Building a Solar Powered Kayak Tug Boat - Pt.2

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Part 1 of the build video - • I Built a Solar Powere...
Mold STL files: www.thingivers...
The solar panels I'm using: sungoldpower.c...
StarBond CA Glue: bit.ly/3mOscrw
Support rctestflight: / danielriley
IG: danielriley_

[@lucskywalker16]

I can't get enough of the autonomous boats/planes/rovers anytime this is in my feed, it's an insta-watch.

[@PT-mj3bk]

Agreed

[@TiceLedbetter]

Agreed

[@DJManza_]

Amen

[@glumpy10]

Same here. Fascinating stuff!

[@biergaz]

@@DJManza_ yeah same, so fucking cool

[@JH-tc3yu]

The song has me fuggin rolling dude, absolutely hilarious

[@knowltot]

The song was perfect. Hate that banana slug

[@eklhaft4531]

Lol It just started playing on radio the same time I was watching it.

[@TheMilmalik]

I’d almost forgotten about the songs 😂

[@LM-cg1dk]

What’s the original title of the song plz ?

[@Yawniverse_]

@@LM-cg1dk It is unreleased by Colin Fox

[@TheRealKuif]

Dude, the song at 13:32; that had me laughing so much. Nailed the lyrics as well. Good stuff !

[@kleanish]

so creative

[@Horus2Osiris]

Frickin' hilarious, yet profoundly skillful; your song performance made my day!

[@bragr_]

Best part of the video 😊

[@kliether33]

Such an awesome surprise! The harmonies are absolutely on point!

[@alexmenendez3277]

Killer song!

[@dankessl]

rctestflight Solar Shanty There once was a man named Daniel who He built a ship though it had no crew A ship to replace the banana slug The most hated vessel that ever was Rum treasure Ardurover Pixhawk 4 and so much solar Break of dawn till the day is over the ship will surely go He lashed his kayak to the stern But it wouldn’t track straight as he did learn 2.3 knots the ship did go An impressive speed with a kayak in tow Rum treasure Ardurover Pixhawk 4 and so much solar Break of dawn till the day is over the ship will surely go Three miles all around the lake Wind did howl and the sun did bake The intrepid vessel motored along Its voltage barely changing Rum treasure Ardurover Pixhawk 4 and so much solar Break of dawn till the day is over the ship will surely go

[@timyg]

what did he use to make the song?

[@joshuacole5608]

I think he said “lashed” his kayak to the stern and the sun did “bake”

[@brettgoldsmith8584]

@@timyg his voice I believe :) Actually though there are like a million options at this point, at least a hundred thousand are good enough to do this

[@gusmodelmaker]

@@timyg Check Wellerman based on "Soon May The Wellerman Come", an old New-Zealand shanty of 1860-70.

[@cheekilou9555]

we need the song!!!!

[@davidf2281]

I'm really hoping KZbin autodetects original sea-shanty compositions and increases ad revenue. Awesome work dude.

[@Tomartyr]

It's a rework of The Wellerman so hopefully KZbin doesn't autodetect anything.

[@IDoNotLikeHandlesOnYT]

@@Tomartyr Which, I just read in Wikipedia, is a song originally from the late 19th century, so it (the song itself, not any modern recording of it) must be out of copyright by now. But that obviously doesn't guarantee that KZbin won't detect it as an unauthorized use of a modern recording of the song.

[@deathnotesqc]

-Home Made ? -Yeah, I molded the hulls out of fiberglass -Ahh good for you that grandad reply had me

[@VascoCC95]

That was the standard answer I got for "Dad! Look what I just made!!!"...

[@Project-Air]

Can't wait for you to traverse the Atlantic in Pt.4

[@snsjzjznwjjwwjjwjw157]

yeah he better

[@brandonkempton2573]

He may follow the path of the titanic if he does that

[@quantummandavid]

You are so talented. People like you are what our younger generation should look up to.

[@1pacrip86]

This man is my god damn hero

[@panoeconomou2017]

@@1pacrip86 same🤣

[@maxboya]

It’s crazy what a computer science degree can do.

[@NealFosterHD]

Don't forget us old people too! This man really helped me get into Ardupilot for my foam plane. Gotta be a boat next

[@henryefry]

regarding the wake comment at the end. What you've made is effectively a really bad wakeless launch. The idea is that the wakes from each hull cancel out so that the boat can keep up with rowing shells without waking them out. Try messing with how far apart the hulls are to try to get more of the destructive interference.

