72hrs On My Unlimited Range Solar Boat

[@mskills821]

I bet a dis-masted sailboat with a small cabin and a centerboard keel would be PERFECT for your next boat project. Displacement hull, WAY more freeboard for mounting solar panels, a cabin to sleep in and get away from the sun and waves...I think sailboats are a legit use-case for solar propulsion, so it would probably interest sailing nerds too.

[@Morphior]

Oh, absolutely. That’d be sick. I have been thinking about doing exactly that, just not with a dismasted sailboat because I love sailing. But most sailboats that aren’t tiny have a motor anyway, and having that be electric would be sick. But it’d be pretty expensive - boats aren’t cheap and all the electronics and motors and stuff probably aren’t either.

[@neovo903]

Only issue would be sourcing an electric motor large / powerful enough for such a large boat (in comparison)

[@STARCL1P]

Keep the mast and have solar sails. Solar panels that you can raise up and rotate to catch rays and wind

[@neovo903]

And that you'd likely be using higher voltages and requiring HV cables and electronics. I'm not sure how much equipment would carry over to that project.

[@silenterection]

So much work and you could just use sails 😂

[@fonkbadonk5370]

What totally blows my mind is, that we're at a point where you can PRINT large parts of a solar dinky, live on it for days, have it auto-pilot really well, have a video editing station on board, and being able to make fly-by and overhead footage ALL BY YOURSELF, and all this time be reasonably comfy. And it's completely sun-driven to boot. Just crazy.

[@resmarted]

this is some cover of popular mechanics in the 1920s typa shit

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

​@@resmartedI know exactly what you mean

[@David34981]

And at the same time, there are people who flatly deny science, just as climate change, evolution, etc. Without science, we would still live in caves.

[@derjoh1986]

Right!! Extremely impressive!!!

[@MatzeMaulwurf]

Well said. And on the other hand, people die by fentanyl abuse, shoot and bomb on each other in Gaza and a lot of other sad stuff. I love the world we are living in but here in Germany we have real problems with the growing gap between rich and poor. This will lead for sure for a huge crisis is the next 10 years.

[@akumabito2008]

The solar panel frame seems a little delicate. Maybe you could wrap a pool noodle around it? If it catches a wave, it should have ample buouyancy to glide over the top, preventing 'scooping damage'.

[@neovo903]

I agree, if he increased the Iyy it would make it less suspectable to damage from bending in the y axis as well.

[@mrpants8976]

I'd think allowing the panels to make a canopy for him would probably be a bit better, allow for them to not touch the water and then he does not need to use the chair designed with an attached canopy

[@FaeTheo]

​@@mrpants8976It'd be too top heavy

[@alxgu198]

@@mrpants8976I agree, a lightweight aluminium frame would be ideal 👍

[@joda7697]

@@FaeTheo Yeah a setup like that kind of necessitates a Katamaran. For enough stability i mean.

[@DaleStLouis-xb5mx]

The flat ribbon of water is due to a subtle current. Currents are strange on dam-bounded lakes where you wouldn't expect. The old river channel is deeper, and that's just one thing that can cause subtle currents to do strange things. So, the wind is blowing just hard enough to kick up small waves, everywhere except where the current is already moving at that speed. OR, opposite, sometimes the wind blows the the other way, lightly, and it only scrapes up waves where the current is against it. I used to fish for bottom feeding catfish and knowing where the old channel was, helped locate them sometimes.

[@JoshuaNyhus]

Thanks for that. I've always been curious about it too, but never knew how to properly search for it. Cheers.

[@atomipi]

they call it a "rip" in my country.. on an ocean beach, it is the warning sign of a dangerous undercurrent, and will pull you down under, and out to sea

[@tonyduncan9852]

One can see the same tracks in the ocean.

[@Taylachteam]

I’m 19 and going to school for aerospace engineering and you truly are one of my biggest inspirations, thank you for quenching our thirst for these great engineering KZbinrs. Hall of fame for sure!

