DIY drill powered boat ($180)

[lozzwebster]

just had an idea... tell me if you've tried it, but try a slightly bigger prop? with the power of two drills you should be allot faster!! :)

[KJP71]

Great idea! what really was cool was the using of cement mixer propel, and with a powerful electric motor enaugh...say 300-500 watts, it would work better than ok. By the way, If you get that kind of propel for a give away price of 20 bucks (15 euros), develope your kit and start making business and export them to europe. In here, you cant get any kind of propel under 60-80 euros, not to mention electric outboard building kits.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@KJP71

Yeah I had the same problem in Japan, they wanted ridiculous prices for everything. Might have to look into monetising it! But an American guy told me that they can get an outboard motor with 12v battery at Wall Mart for $100.

[XMtnDude]

what happens if you accidently pop the boat with the propeller

[wwepokerrooster671]

No reverse?

[RaymondCorrigan]

@wwepokerrooster671

Didn't seem as powerful for some reason. In retrospect I probably just put the propellers on the wrong way around.

[jonasgu97]

the propellers are mounted wrong you had to flip them

[RaymondCorrigan]

@jonasgu97

Thanks!

[raykj07]

Gorilla tape would work even better for you. Cool concept, tho. Cheers.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@raykj07

Might have to try that, Thankyou.

[lozzwebster]

why would you pay $180 for something that goes slower than rowing? spend the money on a new hobby?....

[RaymondCorrigan]

@lozzwebster

I already had the boat and drills, so it only cost me $40. Like I said, this is proof of concept. I'm still keeping my eye open for some 36v drills, which would provide 3-4 times more power and be more useful.

[hitachi088]

@RaymondCorrigan what about making a plywood boat? 50-100$ and you are ready to go!

[JalmarEst]

make sure you take oars with you in case of drill batteries get empty :D good job, but use better stuff to keep it in place

[RaymondCorrigan]

@JalmarEst

Yeah, problem is there's no place to attach anything on an inflatable boat... Might be possible to make a frame that fits inside the boat though.

[Dubconferencedotorg]

great idea

[jeromeandshell]

you need two drills one drill to get you how far your going and the other drill to get you back lol

[dtrcman]

Cool thanks for the help:)

[dtrcman]

Were did you get the propeller from?

[RaymondCorrigan]

@dtrcman

Just a hardware store. It`s actually a cement mixer.... So, not ideal!

[BigBuddy636842]

Good work a great idea, with some work and experimenting they could be made better, But it would be something i would defiantly try.

How long do the batteries on the drills last?

[RaymondCorrigan]

@BigBuddy636842

Thanks mate. I agree, some improvements might actually make this practical for people who have 2 drills anyway.

I haven't tested them until the end. But I can give you a very ballpark theoretical time.

With 120 watts of power and a 2.5 amp battery at 12 volts, it could do full power for 15 minutes.

So I'd guess between 10-30 minutes depending on battery size and how long it's on full power. I've definitely used the motors for more than 10 minutes with no noticeable power drop.

[SoggyWeetBix1]

why do u need 2 motors???

[RaymondCorrigan]

@SoggyWeetBix1

I just happened to have 2 cordless drills.

I figured I might as well use both.

[u2jason]

If you haven't already figured this out the the curvature in the propeller blades are only made to force water in one direction. That's why it pulled better than it pushed in your video. You need to flip the propeller over on the shaft and run your drill in reverse and it should push you nicely. For cheaper propellers you can also use model airplane propellers

[RaymondCorrigan]

@u2jason

... Oh yeah... That hadn`t occured to me, but it`s extremely obvious in hindsight.

Thanks.

[frewcc]

an electric trolling motor for a boat costs less than a drill. 

[RaymondCorrigan]

@frewcc

Really, do you mean second hand? Where can I get one!?

I live in Japan and the situation seems different over here. Can`t get a trolling motor for under $500. : (

[frewcc]

@RaymondCorrigan wow thats really expensive. in america you can get them new at walmart for around 100 dollars. if you can get to the american walmart website theres a few minn kota endura for less than the cost of a pair of drills

[RaymondCorrigan]

@frewcc

Damn American`s with your cheap bulk buy stores.... I have to stuff around with stupid pipes and duct tape. *shakes fist angrily*.

Actually, looks like I could get one shipped from ebay for $200... $50 for a battery and I`d be set. My engine (drills + props) was $130, so the trolling motor looks like a better option if you`re building from scratch.

But I had the drills anyway so the engine practically cost me $50.

Thanks.

[CRAZYPHATPAT]

the idea is there. make it abit better use some real material not duct tape

[messiahjonz]

I thought it was going to push, rather than pull, your boat. And yes, if your prop shaft was longer, and thus more horizontal, it would work better. Perhaps if you had both props next to eachother on longer shafts you could steer via a rudder. Having two shafts made of cable, rather than a rigid piece of steel, would allow for the drills to be inside the boat and extend over the stern and into the water, all in plastic pipe. Both could be fastened adjacent to eachother as well.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@messiahjonz

Yeah, it was going to push. I spent about 30 minutes testing it and pulling just seemed to work better. Go figure : /

I like your idea of using a cable in a pipe so I can put the drills and prop in better positions. I think they actually sell pre-made cables for extending drills. That would also solve my problem with the drill not being horizontal.

I want to keep the whole build very cheap/simple. So instead of a rudder I like using left/right drill power to turn (Podracer style!)

[messiahjonz]

@RaymondCorrigan I am not sure about the drill cables, but any cable sold should do (keep the cost down).

Also, I am not sure about the mechanics of this, but would putting more than one prop per shaft increase the propelling capabilities? Maybe something to consider.

Also, if you place the props close, say 4 inches apart, all you have to do to steer is point them the direction you want to go. I believe this will allow for sharp turns and even tight circles.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@messiahjonz

Ah, that`s what you meant with the rudder. Actually that`s not too far from my original design. It couldn`t hurt to try.

It would be great it I could use normal cables but I`m imagining steel cables. In my mind it looks like the cables would twist and warp... But I suppose if they were thick enough that would be negligible... Actually yeah, that could work.

Thanks again!

[messiahjonz]

@RaymondCorrigan Yes, straight pieces of cable that are flexible, you can put them in thin walled pipe that allows for some bending and flexibility, or maybe the weight alone will bend the pipes down toward the water. You can even bend the pipes and the cable will bend and rotate at that shape inside the pipes. They can be about 3 feet apart at the stern and meet to 1 foot apart, with a 1 foot piece of pipe to keep them apart, at the water.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@messiahjonz

Sweet, that with some high powered drills would make a pretty practical little fishing boat. I`ll be sure to give you credit for the idea if I try it out in a few months.

[jihadpizza]

Thats pretty cool. Are you concerned at all about the integrity of the duct tape attached to the raft?

[RaymondCorrigan]

@jihadpizza

Yeah, a little bit. Later I found that long strips of duct tape wrapped around the boat are better.

[TheTinySaint]

Nice! Was there a change mid stream to have the motors pull the boat instead of push it?

[RaymondCorrigan]

@TheTinySaint

Yep, just seemed to work better!

[TheTinySaint]

@RaymondCorrigan

I love vids like this. Keep them coming.

[RaymondCorrigan]

@TheTinySaint

Phew! Great to get some feedback.

I love stuffing around like this, but was worried my subscribers are more into the science and stuff.

[mrboo18]

fun stuff