes curious onlookers to a webpage describing your little drone vessel and its mission. Regardless, I look forward to future uploads!
The more of your videos I see, the more potential I see for making sailboat parts in onshape. Seriously man, you’re an inspiration. Your craft is meticulously thought out and it shows.
Captian here. REAL Actual Captain. The one in my 40ft trimaran is just a big pencil lead. hint hint Okay so attach a pencil led wider than the shaft facing towards the keel with a set screw. Then a boot sealed to the hull and sealed to the other side of the pencil lead. adjust the pressure Of the two pencil leds touching each other with the set screw on the shaft placed pencil lead. The graphene-to-graphene gap is less than a water molecule wide. So it does not leak and lasts forever. Mine is 15 years old and it's time I change the boot as it looks someing like a toilet plunger yet the resistance is not what it used to be thats the only reason why it needs changing. Higher horse power does require active cooling of the big pencil leads. I thought if I say pencil leads it would be easier to understand than graphite puck with a hole in the middle. Sorry to see you go through this over and over. If you need details I am sure I can get you some. Q: You may have some questions like how do you make a gap the fine? A: You dont you just run it and it will stop leaking by itself. Example: My boat was sitting in the ocean for a long time before I bought it and the boot is loose so salt water started too drip and for deposits in the seal making it not work as well. I literally climbed down there and sanded it while taking on water because the boot was pushed back for a moment. Very scary. Anyway after sanding it then running the motor for an hour it was good agian.
Having the dibs on the bottom surface against the water flow actually gives you less friction causing cavitation, like how a perfectly smooth lake surface is more drag than slight ripples on a flat bottom boat.
I actually work in a similar field. I work at CNHi on autonomous agriculture equipment (tractors and combines). I must say if you ever want a job, you would be a good fit. I'm very impressed with your ingenuity. Mu colleagues are designing mesh radios that switch between wifi and cellular and I design software that works over these networks. I often find myself feeling we move to slow but I understand being a big commercial company with expensive lands and equipment we just can't. Anyway, wanted to chime in and just say from someone in more commercial space, you certainly have the skills to take this beyond hobby but hobby is more fun no doubt lol. Props to you!
would love to see this have a small dock shed somewhere along the shore and you can release it at any time and would be cool if the boat can have a deployable sunmarine thats controled by you but then self docks back in boat beefore continueing its route
The benefit of a stuffing box is that the spinning grease and rope/orings spin the grease further in the stuffing box, while your gap has it spinning out of the tube.
My solution for a non-leaking drive shaft is to simply have it outboard. Since that would obviate any seals and stuffing boxes, efficiency would improve as well.
How about an addition to the boat? A underwater camera!! How cool would it be to see some fish! I know it would add extra complications, but you could absolutely do it. 😊
I know the videos might not do well but I would love more info about all the different tech and Tx programming you did for this video. I love all your RC and boat videos. Would love to know what all was involved.
I have been a Chief engineer on crab boats in Alaska and have had to pack shafts, if I'm ever in North lake doing ship yard I'll let you check out what it really looks like. Usually not a shaft box just rings of stuffing up against the shaft itself in the tube. The stuffing should go pretty far down the shaft. The stuffing is made of carbon graphite and self seals. West Marine should have some just called Marine Packing.
Aliexpress has 8 mm and up mechanical seals available at very low cost. They are very robust, and I have used them in a few projects. They could be a good fit for propeller shaft sealing.
That is actually really awesome. You should try to combine it with the solar panels from the tugboat, that way energy reproduction is also autonomous and there is no actual limit as to how far it can go
I'm almost sure if you made a small hole in the rear under the shaft, the water would self-drain. That's why there is a hole (plugable usually) in every row boat or sail boat. No need to remove water if you are going forward, even slowing, but consistently, laminar flow ensures the water will drain out the vessel. The problem before was the water coming in had nowhere to go.
