CRAZY FAST DRILL POWERED BOAT MOTOR! Sailing Meraki | Ep.47

The "Freewheeler" destroyed itself so I added an electric drill for my boat motor. Its way cheaper then a torqeedo sitting at about £60 vs £2000. Electric boats are crazy fast!
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[@gallan671]

What i like about this is, when you go to a beach, you can stick the drill in your rucksack and walk off.. knowing your boat wont get nicked

[@AlexGoesSailing]

I hadn’t thought about that! That’s a great idea.

[@dougfairweather]

Nice comment... How about a couple of small panels to put some juice in it while your ashore!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@dougfairweather possibly!

[@sailingavocet]

loved this, well done Alex! Keep having fun!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thanks guys! I had a blast with this one😁

[@peterclift2952]

Love your channel , this episode eye opening & entertaining

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thank you! Will be doing a follow up!

[@TheLowCostSailor]

Great idea!!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thank you!

[@anthonytomassetti8459]

Brilliant! Was thinking of doing the same

[@simeontalbot2537]

Brilliant! Now here's a little challenge for you. Get yourself an 18v fan control switch and add a small plug to the drill so you can connect the switch and bypass the trigger. You'll have variable speed control and be able to position yourself more comfortably 😁

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Now that would be a challenge!

[@robertfarnham3652]

I made one out a weed wacker shaft and I bend it with my tire on my Kia so I can have it fit the way I want it to fit and back of my Town canoe and it worked really good I had a Black & Decker hooked up to it and me and my daughter we went fishing with it and it worked excellent

[@AndyUK-Corrival]

Good test and good idea for pootling around. I’ll stick to my e-Propulsion for now... Andy UK

[@AlexGoesSailing]

It was great fun!

[@johnkwaak9636]

I have been using a 18VDC Milwaukie drill on my Hobie OB SUV kayak for two years now fishing in the Fort George, St. John's Mil Cove Jax FL rivers, using a drill paddle sold at Walmart. It was $24.00 back in 2020! Now almost double that cost in 2022! The aluminum shaft has broken at the chuck point numerous times just from leveraging it against the kayak to make turns or just to stay moving straight. I just cut off 4"s of the PVC pipe and make it a bit shorter and used it about three more times that way. Once I ran it into a shallow oyster bed and bowed it real bad before stopping the motor. Almost lost it that way TOO! :.0! I just bent it back in place to get home and bought a new one. It wobbled a lot after that mishap. :.) Be careful you don't pull the trigger of the drill while the propeller blades are close to the hull TOO! :.( Makes some mean gash marks in the plastic. Once night fishing I dripped salt water on to the lithium battery pack connected to the drill from the paddle I was using at the time. Thought I was making POP Corn for a few seconds before I put a stop to that!:.) The shaft is made from aluminum perhaps stainless steel would have been a better design? Even switched out the two blade prop for a three blade, beefing up the speed and torque. You can't fit it into the foot pedal hole with three blades on it though. Oh well I'm switching to a trolling motor soon so no bother. I burnt up the brush drill after two years use on a 9.0 va/hr battery pack. All ways keeping another battery pack and drill onboard as a spare. I was doing two mile runs using this thing to get to my best fishing spots without peddling there. I was going to use my brushless drill on it next to see how long it would last. I tried my 24 volt Kobalt using it too but the midrange speed wasn't there! Either low or high is what you get from it. I'm almost 65 years old now and my arm went completely numb after over using it holding on to the motor for to long in my last week-end fishing event. So it's time to get on with the need of spending MORE money and using a trolling motor for the leisure life of fishing the open waters in my up coming life of retirement. [e-mail]

[@HighMileageOffroad]

Can I get a link to the 3 blade prop your using? I'm gonna do the same how did your drill battery last out on the water?

[@HighMileageOffroad]

Also the price increase on the drill paddle is due to them using better materials I believe it's a semi steel inner shaft now!

[@willdavis3332]

Good video, thanks for posting! The gearbox is definitely a weak point on the Freewheeling Outboards, it broke on mine too after only a couple of hours use!!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

I definitely recommend the drill upgrade or even removing the gears and reattaching the handle!

[@eamonnocarroll5866]

Great idea

[@zoltanraffay4903]

Good, crazy video! Thanks! :)

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Cheers!!!

[@joseconcepcion3796]

You're a genius!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thank you Jose!!!

[@davidcowton1070]

Nice one Alex, Have you timed how long a battery lasts when using it continuously? It would be handy to know so you can plan your trips!!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

That’s something I do want to do! They lasted long enough for me to not find out during this video!

