Building a DIY Drone Sailboat

[@danzicarelli436]

Always enjoy your videos. Good job with the ads too. Get that money!

[@spaRTan3246]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmSml6mIZdiHnNE

[@LowBudgetYoutuber]

I just had a vision. Treadmill/Snow mobile treads on the bottom of Boat. Imagine bottom of Boat one large rubber paddle.

[@blueishsquid4290]

The foam sail is really holding you boat back there’s a reason parachutes are made of fabric and not flat wood

[@bizzzle1258]

As a sailing coach, RC model yacht enthusiast, ardupilot hobbyist, and autonomous yacht designer, I would like to commend you on your great and accurate explanation of sailing physics. Your boat likely won't tack because the wingsail is back winding (creating reverse thrust) during tacking. Your best bet is to reduce friction in the rotating mechanism, design the rotation point the right distance ahead of the center of effort, and set your wingsail trim tab to 0 degrees during a tack.

[@BikingVikingHH]

That and because he’s using a symmetrical airfoil, it requires high angles of attack to generate inefficient lift, he needs an articulating or hinged wing like the Americas cup boats have to set up a non-symmetrical airfoil depending on wind direction.

[@bizzzle1258]

@@BikingVikingHH a symmetrical wing at 0 AOA should have far less drag than a flapping sail. Should tack easier.

[@sasjadevries]

@@BikingVikingHH Well, this airfoil is pivoting almost around its center of pressure, while a normal sail is hanging behind the mast that it's turning around. And he has just one airfoil, instead of two. If he has two airfoils, one more at the front of the boat, and one more to the rear, then he can use them to steer.

[@BikingVikingHH]

@@bizzzle1258 a symmetrical wing at zero angle of attack generates zero lift, which is what propels a sailboat, not lack of drag, so while it may be more streamline while tacking, it will lack the propulsion to generate the speed to do so.

[@andrewbergspage]

Great improvement over your prototype! Next steps to help you tack: Lose the elevator. Its drag is probably the main culprit, and you can use servo control now that you've got wind direction. 2 fair your foils! You put a lot of thought into your airfoil and hydrodynamics on other projects, then you come in and use a plank for a keel and rudder. Give that keel a nice cross section and you'll improve speed and leeway.

[@JD2jr.]

I don't actually know if any of this is correct, but I know enough about sailing to know he's using the right words so he's probably right.

[@paulbizard3493]

@@JD2jr. lol

[@jeffh8803]

He put a leading and trailing edge on the keel, and the rudder is a very thin piece of sheet metal.

[@parallax_aerial_photography]

@@jeffh8803 The rudder is the main problem. It's the equivalent of trying to use an oar to steer. It works, but a proper foil section would work much better. Also, the foil section on the keel doesn't look like its actually a proper foil section...

[@KingJellyfishII]

Second the elevator suggestion. It's just not an efficient way of controlling a sail, especially given the power of modern servos and the small sail area. Also, I would be interested to see how well a canvas sail performs compared to a wing sail.

[@whatsthematter8767]

Please bring back the autonomous soaring, it would be a blast to see it fully taken advantage of!

[@Alex-yk6he]

Yes please

[@gustavocarvalho1646]

Yeahh!! I agree !!! \o/

[@FarmerFpv]

No, back off! I want him to design a Tugboat that can retrieve half-sunken RC boats and float planes. My priorities are first. 😂 lol

[@indigenoussober407]

That with carrying some type of droppable load

[@ValentineC137]

The lack of comments about it almost makes it look like betterhelp is a blocked phrase

[@Floris_VI]

Thats what i feel like man, how are more people not calling this out, this has to be the worst and most immoral sponsor you can get.

[@mycatistypingthis5450]

Pouring lead into resin was surprising, I would never thought that would work!

[@snowe..]

lead's melting point is incredibly low. I used it as a kid for building small scale trebuchets.