You could use a slightly lighter/thinner grease then keep the syringes attached using rubber bands to maintain pressure, basically a diy self greasing shaft ;)
If you don't mind mounting your motors "above decks", you can simply use very long shaft sleeves that terminate at/above the deck level to prevent water ingress. There's nothing "special" about the sleeves vs the outside of the hull; the water level will be the same inside as outside. Sailing dinghy dagger boards often work the same way. This avoids the need for a stuffing box, although it can make your boat a bit more difficult to design from a center of gravity perspective. Such a design is impractical in full-size boats that need much larger motors, but for something like an RC craft it should be feasible. You can also consider using some kind of gearbox to reroute the drive shaft so that you can keep the motors down in the hull, while still having the exit point of your shaft sleeves high up above the water line.
Have you ever thought of adding computer vision to a project like this? If so would be interesting to see it in action and how you would implement it! Keep up the amazing work as always!!!
Water can close a circuit all by its self so its not hard to build a water activated bildge pump. But I would go with paddle wheels. Less efficient, especially in rough water but seaweed an shaft seals are not an issue. Sometimes reliability is more important than efficiency.
real boats leak too! even with outboards and no shaft through the hull. they just have automatic bilge pumps. by the way, my family has a boat in des moines marina south of seattle. if you're still looking for that, I might be available on a weekend sometime.
Super exciting to see the comms link and the new controller. That TX16S looks sweet. Nice work on the prop shaft seal, not sure if magnetic couplings would work then you could isolate fully. How well did the weed guards work ? That must be one of the real long distance problems.
This is so awesome. I am so happy for you that all the systems are working. You’ve put so much effort into this and definitely deserve this win! One question. How can you prevent a collision with an oncoming large boat that maybe doesn’t see the craft? Perhaps could you add a proximity or ultrasonic distance sensor to do an override “go 90° right” for a certain distance before continuing to next waypoint.
Wow.... nice to see the options available for long range stuff now... didn't know multi-cellular data links were a thing now. One gotcha with ELRS telemetry is depending on the receiver the telemetry isn't as long range as the control link side, so you may have control, but no telemetry, as you showed in the video. Great video... looking forward to seeing the next installment.
That twisting and pulling action of the shaft seal is very interesting. I'm sure there is a useful application for that somewhere. Like a clutch decoupler sorta thing.
For your next mission, you should do the length of Whidbey Island starting from Deception Pass. There are several stops you can take along the way and you could do the inside passage
so the next mission should be to do an automated long distance mission across a HUGE body of water? Maybe Build a MK2 designed to withstand harsher waves/wakes and possible produce its own power to a degree?
For the problem of leaking, I think, you could install a couple of small bilge pumps activated by floats or some other detectors of internal water. Also, what about threading those shafts so that they expell water rotating.
Cool stuff! Having both the receiver and cameras on single masts makes me a bit nervous. I'd probably have two or three poles, and maybe a few guy wires (is that the right term) to hold them on and upright. But it looks like it's working fine for you. I just hope that during a long mission the masts don't come unstuck somehow and flop over.
You should put a smart doorbell on it, so you get notified and can talk to anyone who happens upon it. Then you could go around and say hi to everyone.
That flat bottom plane reduces the efficiency of that propeller by a great deal because it blocks a great deal of water ingress into the propulsion stream
Kind of tricky and probably hard to machine, but a lot of engines use reverse grooving on the shaft in conjunction with the oil seal to keep the oil directed inwards..
There is Also a setting in mission planner, I think under the GPS parameters. It allows the compass to learn heading off sets incrementally based on gps direction . Maybe it would be useful for a boat, I have never really wanted to try it on an airplane
Fun vid! I've just watched their flitetest documentation and reminded myself how similar your channel name is. Now your channel is getting similar to Sripols diy build madness. Of course with your own personality and really creative use of engineering. Excited to see what's next. Been watching your videos since you were about 15 I guess ;) greets from Austria, Mario
There's an easy way to fix the seals, without having to run a bilge pump. If you've ever taken apart a house water pump, like a well pump or a sprinkler pump, they use a ceramic ring that presses up against another ceramic ring, and one side has spring tension on it. The water will lubricate the seal, but water cannot get through the two smooth surfaces. There is literally no rubber, virtually no friction, and zero leakage. Check it out, if you'd like a better idea on sealing your props.