[@e6ensperception]

Become a solar panel technician. Much less school, decent pay

[@Chipchap-xu6pk]

As a lowly electronics engineer, I don't feel qualified to contradict this future rocket scientist. Go for it, and make sure those brain surgeons are kept humble!

[@magneticflux-]

32:00 Woah, that's a KC-135! It's an air-to-air refueling tanker (you can see the boom arm and pod right below the tail when it passes over). It's probably part of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing out of Fairchild AFB since they have air-refueling training as part of the 509th.

[@frozenstar7048]

I literally watched that plane on Radar for a while, so I saw that one

[@roaling2]

I was looking in the comments too see what it was. Thank you sir

[@thebeanberet]

HEY fellow plane nerd cool!

[@NeonDreams7]

Maybe try a catamaran hull on the next build? You could then have small displacement, make a big roof of solar, and have somewhere to build a cabin. I love this series. Thanks!

[@trif55]

I definitely thing a more efficient hull would add some serious range, and you've still got the columbia river trip you didn't finish this time :-)

[@TharzZzDunN]

Exactly why I suggested a trimaran hull, he was bounced around pretty bad in the wake and waves. Some decent shade for the batteries would help as well.

[@johnritchie5968]

Create a low cover for the front of the boat that would keep your electronics out of the sun without blocking the solar panels yet allow wind to pass underneath. This would greatly help with overheating. Maybe even one for the back as well. Use light aluminum frame with cloth streched to keep rigidity. Leave the middle areas open for seating and such.

[@conorstewart2214]

He would probably get away with painting the electronics box white and adding a small fan. Or since he has water cooling already, just add it to the electronics too, but that is probably unnecessary complexity for little benefit if a fan would work.

[@ynnus_]

use the panels AS cover

[@julian281198]

But they have a very deep keel

[@radiosification]

In case anyone is curious, the plane at 32:04 is a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. It's used for refuelling other planes in the air.

[@hypersquad7641]

That’s what I was gonna say haha

[@davekal06]

The harmonic, almost symbiotic relationship of your inner love of both tech and nature on full display. I dig it. Thanks for the inspiring video.

[@GiffysChannel]

36:00 was the coolest shot of the whole video. Please do more astronomical time laps clips in your camping vids. It's just so cool to see the rotation of the earth via the movement of the stars.

[@veldrovive9442]

With the music in the background it felt a lot like dying in outer wilds.

[@TheEndOfNether]

YOUR WRONG! it clearly the stars that moves around us, "SO STOP" spointing Nonsenes!!!..

[@GiffysChannel]

@@veldrovive9442 that looks like a cool game. I just added it to my steam wishlist

[@zavtparticles]

@@TheEndOfNether ??????????????????????????

[@ramslade]

​@@zavtparticlesprobably just some flat earther or something, ignore em

[@RhynoD2]

I wonder how difficult it would be to automate the speed based on the fullness of the batteries: eg, once the batteries are fully, increase speed to match what the solar panels are providing, and then decrease speed as the sun starts to go down. And theoretically, you could have a servo drop anchor when the batteries drop to a set point so you could go to sleep and let the boat just keep cruising until the batteries go down. Probably not a good idea for safety but it's a neat idea.

[@faustinpippin9208]

really easy, you could even make this "analog"

[@mattmarzula]

No. It is not a good idea. It's never a good idea to let anything make the decisions for travel on water, ground, or in the air. Short of space travel, you want your decisions to be deliberate with a man in the loop. It would also be a useless addition. The energy you would route to the motors would be better served charging batteries. Speed is less a necessity than stamina. Also, a cloud or shadow would halt the motor and then it would spin up with full sun. This would cause more wear and tear to the working parts from constant declaration and acceleration as opposed to a steady speed.

[@haphazard1342]

The only issue is efficiency. Motor current increases faster than boat speed. This is fine if all of your energy is "excess", but the efficiency is better is low speeds. Also, the power generation follows a curve. I expect that the most efficient approach is somewhat different. You want maximum charging to take place during maximum solar collection, because that energy can then power you overnight while running as a lower and more efficient speed. Basically, the most efficient approach will have the batteries drained down to almost zero right at the start of the day, just as there is enough sun to completely power the motors.