[@mycatistypingthis5450]

@@snowe.. I also poured quite a bit of lead, but never thought about pouring it in resin

[@otm646]

That was truly unnecessary. He should have just put lead shot in there. The 25% hit in packing density is not a big deal in this situation. Now he's got not only the exposure during the pour but the contamination and cleanup to deal with.

[@amyself6678]

He should use depleted uranium for keel. Joking.

[@catlover10192]

@@otm646 lead isn't... that much of a poison. Not unless you eat it I guess, lol. I doubt his exposure is any more significant than a few months of soldering with real solder

[@1bigapple2]

Excellent job! For a Newby sailor/designer you’ve covered a lot of bases using advanced solutions. Having the small recovery thruster was brilliant.

[@dddddyyn]

I don't know about everyone else, but I always appreciate longer videos.

[@timplayer8786]

The video turned out so well! That's an awesome description of balancing the centers of effort and resistance. It was super cool to see you guys at the park!

[@Erpty05]

I’m from Seattle and I love how your videos always show off the natural beauty of the city and surrounding water!

[@tekkno.logist]

Oooh autonomous sailing… that’s crazy!

[@voornaam3191]

No, it's not. Such vessels can go around the world. There is more wind than solar or diesel.

[@KnowledgePerformance7]

Regarding the wind helm setup: it's also a performance thing. In many boats there are adjustments that can change where the center of pressure is. Tuning for wind helm requires that the rudder is constantly pivoted, and when that AoA is combined with the keel, they combine to form an effectively curved airfoil. When done correctly, it's possible to prevent the boat from sliding sideways due to the lift generated. This may not be the case at RC scale, but it was something I worked a lot to tune in C420s, where it can be a huge advantage.

[@sasjadevries]

Interesting... 🤔 At what wind directions does this work best? (i.e. give the most noticeable effect) And what kind of adjustments do you use? Do you like pull the mainsail tighter than the foresail, or do you adjust the surface area of the sail?

[@2testtest2]

For the dinghies I have sailed It's done by moving the mast foot, hinging the whole mast slightly back and forth.

[@rcaddict4518]

It’s insane how far this dude has come. I remember watching all his old RC plane videos. Great content

[@FlamingoLegsFilms]

I built an ardupilot autopilot setup for my 22 foot sailboat! Works awesome! Only took a 120kg servo!

[@fmacdonald3559]

Would be great to see a video on that

[@Nighthawk20000]

I love how enthusiastic you were about the revamped boat and how unimpressed your friend sounded 😂

[@mickgibson370]

65 years ago I build sailboats that had walnuts for the shell, 2 toothpicks for mast, and clear plastic for the sail, and it was held together with model cement. After a rain there mud poodles that I could float the boats. They were good with the wind!

[@BrannonAerospace]

I don’t care if it’s a plane or not. As long as it’s rctestflight, it’s good!

[@jadnenoakes]

guys wake up another rctestflight video was posted.

[@PerseidArchimedes]

brooooooooooo

[@Very_Grumpy_Cat]

Be original

[@PerseidArchimedes]

@@Very_Grumpy_Cat wat

[@jadnenoakes]

@@Very_Grumpy_Cat name checks out.

[@zigmar7]

But no rctestflight song for a while now to come along with. 😭 Loved those

[@makeitwork583]

Woot woot, new video! Thanks for the consistent great content! Love your channel!

[@jordanwilliams9601]

This is super cool to see. I'm currently building an ASV for a university project and your videos are super helpful in guiding the process

[@el_es]

So Cool. The tack problem is with minimum tack speed, it's kinda a known thing in less-complicated sailboats. Basically you can sail at a sharp (into the wind) angle all you want with any speed that gives you, but to tack successfully you got to 'fall off' (with wind) and reduce the attack angle to pick up speed. Basically, a setting in the pilot to forbid tacking if speed less than minimum, and it should do it. (Also in situations when going into the wind and the sail is going on a very sharp angle to the water, there's the old friend GROUND EFFECT, at least with cloth sails, sends greetings ;) )

[@voornaam3191]

Ah, do you know that battened sails can protrude before the mast, which has certain advantages, but also gets you in trouble tacking in strong winds, while gibing gets less dangerous? Traditional sails have developed for good reasons, and doing things different is very interesting, but you WILL encounter some surprises. Steering a sailing boat is an art, if you want to win races, you should know an amazing amount of theory and apply it all at the right moments. Example? An old man is sailing passed you, and he says, hey dude, your entire sail is TWO inches too low, simply hoist it a bit. You'll get faster!