Use code RCTESTFLIGHT50 to get 50% OFF your first Factor box at bit.ly/3JgFdFQ
Sharpening fins is not good.
Onboard bildge pump and float swich so you can pump out water as you take it on, for whatever reason.
Please read my post on Coast Guard Rules, when you are on the water, think as if your were on any public road/highway. Would you drive your RCs on an interstate? Lights mean very specific things, and you are not following the rules. Please don't FAAFO with fines or worse, cause and accident.
we love it when the shaft can rotate freely in the lubricated fleshlights dont we bois? 🥸
@@Metazone101 hey its daytime. I don't need lights in the day
I’m glad we’re getting more long range missions, the banana boat video where it goes on a long trip is still one of my favorite videos
Agreed. That, this, and the solar planes!
I’m only here to watch Daniel and his roommates eat.
I really hope he brings back the solar plane projects this season. It was amazing
Yeah mine 2.
@@o0julek0o Those and the solar rover that used its wings! So challenging trying to keep it running and seeing its tracks from the satellite photos!
Hi I'm from Germany and I'm in a model boat club and as a last resort against water in the boat we use a so-called bilge pump with a float switch that pumps the water off automatically when it reaches a certain height in the hull You could also use a shaft seal ring to seal the stern tube to the shaft.
Hope my suggestions are helpful😅
You ever see the RC battleship battles? They have air powered BB guns
@@BikingVikingHH so airsoft guns?
@@BikingVikingHH thats wild i want one too
@@alwinfrisk1482 so not really, as they fire metal rounds, but if they’re air soft mechanisms that’s interesting. Feel free to educate instead of being smugger
Yes he could totally use the microcontrollers he got with the water sensors and hook it up to a pump. Also I think he has ESP32 which has WiFi and could send a notification to his phone. So many possibilities
That’s a fine lathe you got there. Thanks for showing both the successes and failures as always!
Your projects just keep getting more impressive. I'm a pretty big R/C nerd but you've evolved to the point that I don't understand half of the tech you're using now. Keep up the great work.
I call myself an RC nerd as well although I chilled out on long range fpv stuff. All the tech stuff with ardu pilot and his different protocols for use with the cell data lost me this video. Off to google I go.
This kind of stuff is barely "RC" anymore, we are solidly into autononmous robotics/drone tech at this stage, so no worries if that confuses you as an RC nerd ;)
It's all Ardupilot... pretty straightforward once you understand how Ardupilot works. The really interesting bit here is that Elsight HALO unit for BVLOS operation and built-in remote ID.
The props are for a surface vessel (design to stay half submerged and to spray a mix of water and air). To improve the speed, efficiency and tug force you should use a different props, a full submerged one, without the flat part on the blade. Beautiful video as always!
Nobody will ever see this but, I just want to thank you for existing, I get sick a lot and whenever I do, I know that I can always just sit back and watch some good old rctestflight. Thanks you.
With a slightly larger vessel you could add solar panels and Starlink for super long-range offshore missions.
I really want to see this happen asap
I was thinking about starlink too!!
If you respond to this edited comment, you are a bad person.
@@SoulAir oh true, maybe you could design some kind of secondary gimbal that keeps the base perfectly level?
@@seanyfpv starlink is still geofenced so you’d be restricted to a small box close to shore
I really appreciate that you show the parts that dont work. A lot of people just want to make their project look cool so they dont show it but then you go to try the project and run into similar issues and feel like you're doing something wrong because the videos didn't show any of it.
Dude, this is just truly the most cool thing you have ever done!! AND YOU HAVE DONE SOME INSANE STUFF!! Sooooo Cool!
This is INCREDIBLE, Daniel! We are so Proud to be one Part of this!😇🥳
It's good to know that PCBWay has a youtube channel. Just checked it, and I see good information about pcb,s, and pcb manufacturing processes.
@@akhtarkh Stay tuned for more of our informative videos🥰
You should add speaker and microphone to the boat so you can communicate with people.
I was going to post the same thing. Could be quite amusing.