[@haphazard1342]

Basically, for every day you want your total generation (in this case, idealized total generation for his 1000W system in Seattle in July is probably around 4.5kW) to equal your total consumption. If he runs for 16h/day, and loses 0.5kW to inefficiency, then that gives 250W for motors during running conditions.

[@ionstorm66]

​@@mattmarzulathe boat already drives 90% of the time on autopilot. It's already controlling the throttle to keep speed constant. Ramping the throttle up and down to keep charging the batteries due to variable solar power isn't a huge jump.

[@badsamaritan8223]

I feel like a trimaran is the ideal design for a solar boat. You've got large flat space between the outer pontoons and the center hull, and the pontoons keep the solar panels supported properly. The narrow hulls allow the boat to move through the water with little resistance, and they keep the boat super stable.

[@valeriandragonfist1843]

I was wondering why he didn't put pontoons under the solar panels is would, as you said, add support to the boat and the solar panels

[@dronexfun8469]

I love Keller Ferry campground. We've ben camping up there for 6-7 decades. Water ski all day then play some volleyball and eventually card games in the evening. You can see the northern lights from the campground if you're lucky. My all time favorite place to be. Fighter jets would fly below the top of the canyon walls. The were told to stop because when they went supersonic windows would break. Now they fly higher and slower. You could see the pilots faces. Thanks for sharing another rad vid man.

[@rv6amark]

I thought this was going to be click-bait, but I was really wrong! It was a well filmed documentary of your trip and a great review of the problems you faced. Very entertaining. You have a well informed group of commentators here as well.

[@FilosophicalPharmer]

You’re an amazing person, Daniel! So glad you did this! 👍🏼 Thanks for taking us along…

[@EchoDelta141]

These solo expidtions with prototypes are wild and I'm absolutely here for it. Like the risk factor for results is so high, you're trusting (pun intended) your life with PLA layers

[@IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII217]

he had a paddle so if it broke he would be able to paddle to land

[@nathanz7205]

You never go out on the water on a powered craft without a set of paddles. Its common sense, one of the things i see people respect the most to be honest. I dont think i have ever been on a craft that didn't already have backup paddles somewhere on the craft.

[@Aheitchoo]

No life risk, he's got cell coverage a paddle and a week of food and water. But he does lay it all on the line! And it's great.

[@GoldenCroc]

@@nathanz7205 I go out without them all the time. As do most boaters, I would wager. Thats because paddles are useless in anything much larger than this boat, So if you ever been in a boat thats above 20; 24 foot at the most, ask the people that own it to paddle it. They cant, to any meaningful degree. Certainly not if there is any current or wind in the opposite direction.

[@up4open]

@@GoldenCroc naw, I've moved a 1.5 ton boat with a kayak paddle. it starts slow, but compared to having no navigation at all, it can be a boat saver.

[@jrucker2004]

at 12:53 , that's a wigwam burner (also called a teepee burner, or beehive burner) they're used to control the burning of excess sawdust produced by sawmills

[@Peter_Monti]

Hello from Australia 🇦🇺 really enjoyed this video, thank you so much. I hope you make millions from KZbin and keep developing new boats, I want to see this grow.

[@KayakDIY]

Love the projects. Sharrow style propeller was cool.

[@AccAkut1987]

This film was like a short holiday, love all your engineering projects and the nature around your place. Greetings from Germany 😊

[@ke2delight]

If you had a roof system to protect yourself from the elements you could add another 3-4 solar panels and have unlimited energy even if you go faster. Just sayin…

[@joegerkrep7727]

That would destabilize his small boat way too much

[@acidtalons]

Yeah I think he would need a keel to offset the top weight

[@clairewithbanjo4992]

Even just a little hoop of shelter with or without a small panel would do wonders for comfort and protecting the laptop.

[@PackaPoonch]

The weight would cut into range which would mean you need more batteries which also adds weight.