[@BikingVikingHH]

@@voornaam3191 it’s so true, I used to race lasers in a pretty windy area of northern California so I’d always keep the sales as tight as possible because I’m a tall guy and could hang off the boat and really generate lift, but when I moved to San Diego I would rent larger sailboats and putt around in the breeze, one day as you described an old man sailed past me and yelled out “loosen up your sail a bit!”… I did and picked up a good .5 - 1 knot.

[@GreenAppelPie]

‘I don’t know a lot about sailing’, then goes through moderately involved aspects. The smaller scale physics are interesting

[@daveamies5031]

I guess that should have been "I didn't know much about sailing" he seems to be a quick learner though, and when he gets something wrong, he takes the time to learn why and how to fix it, I'd have him as crew on my boat.

[@thesoupin8or673]

Omg I love this! I'm a huge sailing fan, and I've wondered if this was possible ever since the first autonomous boat video. I'm super excited for the next explainer and the long range trip. Great work as always!

[@DktheWelder]

On my little catamaran the gib ( the little sail in front of the mast) makes it way easier to tack it pulls the front around . You can buy old catamarans for cheap like $200 you could do an automated overnight stay would be cool. Love your videos

[@CheckPoint702]

your approach, attitude, and optimism are inspiring. You are a treasure bro

[@mykhailyna1]

rctestflight casually arriving at a design for an unmanned marine kamikaze drone

[@rickhobson3211]

As if no one's done that. >.>

[@mykhailyna1]

@@rickhobson3211 ;)

[@Gaming1Doge]

ah yes, a torpedo

[@DangerousDac]

I feel like 99% of KZbin RC anything could be used to great effect as a small weapon suicide drone.

[@pali3329]

​@@Gaming1DogeTorpedo, that costs 500 times less, has unlimited range, needs no human guidance and makes pretty much no sound.

[@aarondarling6653]

While I have zero interest in building or sailing an RC boat the mechanics are great! Amazing video I really love the detail and trial and error

[@WindCatcherRC]

@7:45 another factor to consider is that the hull is an airfoil too. With no wind it is a symmetrical foil, however when it starts to lean over the foil in contact with the water becomes asymmetrical. In kayaking we call it edging and use it to turn a kayak without a rudder or paddle.

[@mouseaviator3672]

Amazing work with the CAD models, aesthetically pleasing

[@parallax_aerial_photography]

Super cool to see a video of you going through all of the unique challenges that sailing presents! As a lifelong sailor and big fan of this channel it was awesome to see. Just as a note, you would probably do a lot better having an actual symmetrical NACA foil (i.e 0015) section for your keel and rudder. These would actually generate lift and allow the boat to point much higher (sail closer to the wind). Also, when your CP is aft of the CLR, that is called "weather helm" not "wind helm" but that is a very minor nitpick. When the CP is forward of the CLR that is referred to as "lee helm" and is undesireable as you stated. When the sails are trimmed so that the CP and CLR are perfectly aligned, the boat is said to be "balanced."

[@AerialWaviator]

Excellent progress. Great graphics and explanations in this video. A summer sailing series would be cool. Looking forward to seeing you dive in to Ardupilot details explaining how it's setup and sails.

[@teamrapidus2411]

Really funny to see you go through the exact same issues and solutions with the keel as we did when we built Rapidus V1, great improvements on the project though!