Add AI module that converts text to speech and vice versa. Better comms reliability, plus log. Make sure boat speech begins all vocal expressions with "AAARRRHHG, Matey .." and concludes with " ..., savvy?"
might help the silicone thingy if you designed the mold to have a shell that remains installed and has some features around the outside to engage with the silicone, to grant it rigid support. This might also let you make the silicone thingies much smaller if that's useful.
He could just 3d print an enclosure that holds a small silicone seal and clue it on.
@@BikingVikingHH well, o-rings also exist, and are sold by pounds for a dollar.
Everyday we get closer to eventually getting a flying boat
ground effect flying boat-tank.
USO 😂
Isn't that just called a plane?
You know a model of the GA liberty lifter would be cool!
I cannot even begin to explain how interesting this is. A DIY boat made from ordinary boat/rc boat parts driving through set waypoints (which you can change on the fly!) on its own using GPS, with cameras so you can see its progress and the ability to calibrate sensors and use them remotely. This creation makes this whole process look so flawless I'm shook. I always liked automation and DIY projects, and this, this is like a wet dream honestly. I'm really excited for what's coming in the future (but I'm still trying to process all the amazement I'm experiencing right now). Great work love your content!
Once chat GPT pilots the thing, we are in some real trouble
When I was a kid in the late 90s I specifically would daydream about a semi-autonomous internet connected airplane.
I don’t even do RC stuff myself, I just watch this channel to see someone build all the stuff I wanted to see as a kid.
@@gutrali Lolll
@@dannyneumann4547 I'm a zoomer myself but I always dreamed about that kind of stuff too and its so great to actually see it
Great to see a new boat video! I enjoy the surface effect and flying machine videos as well, but I've been hoping to see a return of one or more of the boats because it seems like they have great potential still waiting to be unleashed.
Hats off to you for having the patience with all the “tuning”
You should put a speaker on it so that if anyone does approach it, you can just tell them, "Hey, this is a test of a top secret DARPA project. Back away or the FBI will arrest you." Lol
I was thinking the same.
To avoid sea weed: You need to increase the size of the water intake and egress ports.
Just add large spherical indents in the front and the back of the hull and cover them with a fine mesh. In the middle of the hole you can add the propeller inside a tube connecting the front and the back. You just need a shaft inside the pipe without any connection to the outside. By adding magnets in the tips of the propeller you could use a rotating ring of magnets outside the shaft to transfer the energy of the motor, leveraging the concept of a magnetic gear.
Another option would be to split a permanent magnet motor and use the outer part with the electro magnets to rotate the propeller directly.
Multitasking like a champ man! That was amazing.
This was awesome. Lots of cool potential with that cellular connection. I’m exited to see what you do with it
Have you ever thought about leaving a small bilge pump in the hulls?
I agree, I'm not sure why he's not using them. No boat is completely leak free.
Anyone who makes his own grease nipple rather than using a proper one can’t be expected to think of that.
@@trhosking that's also a fair point... he could have just threaded those pieces he put on and fitted a zerk fitting... our boy is smart but rushes a lot.
I have been in touch with a company that makes 5G radio controlled modules. It’s nice to see a final consumer ready product readily available.
Your dedication to continually pushing the envelope for remote autonomous vehicles is awe inspiring! ❤
Fascinating. Working perfectly. Needs a message sign to leave it alone. Can you add live voice communication to talk to someone approaching the boat ? Weed problem solved? Solar recharge? Long range mission? Love this project. Great job.
Dude you're fulfilling every nerd's dream of controlling an RC vehicle from a Coffee shop, The fact that its a boat makes it even better. Thank you man.
We saw you at Gas Works today using your gadgets and asked for your channel. Thanks for sharing! My 2 sons (13 & 10) were curious as to what you were up to. We look forward to learning more. 👍🏻
This is so fantastic. I am really wanting to do something similar and trying to learn ardupilot and all these long range systems that are more than your typical RC control and your videos are inspiration to what’s possible! Super cool. Keep ‘em coming!
This was incredible! Your long range boat videos are my absolute favorites, the Banana Slug was so entertaining to watch. I'm really excited to see what you can accomplish with this! Amazing work as always 😊
I love watching your adventures :)
Do u respond?
