Autonomous R/C Boat 13km Waypoint Mission

Pushing my 3D printed air boat to its limit. If you haven't seen my first autonomous boat video check it out here:
• Autonomous Box Boat - ...
STL files: drive.google.c...
My Ardurover parameters for this boat: drive.google.c...
More info on Ardurover: ardupilot.org/r...
PinPointRC Black Box: www.pinpointrc...
Interested in the PinPointRC lost plane tracker? Use promo code "RCTESTFLIGHT" for a discount!
RCTESTFLIGHT Merch: teespring.com/...
Get this M2r pro flashlight for a flashsale price of $76.97 for 24hours only on Oct.31th, up to 42% OFF.
Purchase link: olight.idevaff...
10% OFF Coupon code: rctestflight (only works for regular-price listing)
3D printer filament from Geeetech: www.geeetech.com
Electronics I used:
- Pixhawk 2.4.8 kit from eBay (includes GPS, telemetry radios, current sensor)
- Cheap brushless waterproof RC Car ESCs from eBay
- Motor - literally any drone motor would work
- R/C radio - Standard spektrum satellite receiver

[@Dumps3rFir3]

When the video cut to you obviously wearing a life vest, paddling, and you said, "through a fortunate series of events..." that shit made me laugh pretty good. Glad it worked out dude, you do some cool stuff.

[@VaranusVideos]

This is why youtube is made. This type of stuff is so much more interesting than tv shows. Great job sir.

[@adventuresoftheindian5203]

Finally, a sponsor selling something I actually want 👌

[@darthbuzz1]

Not going to put one on my rifle, we don't have those in England.

[@stephenb7829]

Are you sure you don't want Nord vpn or a protein bar or something from whish ?

[@DroneShotFPV]

Olight is actually a great brand. I bought their SR52 Intimidator light, and holy smokes, that thing is wicked and BRIGHT!

[@wzr3293]

Gonna need one to annoy the crap out of my classmates in a camp.

[@fluffigverbimmelt]

8:30 "jump in the car and race it over" -boat racing ahead at a whopping 1.1 m/s

[@Kayshots]

3,6 km/h lol

[@JulesHatton]

"I thought this just would be another disaster, but... all is well." 5 minutes later...

[@msx80]

He really called it 😂 glad it all ended up well

[@mkayco1213]

maybe one propeller in sted two

[@SpaceTechx]

@@mkayco1213piooio

[@SpaceTechx]

ouiuoiu

[@benbrooks566]

Next trip: Mexico to USA with 1 kg payload

[@timtaylor8503]

lol

[@ipconfiger]

Knock Knock ，The DEA outside......

[@MorzenMebs]

Rc narcosub

[@paris-comedordecasadas]

@Caleb Edwards still can't move far than 20km

[@MrMorbo420]

@@MorzenMebs shut up. you got me thinking now!

[@10a3asd]

Part 3: "well, the boogie board was a bad idea, so we're going to put wings on it and just fly over the lake."

[@subwiser]

@@arthur...barros Ah fuck... That made me laugh :D

[@grim-upnorth]

Part 5: "Well, wheels were a bad idea, so I have my friend here from BPS.Space and we're gonna put some rockets on it."

[@dco5055]

Part 6: "Well, boogie board,wheels,rocket,carrying it and it broke is a bad idea, so we are going to use helium balloons to float it over there with differential props to steer it."

[@dsdy1205]

@@grim-upnorth "May your hulls be bare and your seaweeds few"

[@Rawwbot]

Part 5: Boogie Board, Wings and Wheels have been bad ideas ... Lets try a Hovercraft made of Foam so it wont sink

[@luccarodrigues781]

Once these long range waypoint missions start getting more reliable I would love to see a solar autonomous boat!

[@garethbaus5471]

@Jakob do you know how hard it would be to program an autonomous boat to use a sail to relatiably reach waypoints?

[@garethbaus5471]

@Jakob autonomously? And in a way that can be integrated into any random system with less effort than a couple of electric motors?

[@garethbaus5471]

@Jakob you do realize that the sailboat will still need solar panels and batteries or some other charging system for the control electronics, has the same minimum number of electronic components that you have to control, has one more set of variables it needs to factor into its calculations and can make it harder to prevent capsizing right? I still highly doubt that the program itself is anything close to plug & play unless you buy some very specific hardware regardless of who wrote the code. that last part actually wouldn't be too hard to check if I could find a source for one of these pre written programs(at this point I assume you have at least seen such a product in action, and I am just using the wrong keywords).