[@Greg1096]

Damn was hoping for the next propeller test video

[@neogator26]

As someone with both sailing experience and an aerospace engineering degree, I feel you did a fantastic job explaining what you’ve done here and did most of the design changes that came to my mind from your alpha model. I have to say, fabric sails are so much more satisfying than rigid wing but I see why you would avoid them here.

[@BikingVikingHH]

Your problem with a wing sail is it is symmetrical, requiring high angles of attack to generate inefficient lift, which will prevent it from being able to sail upwind. The wing sails of high-performance sailboats, like the Americas cup boats, are articulating or variable geometry wings, so that the Airfoil can be adjusted depending on which side of the sail the wind is coming from.

[@Okamika44]

true but symmetrical wings are still very efficient compared to fabric sails.

[@BikingVikingHH]

@@Okamika44 is that true? My hunch disagrees 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@KingJellyfishII]

@@Okamika44 This would be a very interesting thing to test in the real world

[@Dawnbandit1]

I'd recommend bismuth for the keel. It's non-toxic and still has a fairly low melting point. It's more expensive than lead, though.

[@spoekles]

I love sailboats, please do more!

[@mathewmacpherson857]

Great video and really great ad which I never normally watch. Thanks for the info.

[@scrubstronaught]

Most well designed racing sailboats can point as high as 30⁰ into the wind. But this little boat is very cool!

[@alexanderwatson9845]

My favourite series of yours! Can't wait for longer missions

[@robertgregory8936]

On Lake Union there is the Center for Wooden Boats, where you can rent sailboats and train.

[@brettgoldsmith9971]

This is all very awesome! There's a company called saildrone making stuff like this and they also use a foil. It's obviously a lot easier to implement, but ask any sailor and they will tell how much faster you can go with properly trimmed sails. I can imagine maybe a full size cargo sailing ship using robotically controlled airfoil adjustments. I imagine you could get this thing to traverse oceans if you figure the battery efficiency out.

[@insanity54]

Another great video from rctestflight! Thanks for the infotainment and I'm looking forward to seeing more of those props being tested!

[@puxydow6650]

Sailboat keels are sometimes filled with lead to weigh it down. Keels are meant to act as an underwater foil to counteract lateral motion, but also function as a counterweight. If the shape is correct the first function is satisfied, but you probably need more weight to counteract heeling and rolling.

[@puxydow6650]

Should have watched a little longer haha

[@RubenKelevra]

I recommend changing your wind vane to be a ring with a little fin on it. This way you can balance it to be in balance in any orientation, giving you accurate readings.

[@simtalkayak]

I think, he needs to make a simple, normal Rc sailboat and go from there. The hull doesn't seem very efficient, and whilst it isn't meant to be a race boat, speed is the byproduct of an efficient, low drag hull. If I were you I'd make the wing out of printed ribs and a film skin like with RC planes, the CG still seems too high in my opinion, better, but still high.

[@2testtest2]

I don't think the hull is super bad, but it would certainly be on brand to build several hulls, and use an autonomous tug to pull-test each design to find the best one

[@simtalkayak]

Investigating a planing hull would be interesting, Vs a VSV Vs something off the shelf (one old and one modern design) ​@@2testtest2

[@ElijsDima]

This could be the start for a contest on sail design for that boat.

[@lordtickles1478]

Was expecting part 2 of the prop vids. But this was a pleasant surprise. Great vid.

[@mil-fpv4931]

It's amazing what Ardupilot is capable. Love your videos, my fellow earthling.

[@robertgregory8936]

Well done. You are becoming a sailor, learning the fine points. I hope you get out on the water and sail yourself.

[@Confused_Hippie]

Id love to do this to my Tug boat!

[@sUASNews]

I've been waiting for this!

[@notsafefortorque9060]

An new rctestflight video = good day

[@scottcates]

I appreciate your design process.

[@donf2944]

That wind helm will also help a bit with your tacking issue.

[@squirrelrc2392]

Been meaning to try this for so long.