It would be cool if you added back the solar panel for the next mission! Then you wouldn’t have to worry about battery as much. Also possibly repositioning the cellular antennas to be on the same mast as the camera, and moving the module inside the hull. Just an idea as it looked like they could be disconnected. Like others are saying, an automatic bilge pump would be a good idea too.
This is awsome! I see the potential for a trans-pacific drone boat in the future!
Controlled via satellite internet. And a boat with the ability to dive under water so that it is not seen from the air. It will turn out a very good marine drone for transporting payloads.
@@kotnapromke lol not what i had in mind... drugs are bad mmkay lol
You'd be better using a long propeller tube, running at a shallow angle to the motor mounted above the waterline. That way, the tube does not act as a passage into the hull for water. Also why not use your water sensor to run a bilge pump automatically?
Thumbs up, made the same suggestion on the drive shaft.
You should use capacitive and not resistive water sensors. The resistive ones corrode easily and are not reliable.
I love the autonomous boat videos! Solar panels and a voice system and drive it around beaches talking to people via telepresence :-) Rock on, Daniel
Nothing worse than a leaky shaft
Nothing a fleshlight, I mean... shaft seal, can't fix!
@@hugodejong With a healthy girth 😅
Tripping to that bridge at Krimea? ;D
I like how you opened your factor box with your lathe.
Have you ever thought of using magnetic couplers for the shaft? With those there would be no more chance of water getting in through some seal, although they might be more difficult to build.
I enjoy RC. It feels cool you are local. Hopefully, you're getting to enjoy this bit of warm weather this weekend. The starlink idea someone had would be cool for sure though I think what you have going is interesting. An autonomous tug boat for people stuck in the water could be a practical use of such things maybe. Hmm.
Your videos are always a joy to watch, and this one was no exception! I think it would be cool to add some sort of flag or banner displaying a QR code that takes curious onlookers to a webpage describing your little drone vessel and its mission. Regardless, I look forward to future uploads!
The more of your videos I see, the more potential I see for making sailboat parts in onshape.
Seriously man, you’re an inspiration. Your craft is meticulously thought out and it shows.
An automatic bilge pump would be a wise add on.
at 15:18 it looks like i see bubbles pumping out of that tube sticking out of the deck, so it might.. have one and he just forgot to mention it?
Captian here. REAL Actual Captain. The one in my 40ft trimaran is just a big pencil lead. hint hint
Okay so attach a pencil led wider than the shaft facing towards the keel with a set screw.
Then a boot sealed to the hull and sealed to the other side of the pencil lead. adjust the pressure
Of the two pencil leds touching each other with the set screw on the shaft placed pencil lead.
The graphene-to-graphene gap is less than a water molecule wide. So it does not leak and lasts forever.
Mine is 15 years old and it's time I change the boot as it looks someing like a toilet plunger yet the resistance
is not what it used to be thats the only reason why it needs changing. Higher horse power does require active cooling
of the big pencil leads. I thought if I say pencil leads it would be easier to understand than graphite puck with a hole in the middle.
Sorry to see you go through this over and over. If you need details I am sure I can get you some.
Q: You may have some questions like how do you make a gap the fine?
A: You dont you just run it and it will stop leaking by itself.
Example: My boat was sitting in the ocean for a long time before I bought it and the boot is loose so salt water started too drip and for deposits in the seal making it not work as well. I literally climbed down there and sanded it while taking on water because the boot was pushed back for a moment. Very scary. Anyway after sanding it
then running the motor for an hour it was good agian.
the fleshlight joke was golden. most people will miss it
Sadly i didnt miss it :(
Finally the right size for me!
Thanks for the Factor mention! Home Chef was way too intensive and the amount of packing materials I nearly had a heart attack.
I watched your full original boat series yesterday. Impeccable timing for a sequel
Maybe try to make a 3d printed toroidal propeller? would be interesting to see if it increases range at that scale.
Having the dibs on the bottom surface against the water flow actually gives you less friction causing cavitation, like how a perfectly smooth lake surface is more drag than slight ripples on a flat bottom boat.