[@JustAnotherJarhead]

@Jakob until.....there is no wind...

[@mike_oe]

How nice of that lady to help you out. May the karma be with her!

[@bryanjansen1456]

Except for the part where she fussed at him for parking, told him he can't park there, resulting with him having to move his truck and then sit on the ground until she decided to help... :( yes, may Karma be with her

[@ChrisMayhew22]

@@bryanjansen1456 She probably thought he was up to no good and told him to move on until she realised what he was actually doing

[@VAX1970]

Hope she watches the video, he might need her boat again.

[@makingtechsense126]

Radio waves bounce across water pretty efficiently. I went on an Alaskan cruise many years ago and my cell phone could often reach towers on land, many miles away. The radio delay was pretty bad though so it was really hard to talk to someone. But pretty cool that the signal carried so far across the water.

[@alinaqirizvi1441]

Oh my god yes, whenever I go to the white cliffs of Dover (on the English side of the strait of Calais) the hills block English phone signal, but sometimes you can get very weak French phone signal even though it's 32km away (20mi)

[@eugeneanisko833]

Those gooses looked more like geese to me.

[@NOBOX7]

We have gooses and geese in my town , depends on how many are standing there

[@kraklakvakve]

The prular of gooses is geeseses.

[@kraklakvakve]

@phuc ewe That is a secret. Please do not ask. It could be dangerous.

[@darthbuzz1]

Eugene Anisko lol

[@kraklakvakve]

@T3chn0ph0b3 Sir, your Caps Lock seems stuck on. Please be polite when talking about geeseses. They are listening.

[@pwhurley49]

You do a great job with your videos. Lots of clear concise information, and minimal or no unnecessary jabber. Keep up the great work... we all always look forward to the next installment.

[@GaragebandandBeyond]

You know at the beginning I was thinking "20 minutes of a slow boat...great" by the end I was thoroughly entertained yet again! Great video Dan!

[@foguista]

10:15 just a dog fishing

[@luma8212]

Wha the dog doing tho

[@garethbaus5471]

@@luma8212 probably fishing, it's a good source of food for a stray if it can learn to hold still and relax.

[@BPSspace]

Dude this stuff is unbelievably cool - IDK what it is, but sending a totally autonomous craft that far is awesome. Kinda miss how silly and fun the tupperware boat was though :)

[@driftrazor]

Needs more rocket.

[@GKCcisco]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJe3XpSYhNB9r80

[@sagnikdebnath321]

do you know what it lacks ? Thrust Vector Control Puns

[@Termite_Studios]

Hi

[@mierbeuker8148]

10:15 Lol, gotta love that dog, getting its early morning dip, so it can help wake up its owner. I think. XD

[@poobertop]

Amazing. Put a camera on the next one?

[@ManexFX]

In some shots you could see a go pro mounted on the top, not sure why he didnt leave it there.

[@CaptainShanko]

probably weight. more weight means more drag which means less chance that the batteries would last the distance. Also the electronics alone would be a pain to lose let alone a gopro

[@ManexFX]

@@CaptainShanko that would be a good explanation

[@bruhdabones]

poobertop How about just a runcam so he can see POV when it’s close? Also those are light.

[@thomasglavin4220]

That would turn out to be one expensive boat

[@slaphappyduplenty2436]

This technology will never be used for smuggling. Just kidding.

[@nocturnal6863]

Wouldn't work on open water, one small wave and it's gone.

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@nocturnal6863 build a submarine

[@knifeyonline]

@@Francois_Dupont You would not need a submarine, you would only need a version which functions equally well upside down... the small alteration of higher pontoons would almost do it.

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@knifeyonline even using a normal boat at night would be good enough. because what the smuggles fear is to get caught themselves, but if its just an arduino and boat they wont care much as it lower the risk.