[@NotaBurnerac-iv6pp]

Big-IF he wanted to keep the same range. Could be a good trade-off to favor comfort and safety.

[@AncientEgyptArchitecture]

In terms of hull efficiency you may want to consider a small catamaran, say 16-20 foot, and put a rigid roof on it to mount the solar panels and keep you and the gizmos cool. Further propulsion efficiencies might be gained from putting a printed duct/cowl around your props and using a prop form optimized for that.

[@murraymadness4674]

Exactly what I would suggest and planned to build, I have a Pacific Cat 19, very efficient. I would also suggesting he build a rim-driven prop, which is what I wanted to do. I was hoping he would do at least one boat chanty song like his other video on a solar powered kayak.

[@billkaroly]

That funny looking structure on the shore looks like an old sawmill.😊

[@callmebigpapa]

I have long wanted to do similar on a outrigger canoe down the Mississippi.....thanks for the inspiration! @38:45 so amazing the views!

[@TornState]

I really enjoyed this. There are not a lot of 39 minute KZbin videos I'd watch for the whole time but this was just so peaceful.

[@mukulkumar8681]

Dude drove a boat with 3D printed parts like propeller... it's impressive

[@josephmoloney6925]

i have to ask, have you considerd using pontoons for the solar panels to sit on instead of floating, you could also possibly add an extra panel on either side with the additional wight allowence since you wont be using those hinges/brackets. the pontoons would have to be able to fold inside otherwise it would be way to big. I freaking love your videos, they keep me so inspired for my own 3d printing and solar projects.

[@tobyrichards6004]

It would probably make it harder for him to fold them up and down for storage

[@IMRROcom]

@@tobyrichards6004 Pool noodles are rather light

[@dougwhite2897]

I'm an electronic nerd and I love how you used a drone control, that gives you the navigation ability.

[@mkepler5861]

that was a pretty cool adventure, thanks for taking us along. mike

[@jerrymiller276]

For the nautically inclined the reported speeds were between 3.9 and 4.25 knots with the regular props and 3.1 knots for the toroidals. A fast sea kayak likely could keep up, though probably not all day.

[@glumpfi]

This is one of the most satisfying and relaxing videos of the year, thanks for sharing your trip :) The fact that your boat has an autopilot makes it even more satisfying to watch! Maybe for the next trip you could add a solar roof, so you have more protection from rain and sun. You could also lift up the side solar panels to roof level, so they don't hit the water and can be used as side walls in heavy rain

[@dandahermitseals5582]

And by raising the CG you make the boat unstable. Keep a low CG. I'm a 60 year designer and builder of boats and light aircraft. Dandahermit

[@dandahermitseals5582]

Could have tilted the panels to form an a frame shelter. Dandahermit

[@glumpfi]

@@dandahermitseals5582 That's an important point, didn't think of that. But i'm not sure if the destabilisation is so much worse than being exposed to sunlight and rain. The used panels are flexible and lightweight, maybe it would be possible to compensate the weight with weights on bottom?

[@Ankit-oe7fg]

He has some of the chilliest videos on KZbin

[@Qdub34]

I planned to just scan through this video and wound up getting sucked in. Your narration was great. The editing was just right. I've never been disappointed by even one of your uploads.

[@jlucasound]

I truly enjoyed this adventure. Since the suggestion of a de-masted sailboat came up, it goes with what I was thinking. It would be so cool if you had a shelter on the boat. Sorry, Yacht. 🤣🤩

[@bobclarie]

Wow ! what a trip . . . thanks for taking us along . . . Your engineering skills and sense of adventure will take you far . . . Thanks, Bob

[@TechNoPhobiaGirl]

Suuuuuuuuuper coooool! Man, from what I could tell, you thought of EVERYTHING, from clothing to food to spare parts, and I'm sure WAY MORE than that! What a GREAT adventure! I'm sure it was pretty stressful and boring for YOU, but for we who are watching, it was AWESOME! Keep up the *GREAT* work! Cheers!

[@PeanutJellySam]

This is the video I've been waiting for, love the boat adventures. Keep it up!