[@davidjulian8536]

Good to see the progress with this iteration. You'll significantly improve upwind performance if you give the keel a (symmetrical) airfoil shape rather than being a faired plank. The rudder would benefit from this too, it then wouldn't need to be so big and would create less drag. The rudder will usually be at some angle to the centreline while sailing, and it needs to create lateral 'lift' to hold the course. Having a flat rudder means it will need more angle and create more drag, like trying to fly with a flat wing.

[@KingJellyfishII]

I would be really interested to see how a canvas sail compares to the foam wing sail in terms of performance.

[@angellestat2730]

One of the most advances autonomous sea drones use a similar sailing approach. They are quite impressive and indestructible to any weather condition. The best way to move without using electric power (beyond electronics which it use PV for that).

[@Feninou]

Could you do an autonomous foil boat please ? That would be amazing ! Great work btw thank you so much for sharing :)

[@carryonsailing]

Hi bud, the helm you are referring to we normally call weather helm, more mainsail power usually equals more weather helm. Also, a level of say 40 degree Apparent wind would be the norm upwind these days, 20 APP for that type of keel you have would be on the mark. Hope this helps young brother.

[@bensge1]

That was a great video! So interesting to learn about the intricacies of sailboats.

[@jojo-._.]

awesome! I really like how cool it looks lol... Kinda makes me want to build my own and I think more of us feel the same. Your videos are very inspiring

[@tracybowling1156]

Daniel, you are so smart! And what I find impressive must be different from what you find impressive. Everything you do is impressive! Please don't forget that! 😊

[@BarrettCharlebois]

I love this channel. I don’t mind the slower upload schedule, the videos are really well made and I understand it takes time to build your projects so there’s no way (imo) that you’d be able to do 3-4 uploads a week. You seem to have a “the good old days of KZbin” vibe to your channel, when it was a bit more just enthusiasts making videos at home of things they like. Interested people are interesting, and you definitely make some really fun videos. I’ve used a lot of your projects as inspiration for my own builds. You have taught me a lot of new concepts. Could you do a video on 3D modelling? You often design and print parts, but can we see that process in more depth? Like a “I seem to need a part 3D modelled and printed. This is step by step how I figure out what I need and how I make it” type of video (maybe a 2 or 3 part series? Pretty please). I know there’s a lot of 3D modelling/printing videos out there, but you could provide some good perspective of a rc / drone prototyper type person. What filaments work best for props? What ones for hulls? What are some limitations that us RC enthusiasts would run into? That type of thing. Anyways, keep up the good work. I really like your channel and projects, I always get excited when I see you’ve uploaded something new

[@solensovida]

1:50 "Of course, those were way overKEEL as fasteners...." Genius 👏

[@vDC2me]

Wonderful thanks for v sharing the models.

[@sports_assents]

Can you make EDF blades that span the whole engine and are screw like

[@directorstu]

Thanks for the interesting vid. Keel plate should be elliptical or get resistance thru cavitation.

[@GhostRyderFPV]

Can we talk about how Absolutely Mint that Taranis is?!

[@insAneTunA]

If you are ever in need for some real good quality kit you should try EPDM pond liner kit. It is non toxic for aquatic life, and it is far much stronger as regular silicone kit, and it can cure on wet surfaces, and it is UV resistant, and it sticks to pretty much any type of material. Just don't get it on your hands because it can only wear of your hands again. It really is that much better as any type of silicone kit. I made a pond from several plastic bins, and I connected all of them together with a large enough diameter PVC pipe so that the fish can swim around, and I used EPDM pond liner kit to seal all the connections, and that was about 20 years ago, and I never had a single leak. The kit is also useful to make electrical components waterproof, but once the canister is opened you cannot keep it forever, and it is a bit of a hassle to apply. Plastidip is also very useful for making ICB's waterproof and that comes in a similar can as paint, which you can store longer, and it is much easier to use. Just dip the ICB in the can, let it cure, and you are done. 👍

[@robertasjuscius1092]

I'm Long range fpv airplane guy , but i like this content a lot . I can still see fpv parts :D grate video.