[@pontushylen4880]

Hello, nerd here Those flexible shafts are meant more for speedboats, the rear solid bit is meant to go in a strut/stinger with 2 different inner diameters, then it won't fall out. The square part should fit loosely in the solid shaft as the flex shaft contracts under torsion. The Teflon can be cut longer than the brass shaft, then folded over and locked in place with a zip-tie. They should spin the right way as they may leak and also as they can break if spun the wrong way, normally they don't leak when the boat is on plane A solid shaft with ballbearings and universal joint would be the way to go Other than that, awesome build!!! I don't understand any of this autonomous telemetry stuff but these vids makes me want to learn it, seen all your builds Best regards

[@tgfcujhb7583]

👍👍

[@karter61]

Love hearing what all the random strangers say about your boats. Keep up the great work!

[@CurtSlaten]

A solar powered tug boat AND a snappy tune to sail her by! What a day.

[@mike_oe]

Very nice video. One piece of advise: Do NOT tin (solder) the tips of the wires that goes into the screw terminal. Over time the solder will float (think glacier) under the force of the screw and the connection will loosen up.

[@RyanParle81]

Good advice, i recommend using a crimp ferrule on any wire end terminations like this.

[@bigdatapimp]

I've never heard of this being a problem and Ive never personally experienced it... it seems like it would be fine for low current applications.

[@stal5861]

This is fine for low heat applications. High heat or high current = melted tin and loose connections.

[@madeintexas3d442]

Yep that's why you use a ferrule tip and crimp tool.

[@miksu103]

I was just about to say this. Solder is so soft connections loosen up in days and provide unreliable contact. Ferrules definitely recommended

[@28th_St_Air]

The song rivals the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It’s an instant classic!!!

[@knowltot]

This series has me so amped up! It was an instant click when it hit my alerts. You need little splash fins attached to the side of the hulls to minimize, well, splash. They are commonly found on pontoon boats. Also, can you attach a pinwheel to the front of your kayak? No reason other than for fun.

[@martindinner3621]

The fins are usually called strakes.

[@dodo3441]

I reccomend using cotton flocks and microballons as additives for epoxy when you want to glue stuff in place. Adding talcum powder/baby powder to epoxy makes it easy to sand by the way. That would have been helpful for the last vid. My go to for filling/sanding is epoxy + baby powder + microballoons + thixotropic agent

[@docwatson1134]

Fumed silica can make epoxy as thick as custard, use less gives more flow/sag. Found it on Ebay, on purchase will last a long time, takes very little.

[@pearce05]

Also, wood flour is what he was trying to think of when he used saw dust. You just need to put the sawdust into a fine sieve to get the wood flour and it does a good enough job for most jobs like this.

[@NCLSUGRT]

This is gonna keep evolving until he eventually makes a rideable autonomous boat

[@AvengerSho]

that will catch a falcon 9 in the ocean

[@bluefire87HN]

@@AvengerSho And.... fun fact: Already exist! XD

[@mitchmaster20]

That would be awesome!

[@schnell-erklaert]

When he made it over the atlantic we will welcome him in europe like lindberg

[@Tore_Lund]

@@schnell-erklaert He'll be the first one crossing the Atlantic sleeping the whole way.

[@didriksen86]

Always no boring parts in those videos. Super interesting as always.

[@recklessroges]

You could add a "solar barge" behind the tugboat, to have them higher up. (Maybe some yellow floating device could be repurposed for that, as it would mostly be hidden under the panels.) You could even have a fixed linkage between the tugboat and the solar barge, from which you could extract mechanical energy.

[@dhargarten]

I just love the interactions with strangers, they’re so curious and wholesome

[@johnpossum556]

When the sea chanty started I felt compelled to upvote this. You do the most interesting projects & I wish I had your computer prowess.

[@ezrarichardson279]

In my limited experience hot glue tends to just lose all of its strength in water. I learned that the hard way… (RIP to my first and second sailboat lol)

[@mr3748]

hahahaha yeah, Ive been avoiding hot glue like the plague. Ive havent touched a gluegun in the past 10 years... Epoxy is the way to go...

[@komack1]

hot glue loses its strength if you fart in the same room

[@blaircox1589]

It's somewhat why 99% isopropyl alcohol will instantly break the bond of hot glue on most surfaces. The water or alcohol gets between the surfaces. Water just takes longer. Or in the case of wood, gets absorbed and swells the fibres, breaking/weakening the bond. Keep it dry and hot glue will tear wood fibres apart before the bond let's go.