[@michroz]

An outstanding adventure! Especially with the goal of videoblogging. Here on KZbin if you cross Atlantic in a laundry basin - you are the hero. Though from the safety and reliability point, your outstanding multi-subject effort was planned - you know - with almost no margins. A bigger wave or storm or higher wind or just enough rain - and you are in danger. Maybe you need a company to take care of these issues. Sorry for the unsolicited advice.

[@jkhsdjkhfjkhh3]

"Just gotta make sure you don't hit anything, but other than that you just hang out" lmfao hell yea

[@epicguy1O1567]

i read this comment right when he said this

[@VanskyAlleria]

I wonder how this would work if you upscaled the setup? Take a pontoon boat for instance. You could have solar panels covering the roof and then have side panels that fold up. Not sure that would provide enough power to run something like that. It would be an interesting experiment though.

[@sl66ggehrubt]

Also a severe increase in expenses...

[@VanskyAlleria]

@@sl66ggehrubt True. Does not mean it won't be cool to see something like that. :D

[@gagegr]

@@sl66ggehrubtI’ve owned pontoon boats cheaper than just one of his 3D printers. Shoot for the price of his CNC you can get a pretty good pontoon. And he just needs the frame which is extremely cheap

[@oasntet]

@@gagegr I suspect the boat would be a tiny portion of the project. It'd need bigger motors, bigger panels, beefier ESCs, bigger batteries...

[@up4open]

Pontoons are stable, but they tend to be pretty drag heavy. Some of them come with ready made "walls" and roof which could mount solar panels. You could do a decent clip with enough panels and large enough engines and large enough battery. The battery weight would probably be the killer. If you don't mind not pulling a water-skier the whole time, you can set up something that mostly runs on panels and save some battery weight.

[@scott_aero3915]

Fun video! Whilst I don't think there's much to be gotten out of toroidal props, I think your power absorption issue is related to the arrangement of your blades. I would suggest having another go with your design improvements but using angularly displaced blade pairs to reduce pressure/interference drag, and reducing that 9 degrees on the joining wall as that is acting like a large paddle.

[@Joeyzoom]

I can't wait to see this on Trending 😎😎 Great progress and I'm proud of all the contingencies and redundancy you've prepared for the trip. This is an awesome series! Cheers 🍻

[@yggdrasil9039]

Brilliant! So if you had a solar canopy as well, with solar leaves you could unfold when the water was calm, you could soak up and generate even more power. During rough weather, just fold in the outward leaves and just rely on battery and canopy. A battery would also function as a useful ballast device.

[@tmustard]

We have a 46 Mile long reservoir up here in NW Montana that I have always wanted to do a trip like this on, Kudos brother!!! What an awesome trip!

[@PMcDFPV]

You make such great content dude, thank you for all the effort you put into this stuff and helping others learn and inspiring them to do cool projects. Really appreciate it

[@Markfps]

The dedication of this man never ceases to amaze me

[@donniecreasey7722]

I’m not even into electronics or doohickies but this channel always amazes me ….awesome bro

[@AlienLivesMatter]

29:23 the air A rear solar panel might help reduce overall drag. Note a lot of old wooden ships have quite a lot of raised deck behind the submerged hull. Import the shape of your prefered propeller and convert it's shape to toroidal.

[@EricUdell]

Cool project and a neat boat and energy setup. That said, you asked during the video "how many boats can pilot themselves?" and the answer is...nearly every boat with an autopilot connected to a chart plotter. So probably every boat over about 35 feet designed to cruise longer distances. I would not expect this to include lake houseboats. My 38' diesel trawler ( from 1989 ) with the original autopilot connected to the 5 year old Garmin chart plotter can drive itself in a very similar manner. The plotter can auto-generate the route based on water depth and bridge clearance. Once under way, it will keep you on course between waypoints, adjusting for cross currents and winds. The biggest difference is that once you reach a waypoint, you need to confirm the course change to the next one. I suspect this may be a coast guard regulation so that you can't just let it drive completely autonomously, you need to have helmsman confirmation for a course change. On my boat, it's a press of one button. Still, cool job on your boat, two thumbs up.