[@PR-One30]

I think you need a slightly bigger hull and sail, a surfboard-size boat would be cool, GREAT work !

[@SailingFrolic]

Sailboat video! Sailboat videoooo! Let’s gooooo!!!

[@Slikx666]

So it hasn't fallen over, looks like it works well. I really have no idea what the haters are on about most of the time, it's an experiment. Nice job Daniel. 😀👍

[@memejeff]

Really sweet build man.

[@vaclavprochazka5799]

Cool results upwind with only the main sail, I bet that if you'd add a jib, you would gain efficiency and speed with not much surface area.. of a front sail... I have a 6 meters sail boat and I m interested to build a wind van that I could connect to my pilot

[@mannythehunter]

The sail boat is back!

[@Jack-ne8vm]

Try a large version on a 10 meter boat?

[@TheRattleSnake3145]

Sailing boats naturally turn up wind when they lean over because the thrust from the sail is now beside the hull centreline and the keel(drag) is on the opposite side of the centreline.

[@PatrickHoodDaniel]

The close haul (up wind) is impressve, especially without a jib or a genoa (head sail) which creates most of the power. It's difficult even in a real sailboat to tack, and a jibe is dangerous in a real sailboat.

[@Adityasaurus]

Ever since the Banana Slug video, Daniel has never underestimate the power of keel 💪

[@BraydenBrantz]

I am trying to make a Rc boat made out of plywood, it is equipped with a water pump/jet for propultion. After lots of testing and trial and error, I plan to make it work in the ocean. I am looking for some advise. do you think you can give me some tips?

[@gsestream]

you dont do people sized stuff often, but a try pedalled fixed wing hang glider with very large slow high surface area lift

[@garypaisley]

It would be interesting to make the keel / hull angle of attack adjustable to facilitate tacking and windward ability

[@blueishsquid4290]

The foam sail is really holding you boat back there’s a reason parachutes are made of fabric and not flat wood

[@emaglott]

Fascinating as usual sir!

[@jameswalterclark3696]

Awesome video as usual - can’t help but wonder if there’s a world in which the love of autopilot meets the love of hydrofoiling and you create something that takes on some of the lessons of the Vestas Sail Rocket 2. I think it would be one hell of a project!

[@my_dear_friend_]

Remember, if you pay for the shipping from the East coast, you can have a free fiberglass RC sailboat hull! About 1 meter long with bulb keel and gloss finish on the outside. We discussed this before.

[@eanayayo]

Her sail is wind vane. They both pointed mostly the same direction

[@wpjohn91]

Small suggestion. If you have a thin pole with a flag or some thin fabric on top you will be able to see the wind direction

[@jannepeltonen2036]

This was super cool!

[@youvebeenspooked]

very cool! wouldbe really awesome to include power consumption data on the multi mile waypoint testing.

[@SupaTill-r3s]

Great Video. Thanks!

[@russellzauner]

With your ground effect and foil work, using a hard sail you're really on the edge of inadvertently creating a SailGP F50 craft and those can actually travel faster than the wind. I heard everyone from here, and yes they do.

[@JitterbugFPV]

I had a full size sailing race at that same place last summer.

[@4kronercola]

I love your boat videos! Keep it up 👍

[@perseusphalanxz1502]

Fun project! Perhaps the troubles with tacking are caused by the limited movement of your rudder. If you can increase this angle your boat should be able to turn faster and cross the wind. ( If the angles showcased at 10:09 are the actual angles ) I should be closer to - and + 80 degrees. Good luck!

[@Jamesmegee09]

I can't be the only one who would love to see you design and build a RC boat like the one from waterworld with a front parachute sail ?

[@marcjohnson4884]

Good stuff. Experience with ARDPilot, 107 certification, and some drone flying experience gets you a 6 figure Drone job here in the Atlanta area. Thats more than I have made in many of my 135 flying gigs. Those drone employers are real estate and cinema companies.