[@GeneralThargor]

Holy crap, this was a great video until the shanty, then it instantly became EPIC. Another awesome video, please keep them coming, love your work Daniel.

[@michaelwhinnery164]

2029 Daniel embarks on the first ever autonomous solar tugboat circumnavigation of the globe.... proving once and for all that the earth isn't flat.

[@darthkek1953]

If the earth wasn't flat we'd fall off. CHECKMATE, DARWIN !

[@NURKFPV]

6:03 my favorite part so far.

[@s4dg]

You didn’t make it to 13:32 did you

[@mrmirech4795]

Hah hi Nurk!!!

[@dtm2741]

COOM

[@Gosuminer]

Simply awesome. And the Pixhawk shanty made me smile the whole song through.

[@carnyzack]

You can get much lighter solar panels that would decrease your freeboard weight and lower the center of mass greatly improving stability. Also gluing the electronics instead of drilling holes in your hull would prevent leakage.

[@tomci121]

He didn't drill anything into the hull, only wood top deck was drilled.

[@darkairieal]

@@tomci121 15:44

[@drc6940]

Yeah, you can get high efficiency panels without the glass and aluminium. This would significantly reduce weight.

[@sergeov8431]

Worth 10 million views I have to say I like that you don’t have fancy video editing and keep everything simple and clean!!

[@daxdadog]

The sea shanty/ Greek chorus is nothing short of brilliant!

[@andrzejdamianpierzasty8916]

Jesteś człowieku niesamowity w swoich umiejętnościach... wszystkiego dobrego.

[@areyouarobotz]

I'm surprised the motors didn't overheat, The boats that I have with brushless motors require water cooling systems

[@GoldenCroc]

Its really low power compared to yours, probably. Boats such as these can be run on a few watts of output power if he keeps a reasonable speed suitable for the hulls.

[@stefanschupp4616]

I watch this channel for the engineering, because it's fascinating to me and right up my alley, but that song completely stole the show. Epic.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@8:30 - I have a friend that rode uni-cycle. He also happened to be a fully functioning alcoholic that could ride uni-cycle while operating "devil sticks" at the same time - often while tripping balls. He was a fixture at Dead shows of days gone by.

[@henryatkinson1479]

Did not expect to find an absolute banger of a song in a solar kayak tug video.

[@asailijhijr]

There's a shitty infomercial/gag product that extends the hood of a hoodie to the edges of your laptop screen. It could solve your problem of seeing the screen in the sun, but mostly it'd be hilarious once.

[@jakepi2607]

Wonderful video. My 1 year old daughter is a big fan of the sailing song rendition.

[@steam6626]

17:05 If you try to go faster than the max speed of a boat determined by its length you just make bigger waves no matter what throttle you give it. but that shouldn‘t be a problem tugging the kayak.

[@cambridgemart2075]

The displacement speed, as it's known

[@steam6626]

@@cambridgemart2075 yes, i didn‘t remember the term as i am german and no native speaker

[@GoldenCroc]

Yes efficiency goes down with orders of magnitude, more or less at the speeds he is doing with such small hulls. Hard to avoid though, unless he wants to make them longer.

[@steam6626]

@@GoldenCroc when pulling the kayak, he probably doesn’t reach those speeds

[@GoldenCroc]

@@steam6626 No, but according to his quoted meter per seconds number, he isnt that far from it either. But he also needs other props and hull shapes for better efficiency. Its fun to try to optimize.

[@alisioardiona727]

I love the stranger who takes a ride behind the tugboat

[@drDigD]

The song is perfect! 🤣

[@overbese]

That song, above and beyond what's required.

[@Slikx666]

Just a little idea. If you put some fins on the front of each hull they would help stop the bows from going under the water. >/ / _______________/ They shouldn't be in the water permanently and I don't know at what angle. Once you've done the mission try landing a RC plane on it. ☺️👍

[@clonkex]

Normally I'm not a fan of your songs, but that one was absolutely great! *chef's kiss*

[@melcrose]

I thought "OH, that's a catch little sea chanty" and then I started listening to the words. NICE.

[@OMGWTFBBQSHEEP]

Same😂

[@OMGWTFBBQSHEEP]

I must say.. I really enjoyed this vid! And the song was indeed perfect.

[@OdykKayne]

That song is amazing....the BOAT is amazing! I bet your journey will be a pretty fun one!

[@RandomAccountHolder]

OK, props to the musician for that song and lyrics. Great project. Keep hoping I'll run into you one of these times out swimming, but not yet!

[@jakeb92980]

Best song yet, well done to the artist.