[@joruslinnenbank1822]

This is awesome! Been living on board for 7 yrs now, I could only wish to do this kind of exploring on my diesel powered river boat! Hope to see more soon!

[@DryUrEyesM8]

Can't wait to see what you use for a displacement hull. I have a Hobie 17T Kayak, but I think a small sailboat would be a better choice for your application.

[@ke2delight]

What would happen if you do two attachments for balance like a trimaran? It will be safer and the waves will not be able to tip you over.

[@gabrieldragos3908]

You should add dome generators under the boat to produce more power and make a better solar panel placement so you dont have to worry about waves/wakes. Maybe with the generators you could add better/more motors!

[@blacksto1]

Dude. Great video, great editing skills, but furthermost, beautiful and amazing content. I really enjoyed watching your video, both for the technical and for the sightseeing parts, hope you go to that Dam the next time, and also figure out how to improve those sexy inefficient props. Looking forward for your next video!

[@derjoh1986]

Extremely impressive sir!! So much tech you incorporated to make your excursion an efficient and beneficial factor of making a great video, sharing it with the viewers. From the 3D printing explanation of the boat parts and gear to editing your videos. The bravery of camping by yourself in various remote areas throughout the night is impressive also!! Well done sir. Well done indeed!!

[@kakletv8119]

An environment friendly traveling excursion. No carbon emissions

[@derjoh1986]

@@kakletv8119 that's a bonus.

[@edgarcorrea7866]

You gotta remake this thing with a roof that holds the solar panels. Doubles up as shade so all your electronics don't overheat from the sun 👍🏼

[@3dimsteve]

Loved this video! A small sports sailing catamaran (sans mast) might be the most efficient for power/speed. Steering could be achieved by differential engine power rather than dealing with the additional complexity of a rudder system. And more space for solar panels and maybe a small tent as well. Good luck with your iterations!

[@rjung_ch]

Hey Daniel, thanks man for taking us along! 👍💪✌

[@KyberGaming47]

when the stranger rocked up and was genuinely curious and thought it was awesome, that was a real wholesome moment, makes me want to do this sooo bad

[@sinanisler1]

This concept is amazing. Making the boat a little more comfortable will hopefully encourage you to take longer journeys. ❤❤ It's fun to watch too...

[@SebastianGonzalez1]

I love this project! I know others have already offered suggestions on the panel rigidity, so this might have been suggested and I just missed it. Consider using something like 1 inch square aluminum tubing for the solar panel frame. 3D print some corner brackets to allow for simple assembly, and you could still maintain your lightweight solar wings, while having the added rigidity and support that boxed tubing provides.

[@ih8music]

Love your content. So informative and calming. And your camerawork/video editing skills have gotten almost as impressive as your engineering!

[@hornetscales8274]

I bet its nice you can cruise and let the boat do most of the driving. Looks like a fun trip thus far. Need a catamaran hull with a small "house" on it to shack in, roof full of solar panels.

[@jasont80]

Fantastic job documenting everything! I'd like to see you get a roof, where you could have solar wings away from the risks of water impact damage (and less sun exposure for you).

[@sthomas6369]

I was thinking that the solution to the solar panels getting bashed might be simply mounting them higher, which could also afford some shade from the sun in the boat. However, I'd be concerned about them catching wind (i.e. trying to become wings) the higher they get off the water. I'm wondering if it would be possible to take a cue from the ground effect stuff you've done and add some "wings" to which you'd mount the solar arrays, which could also be used to support outriggers (fiberglass & foam construction would make sense) - that combined with a decent canoe hull might result in a more efficient hull design. Don't know, not an expert, just a thought.

[@LV4TD101]

We definitely need to see more videos like this 👍 But I would make your boat more into a "house boat" and keep testing new prop designs to develop the most efficient prop. Plus maybe adding a small wind generator might not create too much drag to make it worth it?

[@GoldenCroc]

Doubtful, Those wind generators dont do all that much unless they are quite big or its REALLY windy. Neither of which would suit this boat.