[@gregdrake810]

Sweet I have a bree hand paddle, I'm gonna try the drill on it

[@madcatsailing]

Love it, futures electric. Gonna get Davey one saves him pushing the boat when it breaks down. 😹💀☠️💨

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Indeed it is!

[@ianmangham4570]

Had to click soon as i seen the drill 😂👍🇬🇧

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Might have another wild idea coming out soon😉

[@dougfairweather]

Interesting thought... You have me thinking now! Between boat and shore... What more would you need!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Exactly!

[@ashlybrown5341]

Just found you on here Alex nice to see someone local ! Thats a cool idea being rich on the way lol

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thank you!!!

[@K.J.Ray421]

You can also see that's a low amp hour battery. So if you got a drill that has a larger one, the battery will last longer and have a little more power. For instance our Milwaukee M18 5.0ah batteries will run our stick vacuum much longer than the 1.5ah battery. That looks like a 1.5ah battery by thickness, maybe that company makes a 3ah or so? Perfect product to pair with the drill though. It takes away from trying to find a trolling motor or small outboard to rob the outdrive from.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah a bigger battery would definitely help!

[@pa_maj.MARTINI-van-MAN]

Chinesium, loved it 😂

[@SapriNTB]

Hi Alex good idea

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Thanks!

[@seeadler8043]

wtf nice alex greets from germany

[@walden6272]

Defeats the purpose of manual. Now you have to pay a fee to get your boat registered since it's categorized as a motor boat since it's battery powered.

[@ronduff4325]

Cool !

[@TheStefanJL]

Awesome Video! How is the propeller attached to the shaft?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Nut and a pin. Very simple system and will have to see how long it last but it’s still working to this day.

[@ThailandAmazing]

I think a nice invaded stripped down motor with prop on end be the trick

[@HelderNevesHelderNeves]

Whats your latest development on this? I was about to build one drill powered myself and then I found this :) did you find a way to extend the shaft for better grip on the drill?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah it’s quite easy to extend! I used a welder but you could do it so many different ways. I will be trying it on my paddle board next🤔

[@jasonglover5989]

I would love to see this with the 3:1 reduction! Also wish the freewheeler was about 3 - 4 inches longer for better placement in the water

[@AlexGoesSailing]

It’s a 3:1 but the gears didn’t last that long! Yeah a little deeper would be good.

[@K0nstandinosK]

@@AlexGoesSailing my idea is to attach a chainsaw or a small lil dirtbike engine 50 or 125cc 4 stroke

[@K0nstandinosK]

@@AlexGoesSailing where is the next video of this bro cmon we losted u

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@K0nstandinosK will be soon!

[@K0nstandinosK]

@@AlexGoesSailing im looking atm electric chainsaws on google, and they dont make so much noise, but the batteries on some last in 15 mins, we will see

[@majorissuesnow]

I did this to mine as well. But if you're just trolling hand cranking is fine.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah going easy is fine but I don’t think the gears would last many seasons. I managed to break the main shaft recently so back to petrol power for now.

[@philipdove1705]

Someone should make an outboard that you can mount a drill too.

[@ausweta44]

There are plenty on eBay and AliExpress

[@louiejordan7625]

It needs to be deeper more submerged that chop is called cavitation and it it where you are loosing your efficiency

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Very true! Unfortunately there is no easy way to fix it.

[@redwood1957]

did this need to be deeper in the water a bit more? thank you

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yes ideally but unfortunately it has no adjustment

[@Jcslim138]

You need to try this with an impact gun. I can imagine youll probably go double or triple the speed. And the battery are way bigger so also longer drive time. Only flaw would be the extra weight. But what’s another 10lbs lol

[@AlexGoesSailing]

I do have one so might try it. Bit worried about the extra torque breaking it even more!

[@Jcslim138]

@@AlexGoesSailing have to find out, I know you said the part that actually goes to the prop doesn’t break. So maybe welding on a 1/2in socket or something along that line.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@Jcslim138 yeah will be welding the shaft out bigger so it is easier to attach a drill or impact but I think the impact would shear that shaft for sure.

[@yep.fishing]

Don't you want speed over torque though?

[@ygrittesnow1701]

One observation. You would get better efficiency if the prop was fully submerged. You are getting too much surface cavitation. And a question. Did you buy chance see if this would move you sailboat in any way?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah I agree and it’s just a pain that you can’t adjust it. Haven’t tried it in the boat yet.

[@ygrittesnow1701]

@@AlexGoesSailing Crazy but another option to consider is a battery weed trimmer with an edger function. Already has a shaft to allow for submersion into the water. At would allow for a larger prop option giving more thrust. And a weed trimmer is designed to operate for longer periods then a drill.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@ygrittesnow1701 that’s a good idea!