[@mikefairnessnt]

@Nocturnal Long range autonomous plane can fry up to 100km... That can be used to smuggle. But what smugglers are clever enough to use aurdupilot and pixhawk for that, idk. 😂 😂

[@john_p]

18:20 need bilge pump on each side .. or sealed foam pontoons with everything in the box on top .. lots of learning steps! :)

[@mbainrot]

Like a boogy board? :)

[@john_p]

@@mbainrot no, because its the wrong shape, its designed to hold up a person, not be an efficient hull, far too much drag

[@rarbiart]

for small sailing boats there are auto-bilge valves: there is some kind ball ball valve plus a venturi effect pump. So it pulls the water out during fast cruise. scaled to size together with a water level switch the boat could accellerate to e.g. 10 knots for a minute, until the bilge is below threshold.

[@chrishunter7065]

My theory as to why it took on water: At the point it lost its heading was most likely when it picked up the seaweed on the prop and the motors compensated for the lost performance. While it was still going straight the seaweed tangled prop must have been slapping the surface of the water. Over the course of a few km or so the amount of water the seaweed splashed up ended up disproportionately filling one side of the pontoon. Once the uneven drag was too much for the props to compensate for it started circling out of control. This would explain how wet the top of the boat was when recovered.

[@Francois_Dupont]

i dont think so chris. i think it had a slow leak that flowed more as more water was above the hole. because it was heavier and had more drag on one side it got going sideways and at the end the propeller splashed water around making the boat turn in circle before stopping.

[@wiryantirta]

Since the start of the vid I was wondering if the hull was carved out of a solid foam with spaces for the batteries it would've been more durable since it'll be unaffected by water getting on top of it.

[@BlueironKing]

That boat can take your lunch across any lake :)

[@clonkex]

Until it sinks ;)

[@remcoverhoef7015]

"Hope you like sandwichsoup!"

[@VAX1970]

Soggy sandwiches yuk

[@RakshithPrakash]

This was so interesting did not feel like 20minutes at all

[@orsmplus]

Just a word about your sponsor... Olight make some of the best flashlights i've ever used. Top to bottom. From the packaging to the product, they're just perfect.

[@billsheppard9368]

Seems like a flat bottom Everglades 'swamp buggy' hull would be least prone to fouling.

[@recklessroges]

But more effected by wind. Swamp buggies are big enough that their inertia reduces the effect of a gust of wind. With a boogie board and the motors set to endurance I would want some sort of dagger-board, (that could be lifted if fouling were detected.)

[@jaksilver3656]

sloped bows would handle the problem

[@Rcschim]

Awesome nerd adventure there Daniel! The end was intense action, good story of kind people and ultimately an Happy End! Very entertaining! Greets from Austria, Mario

[@donochetti2177]

Long distance as in Colombia to Miami? For research reasons

[@jrgenramdahl123]

And maybe put the system on a submarine that can carry a load of baking soda

[@zakofrx]

Their is a guy who made several drones to try and make long trips ages ago. He gave up because fishermen kept bringing them back.. He said the people always ignored notes and signs on top telling people to leave it alone, they would take it out of the water to look at it and then just keep it. He wanted to travel between countries but they were always taken in the first 10klm front it's start point.

[@zachsylvester309]

There’s too many dams in between I think.

[@steveanacorteswa3979]

Yup, the cartel will buy them from him, just needs to be able to fit a kilo inside.

[@USBEN.]

If he makes a sub that small . WOOWEE some dangerous customers gonna come knocking .

[@EditorEssentials]

Dude I have been watching you for so long now I just moved to Seattle and your boat literally drove right past my house😂

[@koufan]

Um This is true right?

[@MrPinknumber]

It's fun following these boat missions, keep doing them :)

[@AuthenTech]

Wow, fun project! Great job man

[@Markfps]

Dude these series give me life. So interesting! #solarboat?

[@MikeInTheWoods]

That would be interesting. Something with a small cross-section to have minimal effect from tidal forces; prop driven like this v2 boat, and a large flat surface area for solar panels

[@Markfps]

@@MikeInTheWoods There's already some very professional builds out there but I'm sure that Daniel would find a nice design with improved autonomous navigation, the process of that build and the tests would be awesome to watch, just like the solarplane, I've been waiting years between those update videos!