[@ToastyMozart]

It'd be far more efficient to just use a (wing)sail, Newton's Third makes wind turbines on vehicles a huge pain.

[@jackoneil3933]

Very cool trip!. Interesting that your boat uses almost 5X more power at 2m/sec. (4.5mph) as my ebike does at 12m/sec. (25mph) It would be interesting to see how efficient other hull designs would be.

[@mjodr]

Boats are comically inefficient compared to land/wheel based stuff. Our boat with a 420 horsepower LS3 barely does 50 mph.

[@jackoneil3933]

@@mjodr I've had 6-seat 5000lb aircraft that would do 220mph on 420hp

[@Apple_Beshy]

Woah who could've thought that Water resistance is a thing , and is much more powerful than wind resistance 😮

[@jackoneil3933]

@@Apple_Beshy Considering that water is about 800 times more dense than air surprising the boat is as efficient as it is.

[@dsdy1205]

​@@mjodr ironically the opposite is true the larger your boat gets

[@harryporter7220]

Brilliant, and Bravo! The potential (deliberate electrical potential pun) is only limited by the imagination! Thanks for an excellent video about your solar powered boat!

[@fatsolutions]

Brilliant work mate, living for 72 hours in such a small boat is an epic mission in itself but building all of the power systems yourself is next level. A trailer sailer without the rig would be perfect for your next missions, as some of them have swing or lifting centre boards/keels and are displacement or semi displacement hulls. Keep up the great work

[@merlefisher2680]

This is the first video I've seen from your channel and this was super fascinating! I'd totally enjoy this kind of project! I did wonder if you'd considered making a roof assembly for the panels so you could have shade while also keeping the panels from getting caught in the waves.

[@naaate]

you're in for a treat catching up on his other videos

[@Codeeez]

Too top-heavy prob

[@NilsDohse]

Great video! When starting into more longterm-missions probably time to look into collision avoidance options of ardupilot. I‘d bet that most of the boats and bujis do not show up on maps and also don‘t habe any ais transponders. Probably also see if you can integrate your depth-measurements so you don‘t run on ground…

[@economicurtis]

Would love to see an autonomous sea going version of this. Something for the Puget Sound.

[@Daruma_Studio]

Tidal lift and drop could screw with GPS, and saltwater is MUCH harder to protect the boat and props from.

[@skylark.kraken]

@@Daruma_Studio Include a bit of CV to avoid obsticles and allow the boat to continue even if GPS is screwed with

[@fuzzy-02]

What a great video. Great for you for having the will to do all of this, I cant imagine or underestimate your effort

[@ChauNyan]

Hello, I noticed that you and your buddy Petersripol have been doing a lot of boat + solar stuff lately. Do you guys often bounce off ideas or is it just a coincidence of common interest? I know you are both KZbin's premiere experts in RC vehicles, so it would make sense if you guys like doing similar things around the same time. It is more fun to talk to a peer than with yourself after all.

[@stevensteiner2392]

Hey, I got in early for once. Love your videos man. Keep up the good work

[@MML66]

Question, guys. Now, putting a magnifying glass on solar panels. Will this improve their performance on days when the sun is not bright or if there are some clouds? Will it make their performance better or are they limited to a specific production?

[@retbucket3119]

The magnifying glass would need to be larger than the solar panels to actually catch more light. Although the glass itself might also block some of the light

[@economicurtis]

What if the solar panel lit lights pointed at the solar panels?

[@vornamenachname_]

@@economicurtismore energy is lost to heat than converted into light so it would be pointless.

[@aidank6037]

@@economicurtisperpetual energy

[@NZobservatory]

@@aidank6037lol

[@tonyruiter]

Ha this was amasing mate, what an adventure! Your white hoody and the boat reminded me of the original children's book "Where the wild things are" illustrations of Max sailing in his boat away from monster island! lol

[@ehrensto]

I love when you run into people who are curious about your project. They're always so nice!