[@DickieBird888]

How about just a long shaft with a prop on the end... then stick the shaft straight in to the drill.... May need a bearing on the shaft and a drop in point where it pivots....

[@AlexGoesSailing]

That is a good idea but this a product that I bought that was hand powered until it broke. So a simple modification and I get steering and the force more efficiently being applied in the horizontal axis. If I was doing it from scratch I would do it the same way you said!

[@boughttheticket]

I used a 750 watt bike motor with a 4'long straight ss tube for a shaft (like a mud motor)and a prop from a 2 hp gas motor. A 5 amp drill battery and a pwm speed controller for variable speed. I put it between two inflatable sups that are held together with 1"tubes.The tubes slip into 1 1/4 tubes that are strapped around the sups. We sit on two beach chairs. A bicycle retrofit electric motor, speed controller and wired remote can be under $150 depending on motor size. It works well, but does not steer too quickly- yet. I just found a dewalt "battery to wires connector" at temu to make battery connections easier. Going over 4 mph sucks a lot of juice, so I am looking into putting it on hydrofoils and make it a speed boat.

[@torquilmorrison1283]

my favourite beach east head

[@AlexGoesSailing]

It’s a great beach!

[@ivanstamboliev384]

Hey Alex! Where did you get this free wheeler from? I cannot find such a product. Thank you!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

I found it at ebay and some marine stores

[@d.alexsalter7758]

I cant find that freewheeler device for nothing. I would love to reverse engineer one myself and make it better.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@d.alexsalter7758 I struggled to find one when I was looking too but they are out there unless they stopped making them because the gears kept on breaking!

[@NorAlienEuqcab]

They are still available on Amazon as of this date but the price has gone up significantly. 327.99 Canadian. Under “hand operated outboard.” Unfortunately the reviews still say it breaks easily.

[@georgefloyd4143]

What type of drill did you use? How many volt and ah is the battery?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

18v 2ah lithium brushless geared drill.

[@monkeydluffy626]

please tutorial create mounting for motor bor

[@paulharrison7914]

It looks like the designers didn't venture into prop design theory. It looks like that prop is too big for a dinghy with too much pitch - and that is before the 3:1 gearing on those tiny little planetary gears. You need to get the right prop for whatever motor you use and RPM expected.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah they definitely didn’t design it very well! I will probably make some more modifications to it and see if I can make it much better. That prop it massive!

[@sailingona]

ha ha :) nice

[@jckdnls9292]

You'd go faster if the propeller was deeper in the water.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Oh for sure!

[@TheHuntercamper]

Try an electric weed wacker

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Could be interesting!

[@beebeequail]

Surface piercing propeller !

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Very efficient!

[@robbiebyers6222]

If you take and put the prop lower in the water you'll get better forward motion and you will get better speed

[@AlexGoesSailing]

No way of mounting it lower but it would definitely make it a little better!

[@robbiebyers6222]

Yes there is that little place where there is a mounting bracket cut a notch in lower the bracket it should just be a hard plastic board so that you can hook a trolling motor to right? Are you there to do is cut a notch in it and lower it down

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@robbiebyers6222 I would do that if it was an old dinghy but this one is new! I could make a lowering bracket though!

[@robbiebyers6222]

Try taking and using a giant C-clamp which would give you a lower surface to connect I like trying to figure things like that out

[@fabiomartinspescador]

Good night Alex. What is the value of this Helice Manual? I am from Brazil!!!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

£60

[@fabiomartinspescador]

Can you indicate where I can buy?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@fabiomartinspescador got it of eBay a while ago. It’s called a freewheeler.

[@direkhit]

@@AlexGoesSailing Amazon carries it. BRIS brand for $109

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@direkhit thats awesome! hopefully it lasts longer then mine!

[@user-pt3mz4pd4i]

what is the name of the tool you use I want to buy it

[@AlexGoesSailing]

It’s called a freewheeler!

[@philipdove1705]

I attached my drill to my crank paddle and it broke immediately

[@SomeNot]

Now try it with a vacuum cleaner or washing machine motor ;)

[@AlexGoesSailing]

That could be interesting!

[@SomeNot]

@@AlexGoesSailing I’ve seen people drive home built electric speed boats and go carts with them online and it seems to work. It would need a separate battery, of course but I’d guess it would deliver quite a lot more power than your drill.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@SomeNot the next limitation is that bendy shaft!

[@jmwjr1900]

Boys and their toys. Definitely a different video.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Definitely! I had lots of fun😁

[@roadstar499]

Would go better if prop was 3 inches deeper in water

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Probably would!

