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.com/drive/folder...
My Ardurover parameters for this boat: drive.google.com/file/d/1jora...
More info on Ardurover: ardupilot.org/rover/docs/getti...
PinPointRC Black Box: www.pinpointrc.com
Interested in the PinPointRC lost plane tracker? Use promo code "RCTESTFLIGHT" for a discount!
RCTESTFLIGHT Merch: teespring.com/stores/rctestfl...
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.idevaffiliate.com/idev...
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

[@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.

[@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!

[@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

[@VaranusVideos]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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...

[@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)

[@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

[@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.

[@stevesplace7230]

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

[@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. 😂 😂

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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

[@BlueironKing]

That boat can take your lunch across any lake :)

[@clonkex]

Until it sinks ;)

[@remcoverhoef7015]

"Hope you like sandwichsoup!"

[@VAX1970]

Soggy sandwiches yuk

[@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

[@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

[@jp400motox]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@jeramydowns2487]

Subscribed. Man, I watched your video from your previous test design. This thing is amazing. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@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. 🤙

[@RakshithPrakash]

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

[@MrPinknumber]

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

[@1800dontcare]

This is AWESOME! Really cool project glad to see you were able to retrieve the boat before it went bye bye looking forward to more videos about it

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@natfoot]

Seriously looking good, looking forward to your continued progress

[@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!

[@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 .

[@davidpoling7748]

This will always be one of my favorite videos of yours

[@payne1003]

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

[@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.

[@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!

[@samre3006]

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

[@rrittenhouse]

I love your videos so much lol. I forget how much until the next one comes out.... Thanks for the great project and story. I've always wanted to experiment with something (that didn't fly) and use some sort of mission planning to learn how all of that works. I might just have to work on that now. Thanks again!

[@TheStammzilla]

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

[@MadComputerScientist]

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

[@MrBlackhops19]

This is seriously awesome man. Keep up the good work!

[@edgeradio8208]

This video was so fun! Cant wait for part 2. Amazing!

[@propspinner5849]

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

[@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.

[@guritche]

Fantastic stuff! Your videos and creations are cool man, thanks for sharing.

[@PrestonK92]

Dude this is so sick, I am just starting a project that is so similar to this so going to go back through all your videos haha cheers!

[@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?

[@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 😁

[@jmchauvier]

Long time subscriber and first time commenting. I wanted to say I love seeing your content, it's always so interesting to watch. Keep up the good work man.

[@gauravmukherjee2678]

Love your enthusiasm , wish I could be as lucky as you

[@AuthenTech]

Wow, fun project! Great job man

[@soldadoryanbr7776]

"Police drone" v2

[@ericstephany7305]

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

[@theflyinghamster8442]

Excellent really enjoyed this ! really interesting , many thanks for posting and greetings from New Zealand, look forward to seeing more!

[@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.

[@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

[@g_naq]

You might be the last og still making rc vids from rcpowers days 👌

[@joewoodchuck3824]

What you're doing is some of the coolest stuff ever. I just now subbed.

[@jeffwood2350]

Surprisingly compelling. Nice job

[@MrTimmyGT]

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

[@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 :)

[@niklassaari1686]

Another awesome video, looking forward to the next one!

[@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.

[@mierbeuker8148]

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

[@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 ;)

[@PeterGagen]

Well done and thank the old lady from me too. I hope you get version too going soon. You have inspired this old guy to haviong ago myself.

[@bhavikbhansali]

Amazing...I liked your approach to enjoy your build

[@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 😀

[@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.

[@LUMEDO57]

Great job, congratulations!!

[@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

[@imjoerussell]

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

[@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.

[@farmers2630]

Your projects are really interesting! You have a new subscriber.

[@BeamerTheFox]

dang dude what a sweet lady to let you use one of her yaks, that's a blessing man, just shows you even if the signals don't always work for our boats, the stars will always line up an we will always get them back.

[@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.

[@tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347]

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

[@scottweeks3611]

Loving the autonomous vehicle videos! I'm working on a quad myself now but I have to use inav because I'm. 😔 Keep up the epic content!!!

[@Tifton1080]

Great job. Keep up the good work. I'd like to see your next part.

[@woodiereel2440]

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

[@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.

[@samiant5199]

I really really enjoyed this video! Amazing what ardui pilot can do

[@cedivad]

I'm in love with this series.

[@kemikao]

Part 24: Sailing to Pyongyang

[@wiryantirta]

dude the idea is to sail FROM Pyongyang.

[@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.

[@jaymatlock5987]

That was awesome! What an adventure, time to print a little boat!

[@Pedritox0953]

Awesome project!! Great job amigo

[@rmp5s]

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

[@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.

[@wayneshephard]

Bit of fun, I quite enjoyed that, I love Ardupilot

[@grokscience8673]

Fantastic! Just what I was planning to do. Thanks for sharing.

[@vismaynabar9259]

sir please show or make an video on the calibration of Rover on ardupilot software

[@MrUnder30seconds]

switch controlled flare would be cool, my rc tank will have this.

[@AtheHD1]

i think that someone somewhere would have a problem with the remote controlled pyro.... probably

[@EthanHeffernan]

Anderw Higdon Fire Marshall or maybe even coast guard or police depending on who has boats on that lake

[@MrUnder30seconds]

@@EthanHeffernan you have a good imagination don't you, shame its used in such ways.

[@carltonwhite3790]

Great job! Also, lessons learned are never a waste of time!

[@dylanica3387]

It was crazy to see a video like this in an area I’m so familiar with. I go to that last park all the time!

[@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.

[@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

[@yellodraco]

Fabulous!... Waiting for the next one soon...

[@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.