[@octaviodasilva9780]

Great adventure experiment. I would put some ski pipes to stabilise the boat and prevent the solar panels from diving into the water. You can also trail behind the boat solar panels on Pvc Pipes skis

[@stevenholton438]

You did really great man! Part of boating , you will find, is becoming acquainted with that feeling of being remote and entirely depending on yourself far from anywhere!

[@mattcwatkins]

Nice project. Living on powerboat with a 300 watt budget....and have enough spare to run a bit after the sun goes down. Nice! And to do it on Lake Roosevelt, seeing the Keller Ferry, houseboats (I've rented those big ones a couple of times), and in between the commercial world as well as Colvilles. Even cooler.

[@Andysfishing]

What an epic voyage. Your style is similar to my overnight catch and cook videos. Maybe one day I'll do another electric overnight trip video. It's a shame you're not in my area.

[@zsolthb]

Great video! Regarding the toroidal props: The Sharrow propellers are laid out for ICEs operting in the 2-3000 rpm range for 150+ Horses and god knows what kind of torque ranges. Since you are using electric motors to turn your props, you have a nearly constant, but narrower torque range. You may need to design some sort of planetary gearbox to drive the toroidal props at higher speeds, OR, modify the layout, for lower RPMs and higher AOA in this case with a step-down gearbox.

[@brasha78]

What in carnation? 😂 It’s Tarnation! That was classic. Love your videos, and everything that you build. Got here from the snowcat video. Thank you very much for what you do.

[@coltw1911]

You should try building a full boat length canopy with the solar panels on top. You could get some extra shade and not have to worry about the waves. Plus no messing around with folding them up or down

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

issue with that is that the panels need to be adjusted over time to get maximum voltage from the sun

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That was a neat camping adventure! Thanks for sharing!!

[@ricksorensen9480]

Great video,,I appreciate your in depth tech talk explaining what you are doing and what is going on with the equipment that you are testing,,very informative,,thank you.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

This concept deserves a full scale built-to-last version. Pretty amazing that you can make important high-level decisions while the boat itself does the propulsion and steering by itself.

[@terratrekker2]

I live on a sailboat and power boats 99.9% of the time do not care if their wake causes you discomfort and problems. Most do it solely for that reason. Those guys if they wanted to could easily flip you or at minimum destroy your set up. Anyways nice work and great editing!

[@hungrymangoproductions3315]

I would love to see a second part to this with a better boat and solar panels on the roof that aren't getting hit by waves, such a cool concept, epic video.

[@nullexxx]

Damn that thing is awesome. The flight controller is dope too. Great friggin job dude

[@josgraha]

One possible improvement for your awesome ardu-whaler would be a frame similar to a Bimini frame where you can mount your panels up high and possibly give you element protection to boot. Fwiw most modern boat navionics have auto pilot.

[@thecrazytruckdude10]

As a Washington native who spent many a summer on the east side camping at Steamboat Rock on banks and watching the lightshows at Grand Coulee, I can't wait for the day I can go back. I love the Columbia River basin and honestly just Washington in general. I've also spent plenty of time at lake Washington and Coulon park so it always nice to see your videos there too.

[@ijustwants]

This is one of the coolest videos i have seen since i startet subscribing years back! Please make another upgraded trip :) Regards Tommy from Norway

[@Bill98533]

Great video! I think a great addition would be a lightweight canvas roof with rollup walls for sun/rain protection.

[@patrickbirmingham2560]

Daniel, I've been a subscriber since 15k and seeing your channel grow absolutely blows my mind. Keep it up!

[@JessBerndt]

Super cool boat concept and execution, it shows the sky is the limit. For more predictable navigation, you could use nautical charts instead of maps. The charts shown depth, markers, old pillings, and other hazards. There are a number of Open Source navigation apps and NOAA makes charts available for free. Looking forward to another episode.

[@koanradkohl]

A fellow washingtonian doing cool stuff. love to see it. hope your projects go good so eventually ill see one passing by :D

[@dmdragonfly]

Awesome video! How about making a lightweight roof frame and putting the panels up there? Saves the risk of wakes splashing onto them like that.