[@kennyjhynes]

Awesome project, I think an autonomous aircraft would be a great next addition to bounce signals off of and track the boat from even further distances

[@aljensen7779]

Dude, this is so impressive I don't know where to start. Can I just say, with kind thoughts, that since you have a very authorative sounding voice, you could use your voice for many types of temp or permanent income. Your close-mic technique obviously helps, but your voice is distict and I find myself wanting to listen. It stands out amongst the crowd. With not much voice-training or with some time spent in radio, you could score very well. Having said all that... I wish you luck with part 3. I'm fascinated by your autonomous boating experiements. Sorry I don't have any useful input in that regard - I'm more of a 4X4 RCer. You speak with authority and it's refreshing to reach your channel. I'm subbed now.

[@DutchRC]

Cool entertaining video again Daniel! :) I'm guessing you used them big lipo's mostly because that's what you had? (seems like Lion's would fit the objectives better?) Cheers & keep them coming :)

[@knowhere2014]

You here ;) I was wondering the same thing

[@DutchRC]

@@knowhere2014 it's a small world ;)

[@Andy-df5fj]

Have you considered making the pontoons out of solid lightweight foam and securing everything on top? There would be no worries about taking on water.

[@connosaurus]

Andy I'm with you on that one Andy! I would add that a trimaran design is worth considering for a future redesign.

[@DK-Design]

I would think the boogie board would loose energy to friction. A redesign of the hulls for more efficiency/obstacle mitigation. Now I really want to open up Fusion and fire up my 3D printer

[@cia9315]

Or, just dont use it as a storage. Just sealing it off is even beter

[@CaptainShanko]

​ connosaurus A trimaran would definitely up the cool factor but I can't really think of any practical reason for it otherwise. A third hull would just increase drag further which is the opposite of that is wanted.

[@tonysansom]

...and skinning them with fibreglass.

[@miguelsalami]

This is taking RC boats to the next level. You need a portable Tripod to mount your base antennas on. As you know height is Might. Maybe design your pontoons so the hull sides are about twice the height & use weather stripping to seal their hatches. They do have small water pumps you could install for bilge water along with a couple sensors to activate the pump, a cover that can Velcro on top the boats electronics container for esthetics & in case it rains.👍👍💛 Nice work man keep going on this until you perfect it. Thanks for sharing!

[@alphaadhito]

Whoa, really glad you got it back before sinking. You might want to try 4G/cellular telemetry for urban area use although I cant argue if you already had RFD module 😁

[@jp400motox]

I'm really enjoying these autonomous boat experiments. Looking forward to your next try.

[@MadComputerScientist]

Such a cool lady! Bring her a cake, that was awesome!

[@snafuraider1696]

I was so looking forward to it arriving on the beach while you waited. I am just as happy it didn't work out. As per the quote "Failure is always an option" we got to see and learn the design hurdles. Great content. love it

[@Cinebon]

5:18 welcome to Microsoft Flight Simulator X

[@CJbrinkman602]

The seaplane one was my favorite mission

[@vickyxlr9935]

Kyaaa the nostalgia😢

[@nikolatotev]

Can't wait for the new one!

[@antonlammers1454]

Boogie boards work very well. Made an airboat with prop and air rudder(old DVD case with servo attached). Wasn't autonomous but handled amazingly well. Good luck I am following with great interest! Well done

[@RandomHacks]

You need to make a towboat that can attach to the failed boat with like a magnet (or electromagnet) or some other kind of mechanism so you can safely recover it 😀

[@HoboJimsGravyTrain]

Honestly excited for a continuation of this grand journey.

[@TheStammzilla]

That lady was so nice to help you out like that. Maybe invest in a kayak.

[@Givemeafinname]

something I've thought about a lot 25 years ago back when gps tech was big and bulky. Yes the airboat was an idea I had because I knew those tiny water props would get tangled in weeds.. Very cool. good work.

[@propspinner5849]

I thoroughly enjoyed this project. I’m looking forward to the next version!

[@tgirard123]

I started watching you when you were doing the platform launch thing way back when. You really have done some great stuff. This was very cool. There have been a ton of videos about GPS long range flight. It was fun to see it tried with a boat. I do miss you saying 'bye' at the end of your videos. It did kind of tickle me. Keep up the good work!

[@MrTimmyGT]

Man I miss Washington. Kirkland is a cool town, I lived out in Issaquah when my wife worked at MS.

[@davidpoling7748]

This will always be one of my favorite videos of yours

[@josiahbaker7811]

When you discover an awesome channel, with an awesome video that teases a follow-up, but the video is their most recent one.