[@jayfpv6781]

Make compartment in your boat so that the if water does enter somehow it will be restricted to that compartment and your boat wont sink. Make compartment from bottom of hull to the top deck. This is a mandatory thing done in every ship this was also one of the reason why titanic sank.... Hope this will help u get better results.... I am a Naval Architect myself and love your videos 👍

[@JL-cy1ks]

Loved the song, please post it alone as a song + clip, just as a cut out of this video - I'm sure someone will if you don't :P

[@scenicdepictionsofchicagolife]

These RC videos will NEVER get old

[@richardhallyburton]

You should have angled the prop shafts and made them as long as possible, thereby raising the motors and inboard end of the tubes above the waterline.

[@GoldenCroc]

Why though? It really normally isnt that hard to make it leak-proof, he is making it a bit hard for himself, but that is to be expected as a beginner in this field. Better to get the lower center of gravity and slightly better effieciency of the placement he got if you ask me. But yeah, with the solar panels mounted, the center of gravity benefit is relatively minuscule, for sure.

[@richardhallyburton]

@@GoldenCroc I'm not saying it's totally necessary, but if he intends to sail long range missions, which he is, it would be wise to design the hulls in such a way that they are naturally watertight. To me, this far outweighs any COG considerations, especially given the weight of the craft.

[@GoldenCroc]

@@richardhallyburton Well, I fully agree with everything you wrote. Also, a very small automatic bilge pump in each hull can be a literal life saver, he should get one of those. Oh, and fill unused space with styrofoam so it is unsinkable. Yeah, the CG and efficiency benefits really are miniscule at best, functionally non existant at worst, it was the pedant in me talking which know there are theoretical drawbacks to raising them, however small. Which triggers my OCD. Sorry.

[@richardhallyburton]

@@GoldenCroc No problem, don't apologise, I like discussing these things and am a bit of a pedant too!

[@johnrobinson1140]

these videos are technical brilliance but the songs are absolutely golden!

[@FrenkMeesters]

Lets go was waiting for this one

[@AndyHolt72]

The quality of these videos is great, i've been a fan for years now Dan, but the narration is more relaxed and filled with humour. Love the music now too.... clever!

[@el9206]

I hope you’re planning to secure those solar panels better

[@nicklachen5060]

yeah that looked a little sketchy! haha. Esp. considering how low the boat is in the water...

[@nickcody7257]

That is really cool. The only thing I would suggest adding is a car fob type kill switch you can attach to yourself. If you spill the Kayak and your laptop and controller you won't be able to stop it.

[@mikeag]

Yeah, I really need to graduate so I can build stuff again. I actually counting down the days!

[@nibba7614]

Bruh you don't need to graduate to build stuff. Build in videos requires near to zero university skills, just some basic understanding and A LOT of practice and research.

[@stal5861]

I built my most interesting projects during my time at the university. You can discuss ideas with knowledgeable people. Also building is great for procrastinating.

[@mikeag]

Unfortunately, I just don't have time or the place. I'm my grandma's live in caregiver so I don't have a workspace and cannot leave the house except for quick grocery trips on very rare occasion. What time I have is occupied by my 30 credit final semester online and taking care of my grandma.

[@calderov]

This is the kind of content the internet was invented for! Great video.

[@vincei4252]

1:25 Dude, get yourself an arbor press or equivalent (~hydraulic shop press) rather than pounding on those bearing with a hammer.

[@Wearyman]

You know the banana slug isn't "Hated", right? It was a fantastic first effort and worked surprisingly well. Absolutely a success, and you should be proud of how well it did. It just needed some improvements, which you have made with your new design. The new more traditional "displacement" style "Deep Vee" hulls clearly work much better. Faster, more stable, and better hydrodynamics. Nice work!

[@o0julek0o]

Ultimate stoner toy. Slap a waypoint mission, spark up a fat doink in the kayak behind the autonomous boat and enjoy the slow, comfy ride.

[@lebasson]

Your sense of humor is delightful.

[@EthanfromEngland-]

Im trying really hard not to make an immature joke about 6:02

[@objection_your_honor]

In the home-build aircraft scene, cotton flocks and epoxy is the go to for all structural fillets and fillings.

[@erictheepic5019]

I was trying to hold my tongue, but now I've gotta say it: It's Catamaran, not Catamarand. When you say catamaran, you tack a 'd' on the end where there is none. It's driving me mad. I beg, please stop.

[@Studio23Media]

I come just for the fabulous music now. Incredible rendition!