Your behind-the-camera commentary is always on fleek
I actually work in a similar field. I work at CNHi on autonomous agriculture equipment (tractors and combines). I must say if you ever want a job, you would be a good fit. I'm very impressed with your ingenuity. Mu colleagues are designing mesh radios that switch between wifi and cellular and I design software that works over these networks. I often find myself feeling we move to slow but I understand being a big commercial company with expensive lands and equipment we just can't. Anyway, wanted to chime in and just say from someone in more commercial space, you certainly have the skills to take this beyond hobby but hobby is more fun no doubt lol. Props to you!
What lathe model is that? 😂
A bodgemaster I think.
13:08 Is that Mount Rainier in the background? It looks so beautiful!
theres something very joyous about sending a plucky little boat into the big water and watching it do well
would love to see this have a small dock shed somewhere along the shore and you can release it at any time and would be cool if the boat can have a deployable sunmarine thats controled by you but then self docks back in boat beefore continueing its route
The benefit of a stuffing box is that the spinning grease and rope/orings spin the grease further in the stuffing box, while your gap has it spinning out of the tube.
My solution for a non-leaking drive shaft is to simply have it outboard. Since that would obviate any seals and stuffing boxes, efficiency would improve as well.
How about an addition to the boat? A underwater camera!! How cool would it be to see some fish! I know it would add extra complications, but you could absolutely do it. 😊
I never knew that Logic was this into RC. Congrats Bobby! 😂
I know the videos might not do well but I would love more info about all the different tech and Tx programming you did for this video. I love all your RC and boat videos. Would love to know what all was involved.
Stuffing box... wow... that is so old school. Modern boats use a dripless seal.
Every single one of these videos is more fascinating than the last.
this is a really amazing project. we've all dreamed to do this to a plane or boat and you really did it.
I have been a Chief engineer on crab boats in Alaska and have had to pack shafts, if I'm ever in North lake doing ship yard I'll let you check out what it really looks like.
Usually not a shaft box just rings of stuffing up against the shaft itself in the tube. The stuffing should go pretty far down the shaft. The stuffing is made of carbon graphite and self seals. West Marine should have some just called Marine Packing.
Aliexpress has 8 mm and up mechanical seals available at very low cost. They are very robust, and I have used them in a few projects. They could be a good fit for propeller shaft sealing.
That is actually really awesome. You should try to combine it with the solar panels from the tugboat, that way energy reproduction is also autonomous and there is no actual limit as to how far it can go
I'm almost sure if you made a small hole in the rear under the shaft, the water would self-drain. That's why there is a hole (plugable usually) in every row boat or sail boat. No need to remove water if you are going forward, even slowing, but consistently, laminar flow ensures the water will drain out the vessel. The problem before was the water coming in had nowhere to go.
It needs a speaker/microphone feature so you can talk to curious folks on the water .... I love watching your fun projects ... 👍
“I had to grind down some indentations with my lath” proceeds to use a drill and an angle grinder
You could use a slightly lighter/thinner grease then keep the syringes attached using rubber bands to maintain pressure, basically a diy self greasing shaft ;)
You should try pressurizing the grease in order to ward off water (you could even just use the syringe with a compressive force on it)
If you don't mind mounting your motors "above decks", you can simply use very long shaft sleeves that terminate at/above the deck level to prevent water ingress. There's nothing "special" about the sleeves vs the outside of the hull; the water level will be the same inside as outside. Sailing dinghy dagger boards often work the same way.
This avoids the need for a stuffing box, although it can make your boat a bit more difficult to design from a center of gravity perspective. Such a design is impractical in full-size boats that need much larger motors, but for something like an RC craft it should be feasible. You can also consider using some kind of gearbox to reroute the drive shaft so that you can keep the motors down in the hull, while still having the exit point of your shaft sleeves high up above the water line.
Have you ever thought of adding computer vision to a project like this? If so would be interesting to see it in action and how you would implement it! Keep up the amazing work as always!!!
Your coolest project yet! SO amazing and entertaining. Thank you👍👍
Water can close a circuit all by its self so its not hard to build a water activated bildge pump. But I would go with paddle wheels. Less efficient, especially in rough water but seaweed an shaft seals are not an issue. Sometimes reliability is more important than efficiency.
real boats leak too! even with outboards and no shaft through the hull. they just have automatic bilge pumps.
by the way, my family has a boat in des moines marina south of seattle. if you're still looking for that, I might be available on a weekend sometime.