[@myron7642]

Thankfully I don't have to experience that, not today at least :)

[@payne1003]

I use to live up there in Tacoma. What a great experiment you are doing and in a neighborhood I know. Great job!

[@frasersteen]

Definately needs more power, probably needs more speed. I think even on a lake 1ms is dangerously close to the speed of currents you might encounter. Boogie board would work but it won't be very effective as a slower displacement craft. Some pvc piping and pool noodles would give you better speed and efficiency unless you plan to make the boogie board fast enough to plane.

[@SodaAnt]

Eh, lake washington and greenlake don't tend to have much of a current. On very windy days they can get choppy, but I can coast my kayak even on those days.

[@tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347]

We used to patch our submarine hulls with painter's tape too when I was in the navy, never leaks.

[@soldadoryanbr7776]

"Police drone" v2

[@ericstephany7305]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@stevesplace7230]

That was just totally incredible. I love stuff like this. Thanks for posting your video and totally looking forward to your next video!!!

[@imjoerussell]

"This telemetry radio is fire!... God damn! " Love it! Great channel 👍!

[@quarteratom]

I love how it goes from it going to it sinking to James pedaling in a kayak in the matter of minutes.

[@woodiereel2440]

“Through a very fortunate series of events I managed to find myself a kayak” did you steal it? 😂

[@Bulldog326usaf]

For you antennas on the base station a extendable painter pole works well to get the height and yet still be portable. We use them in armature radio for that reason.

[@jacobdavidcunningham1440]

Should try something more exciting next time, a ground effect aircraft ha(now this is pond racing) 5:19 beaver 6:16 damn those props stopped in sync /s 9:01 that girl's gonna get hit 10:11 Owen Wilson 11:14 no pun intended 11:43 what he using to record his small boi there 13:55 thank you for using MURICAN units 16:44 Look at me, I am the submarine now 16:52 when you low-key put your friend out of his/her misery with a pillow(shhh sleep tight) 17:18 get off ma lawn 18:15 sanken

[@JaviRP97]

You read our minds.

[@IslandBlaze8]

You made something really cool bro and I hope to see more of your creations thanks for this video. You have inspired me to continue working on my r/c projects, so thank you. 🤙

[@ralarc6552]

Hey rctestflight, i just started watching your channel, and I absolutely love your work that you create. I also recently learned that you work at a company that seems to work with different gimbals and photography. I’m currently in highschool and i was wondering what you actually studied in college to get to where you are. Thanks a ton.

[@samre3006]

I always watch entire video of yours. Nice testing, very brave. And thanks to the lady for helping out.

[@rmp5s]

"...or it sank." I almost shot my drink out my nose. roooooofl

[@divadbate]

I'm not even into RC but this video was really fun. Can't wait for an update

[@kemikao]

Part 24: Sailing to Pyongyang

[@wiryantirta]

dude the idea is to sail FROM Pyongyang.

[@leonvdm]

I like how you are really serious about this mission''-thingy

[@macross4880]

Make sure you do the epoxy in a well-ventilated area and/or with a filtration mask on so that you do not breathe it in.

[@Strelnikov10]

This was so cool. It's almost like the boat had its own little stoic personality.

[@JOSOGRIL]

Love the project. How about adding an anti seaweed routine every so often? Reverse, turn...?

[@Francois_Dupont]

i dont think those air propeller could reverse.

[@antonzlo]

@@Francois_Dupont it's not about propellers, but about ESC

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@antonzlo try running those similar RC air propeller on reverse, they wont move air at all.

[@antonzlo]

@@Francois_Dupont really? Never tried. But I know, than not every ESC can drive motor both ways.

[@sasantarom]

It was very nice of that lady, there is nice ppl everywhere. Also I think it could be more interesting if you'd have one of your drones with you for backup/ rescue case.

[@evo-fpv8963]

Would a jetboat be efficient and weed proof enough?

[@DerKrawallkeks]

I built a jetboat once, and it tended to suck weed onto the screen/filter a lot. But the huge upside is, I could get it unstuck just by stopping the motor. My boat didn't even have a reverse function, with reverse you would be even safer.

[@websitesthatneedanem]

... very high current draw.

[@DerKrawallkeks]

@@websitesthatneedanem Don't think of it as a fast jetboat. It is quite similar to a regular propeller

[@bartybum]

@DerKrawallkeks Pretty sure ducted fans/screws are generally less efficient than unducted. EDIT: or not apparently

[@otm646]

@@bartybum at low speed ducted propellers are extremely efficient. Look at tugboat designs.