[@dr_blerk]

New favorite youtube channel -- excellent work, excellent delivery. 12/10.

[@abdullahkrmzyuz5827]

The song at 13:32 SLAPS!

[@benjaminmumm4907]

+1 for the Shanty. That was unexpected and really awesome!

[@birdseyeview1543]

Complete with a sea shanty, you got all the skills.

[@michaelprice3031]

I love when you make something and people can't help but ask what it is! Happens to me sometimes too.

[@blazinthat7439]

The boat! The song! The people! What a great video.

[@PsyMongazoid]

10/10 for the little Sea Shanty! Awesome. 😁

[@ben0000able]

That harmony was a total surprise to me, I love it ✌🏻

[@andrewwilkins4238]

Yes, finally a Pixhawk! Now use PX4 for everything!!!

[@asafvarlix]

hands down this is the most brilliant, fun and cool DIY project ive ever seen, gj

[@sam-rs8wg]

Looks like the next step will be a couple of tiny 12v bilge pumps, im so excited for part 3 though

[@dogefort8410]

"How about water skis?" 🤩 We the people have spoken!

[@RobisonRacing68]

God I love your videos. Your Skillshare ads are the best. Not dry, always fun to watch. Glad I subbed when you were just a kid. It's been a fun ride.

[@markpfeifer1402]

Thumbs up for the sea shanty musical interlude!

[@stephenlewis9159]

So much better, really getting good a this hull shaping thing now.

[@artblakey4159]

I vote for a bilge pump. Also, the songs are always fun, but this one takes the cake, awesome!!

[@gijoecam]

The flex tube is designed to bend up after it enters the hull, which let's you keep the inside end of the shaft tube above the water line. That will help keep the water out as well.

[@SportSoulLife]

I think you need a kayak with a hard shell. Will have significantly less drag, allowing you to go faster and straighter

[@jakeh3144]

Nice video, what a good idea to use a soldering iron to melt the fitting in that 3d printed part. I'll have to remember that for future projects.

[@lookronjon]

Great job. The lake shanty had me smiling.

[@Kona120]

YAY! This is my favorite type of video!

[@Krynn72]

The sea shanty brings this video to the next level. That was great!

[@maxonheadrick9339]

Plug your patron more! ive never considered financially supporting a great yt creator until i saw this video.

[@imsoemo2234]

Even let dude go for a ride. What a cool guy.

[@fernandochueca4213]

Best chanel in youtube instant watch every time i see it in my feed

[@Noah-qs3rq]

Heres a thing for ya I learned from Adam Savage. He uses CA glue (superglue) and baking soda. Do some small tacks with the superglue then sprinkle baking soda on the glue. It causes it to set up faster and has something else to grab too. Ruffing up the area also helps too. Ive used this to fix pesky ABS parts that have broke. Works really well for structural things like the motor brackets

[@machinemaker2248]

Impressive harmony! I love the tune. Great video and thanks for sharing the ups *and downs* with us. Good to see what works and doesn't, saving time, money, and effort. More appreciated than you know.

[@guyod1]

Cool idea. Solar tug feeling power to a drone with cord. Drone that can stay in air 24/7

[@swurvo]

A couple trolling motors and a little 2 man bass raider with the panels floating behind or overhead canopy style would be the ticket

[@mojoneko8303]

Nice video, very ingenious project! I sea kayaked the coast of Alaska for years in an 18 foot fiberglass sea kayak for weeks at a time in the 80's and 90's. I seriously considered installing the power system from a large 1/4 scale boat in it to help with long open water crossings especially against a stiff head wind, I was planning to use a 50cc water cooled 2 cycle motor for large RC boats. I figured that should be plenty of power to push me along. This was before the electric option was very practical. Thanks for the video!

[@LCARSx32]

I recently found this channel and the waypoint mission with the banana slug where you get your truck stuck is one of my favorite videos. When I heard the lyrics that the banana slug was one of the most hated ships that ever was, I was indignant. Lol. I want a shirt with a picture of the banana slug and text that says "The most hated ship that ever was" with hated crossed out and loved written over it!

[@koos42]

If you mount your motors so the shaft exits the sleeve above the water-line, you won't have to worry nearly as much about water intrusion, but you'd need a longer shaft, or you'd have to make it flex.

[@jordanmacmorris4998]

Just a suggestion to the design. Try adding an underwater spoiler maybe across the whole stern, but at least little ones on each hull. It will help with the nose bobing and gain some efficiency

[@3DPrinterAcademy]

Cool project and great music!!!