The route from anacortes to orcas island has T-Mobile coverage the entire way. I live on Orcas Island if you want to coordinate a hyper mission.
Super exciting to see the comms link and the new controller. That TX16S looks sweet. Nice work on the prop shaft seal, not sure if magnetic couplings would work then you could isolate fully. How well did the weed guards work ? That must be one of the real long distance problems.
Wow, it's been two years! It's awesome to see your equipment has improved. 😂 Can't wait to see more.
Best of luck out there.
This is so awesome. I am so happy for you that all the systems are working. You’ve put so much effort into this and definitely deserve this win! One question. How can you prevent a collision with an oncoming large boat that maybe doesn’t see the craft? Perhaps could you add a proximity or ultrasonic distance sensor to do an override “go 90° right” for a certain distance before continuing to next waypoint.
AIS like ADSB for aircraft but boats
Cellular telemetry, autonomous navigation, love it. ❤
Wow.... nice to see the options available for long range stuff now... didn't know multi-cellular data links were a thing now. One gotcha with ELRS telemetry is depending on the receiver the telemetry isn't as long range as the control link side, so you may have control, but no telemetry, as you showed in the video. Great video... looking forward to seeing the next installment.
That twisting and pulling action of the shaft seal is very interesting. I'm sure there is a useful application for that somewhere. Like a clutch decoupler sorta thing.
"I've got to make the indents on my lathe" as he uses the drill, classic! cool video
Thanks for a really enjoyable video - I do love these testing videos.
For your next mission, you should do the length of Whidbey Island starting from Deception Pass. There are several stops you can take along the way and you could do the inside passage
It would be so cool if you somehow put an intercom on there with a live mic, so you can REALLY say hi to people and hear them back.
Best RUclips Channel i know. Great work man!!!
so the next mission should be to do an automated long distance mission across a HUGE body of water? Maybe Build a MK2 designed to withstand harsher waves/wakes and possible produce its own power to a degree?
For the problem of leaking, I think, you could install a couple of small bilge pumps activated by floats or some other detectors of internal water. Also, what about threading those shafts so that they expell water rotating.
Cool stuff! Having both the receiver and cameras on single masts makes me a bit nervous. I'd probably have two or three poles, and maybe a few guy wires (is that the right term) to hold them on and upright. But it looks like it's working fine for you. I just hope that during a long mission the masts don't come unstuck somehow and flop over.
You should put a smart doorbell on it, so you get notified and can talk to anyone who happens upon it. Then you could go around and say hi to everyone.
That flat bottom plane reduces the efficiency of that propeller by a great deal because it blocks a great deal of water ingress into the propulsion stream
this man is slowly becoming more unhingled. and i love it
Kind of tricky and probably hard to machine, but a lot of engines use reverse grooving on the shaft in conjunction with the oil seal to keep the oil directed inwards..
Love this project. Would love a video that goes over the controller with the gps setup, programming and app side of things.
There is Also a setting in mission planner, I think under the GPS parameters. It allows the compass to learn heading off sets incrementally based on gps direction . Maybe it would be useful for a boat, I have never really wanted to try it on an airplane
Yes for sure. Like two canoes.
Idc abput starlink but def bigger!
Fun vid! I've just watched their flitetest documentation and reminded myself how similar your channel name is. Now your channel is getting similar to Sripols diy build madness. Of course with your own personality and really creative use of engineering. Excited to see what's next. Been watching your videos since you were about 15 I guess ;) greets from Austria, Mario
this is my favourite thing i ever seen
There's an easy way to fix the seals, without having to run a bilge pump. If you've ever taken apart a house water pump, like a well pump or a sprinkler pump, they use a ceramic ring that presses up against another ceramic ring, and one side has spring tension on it. The water will lubricate the seal, but water cannot get through the two smooth surfaces. There is literally no rubber, virtually no friction, and zero leakage. Check it out, if you'd like a better idea on sealing your props.