[@visibleconfusion9894]

for the next variation or test of this craft you should put a live feed camera on it so we could see it in first person and you could check it if something goes wrong

[@DieMcSiedler]

6:25 you can see your phone number 6:55 did you try to hide them?

[@boi829]

yea it's a wonderful idea to just point them out to everyone in the comments

[@StevenRides]

he tried to hide them so people like you who pointed it out cant call him rofl

[@shurmurray]

To make 3d printed parts water (or air) tight: it is much simpler to use appropriate dissolver for specific type of plastic used. It melts layers together and evaporates, leaving perfectly solid plastic with no holes. I've made pneumatic system parts out of ABS treated with acetone.

[@davkrod]

I'll forgive a lot of his "Americanisms", but I cannot forgive "it might have sanken".

[@Nevir202]

That’s definitely not an Americanism. 🤣 Source: Am American

[@isaiahhiggins]

@@Nevir202 Must have been a washingtonism

[@Nevir202]

Isaiah Higgins is say that it’s more of a momentary lapse in ability to English properly. 🤣

[@gbaker9295]

Australians just make up words as they go. English be damned

[@shelvacu]

@@isaiahhiggins That's not a washingtonism Source: Am washingtonian

[@charlesemge3824]

Was thinking about your seaweed issue yesterday... What about an "airboat" hull design. This would be close to the boggie board idea, with a large bow lip... A slight v in the hull might help. Or a rudder or keel that can retract "straight up" in the event of drag... Can't wait to see what you come up with next!

[@jestronixhanderson9898]

Drop me a line Ive got some coke to move :) imagine a satellite version with solar hull, international cartels are interested:)

[@rlinhube]

Pontoon with thin slits on bottom front to back to partially flood it, making sure it is constructed to stay bouyant, jet pump pickup low inside of pontoon that feeds to outlet that can swivel for steering. No fouling.

[@dingalsbe88]

"meh, it will be fine..."

[@Ministrator03]

Man... I just discovered your channel and it's amazing. Autopiloted things are just what i didn't know i need to learn about

[@Andwo0]

You said “gooses” the plural of goose is geese

[@kane2103]

Didn't quite make the full trip but still one heck of a cool experiment. I like how many different types of technologies and instruments you have working as one. Looking forward to next attempt.

[@nielsdaemen]

It's so slow😒. You should try buiding a hydrofoil, way faster and efficiënt 👌

[@abberant3112]

Hydrofoils are a lot trickier to custom print and are quite a nuisance to store/ travel with so generally they are attachable which also comes with the time consumer of reattaching and detaching them. Hydrofoils are generally better for open water sailing vessels, because weight is better spread on them when in a lake such as this the boat simply isn't big enough, and you are more likely to snag weeds on the hydrofoils, which seems like less efficient and faster. You also need to be going at a certain speed for hydrofoils to even work, and the boat probably wouldn't hit that since it stays at a constant 1.1m/s. Sailing boats have them because when they pick up speed from the wind they want to go fast. A good idea at first, but much to many issues relates to their installation and usage.

[@brianbrewster6532]

For all you inquisitive types, Lake Washington is located by Seattle. Cool project. Fine video, sir.

[@abhaygopalnistala7951]

first comment by luck I think

[@larryscott3982]

This is s really good vid. It’s actually a little action adventure, with twists, suspense, and happy ending. I was all in as if this was real-time, and it was my boat.

[@MultiTman1000]

Great footage and effort! If you want waterproof tape you can get it from Sailrite. They use it to make sail numbers on sailboat sails. I use that tape to seal up my hatches on my RC sailboat. PLA is unfortunately not exactly waterproof , so any pin holes in the epoxy would eventually try to sink your hulls. Maybe some spray they use for sealing up joints in house gutters. Sticks well and very waterproof and flexible. Great fun!

[@ericlotze7724]

Could you add some sort of bilge pump possibly (a small peristalic pump maybe?) Also for waterproofing would a heat gun/hair dryer/oven help seal the layers more by partially remelting it? Also would a mini "swamp air boat" work for dodging weeds etc? Also solar panels perhaps? Just some random thoughts.

[@brianorourke4880]

Don't know if anyone else commented on this but you should vacuum form the hulls to prevent leakage, and as you learned, round out the bow of the hulls. Good luck for next try!

[@andrewradford6267]

One of my dream projects is a autonomous model boat that can stand up to the sea. Satcoms for out of range times and solar for some battery recovery. I have almost finished a mini APU that would serve as a back for battery recharging too. Those hulls look good. Flatten them out and widen them then use them as forms for fibre glassing. Would reduce alot seaweed build up. Just an idea none the less. Create partitons in your design if you haven't already so it reduces full flooding.

[@kjeldholm7370]

Fantastic thought out and made :-) Why not filling the pontons with cutout styropor foam, or what its called, to prevent a maybe future comming hole in the epoxy, will prevent sinking the boat...Kind regards

[@franklinbezerra2007]

You could try for monohulll with jet propusion... the boat will have more efficiency from propusion but more important, it will not have to deal with this "water grass". Very nice boat by the way! looking forward too see the next try!

[@RyanGribble]

I enjoyed this video. I'm familiar with this area as I do work on Seattle fairly often. Im glad you got your boat back.

[@WillN2Go1]

Cool project. Use some fiberglass fabric with the epoxy on your pontoons. I've made outriggers by carving pink lumber-store insulating foam, then giving it a layer of fiberglass and epoxy. If you start with insulating foam (comes in difference thickness, I usually laminate them using gorilla (foams up) glue. This way you can plan your compartments instead of trying to pack in loose foam pieces for emergency buoyancy. I don't think any of my outriggers has ever had a leak. (And you may already know that 'fiberglass resin' the cheap stuff is not really waterproof. It develops pin holes that cause endless problems). The foam is really easy and fun to carve and shape. Use wood rasps, rough grades of sandpaper. You can lay patterns on the sides and top and bottom and then cut out the shapes--if when you rough cut out one direction--leave it in place as you cut out the 90 degree shape.

[@Torpedomtb]

For floatation reserve I would use those packing air bags that Amazon and other companies use. They would conform around things and being sealed air would dispalce water if water did intrude into the hules. and bulky enough to give floation capacity.

[@maxk4324]

I've been sailing since I was 7 and driving and generally working on boats (sailing and motorized) since about 13, and one thing I've learned is that seepage is a bitch. No boat can 100% block all seepage because its just too damn hard (of course they make sure there's no major leaks) but instead they put a bilge pump and a level indicator of some kind to just pump out the bilge whenever it gets too full. It uses more power, but if you get something like a peristaltic pump this can be minimized (also it conveniently avoids exposing any motor shafts to water). This would mean you need to keep the batteries raids up a bit in the pontoons though, to keep them dry. Also, maybe you could save on battery life by switching it to a single prop with thrust vectoring on just the yaw axis? Just an idea. Awesome video, thanks for sharing! P.S. I think you were on to something with the double hull. They are very stable, more so than a boogie board would be. But whatever hull design you choose to go with I have two major suggestions. First, I would recommend looking up the math for stability of a buoyant hull with (roughly) uniform cross section along its length. It's not hard math at all and will help you evaluate hull designs. And second (related to the first) is to add a keel weight. Those calculations can tell you if one is needed for stability or not, but even if one isn't needed, the added wight and lower center of mass will help with unforeseen perturbing forces on the water (mainly waves, but also wind or other unpredictable stuff). Downside is the sea weed risk of course, but if you stick to deep water this shouldn't bee a problem (not sure how deep your lake is though)

[@FrankPerkins]

Very cool adventure. I was wondering if you program the path to go in reverse at intervals to free up any debris/seaweed. An automatic water detector in the pontoon that triggers a mini bilge pump would be really cool too.

[@__-fm5qv]

you could even just have the bilge pump turn on when activated by a float, no need for anything fancy.

[@harrysaliba1848]

Really cool design! You should try to cross puget sound, or if you want a good place for testing and amazing shots, Lake Whatcom in bellingham is super long and calm this time of year.

[@GeistView]

The pontoons are fine. You just need to be able to seal when you close them. They also need at the bow not such a sharp edge. Give it more of a ramp shape where anything that hits the bow it gets pushed down and under. I think a wave/s got up and over the port pontoon and filled it full of water where the freeboard decreased making other smaller waves have more of a effect. Look forward to the redesign of the pontoons.