[@TubeCarz]

Just think .. with a few more .. your liable to hit two or three knots ! Can a human even breath at those speeds .. ;-)

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Might be a bit hard to hold on at those speeds!

[@richjean482]

😂❤

[@SapriNTB]

Where you from

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Uk 🇬🇧

[@petethewrist]

Broke another one... Thanks I will not buy one till they improve the gears. Lol

[@AlexGoesSailing]

That will never happen! Take the gears off and add a drill, perfect solution

[@vanle974]

very good

[@napoleonnapoleon3242]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@maximolotov]

I have tried impact drill ,but it did not increase any speed , rpm did not go to their max for some reason , instead impact drill provided exactly the same max speed as my cordless drill and therefore rpm i suppose, and mad hammering noise as the only bonus. That's with self-made drill paddle and small prop from trolling motor though. I get 5 km max speed with my gear Self-made handheld drill paddle with no mount and small prop from trolling motor and cordless drill 1800rpm. Poor built quality off my drill paddle and no mount make drill overheat and 5ah batteries die every 500 metres. Drill rpm 1800 Impact rpm 3200 Bloody drill paddle with no mount is hell to hold as well :)))) I am now wondering what will be better in terms of max speed and battery life. Your toy or drill paddle with built in mount in to it as one piece and sold on AliExpress with small prop from trolling motor. I have even bough impact a specially for this , but returned it day after. P.S. I have 10 batteries 5ah each for business use any way + drill and that's why i am even more after it all :)))

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Yeah impact will be useless as doesn’t have the power. On my two 2ah batteries I can do about 3-4nm.

[@maximolotov]

@@AlexGoesSailing Going to get your toy then and stick to my 1800 rpm, I bet I will get 4 knots solid at max speed, as well as about 5 miles range with my batteries :))))))) Will also use Ryobi cordless tire inflator / deflator in deflation mode to suck out heat to get the most of it. That best ryobi cordless tire inflator with lcd screen. Thank you vm for test results

[@maximolotov]

@@AlexGoesSailing lol just realized that singe spin gets prop spinning 4 times so if drill gets you 1400 rpm then your prop was spinning at 3600 rpm ! My drill is 1800 so = 7200 !!

[@Gkitchens1]

I've seen the gear reduction drive breaks on a lot of these because of junkmetal gears. It's a real shame because I've set out on a mission to get my hands on boat and make it foot pedal or hand crank withojt spending hardly any money, and make it exempt from registration in my state. I want it to be as cheap as possible and free to operate. I have plenty of paddle inflatable kayaks but I want foot pedal or hand crank for this mission. Most cheap inflatables don't have transoms nor can they take them, the ones that do are expensive and most set the transom too far back to reach this hand crank. Hmm

[@zeekwolfe6251]

I have not seen such wiggly camera work since "Chasing Bigfoot."

[@AlexGoesSailing]

My apologies 😬

[@rogerdinnis3816]

I think that the 'Freewheeler' is intended for sheltered inland waters, canals etc. It upsets the boats balance for sea use.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

I agree! With handle it’s useless with any current or wind!

[@ThailandAmazing]

Hmmm you give me a idea.

[@itsclearasmud7718]

Be nice if the prop was in the water.

[@AlexGoesSailing]

It would be!

[@meirhussein8056]

if this is your diy idea, you should register the copyright, if not people steal your idea and they register the copyright to the royalty.

[@mustamuri]

✨🧸✨🥴👍

[@johndahl6593]

Whack it!!!

[@chuckrobinson599]

Well Alex I've enjoyed your channel, but now Torqueedo is going to sue you and take down your channel.😆😆😆😆😆

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Haha they might try! If they halved in price it would be worth it but not at the price they are at now.

[@chuckrobinson599]

@@AlexGoesSailing I've seen their prices. They scared me, and I ain't afraid of nothing

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@chuckrobinson599 hahaha they do!

[@sailing_helouise]

Lol 😂

[@sailing_helouise]

😂

[@thewrongguy]

Where to buy

[@AlexGoesSailing]

Amazon in some places and some marine shops!

[@thewrongguy]

@@AlexGoesSailing you got a link for amazon

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@thewrongguy you should be able to find it by searching for ‘freewheeler’

[@erezda]

@@AlexGoesSailing cannot find on amazon, do you have a link ?

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@erezda don’t think it’s on Amazon. Search for freewheeler

[@tenawhitby7381]

I have Watersnake two horse power and with my boat it goes realy fast and it is electric an was only $280

[@AlexGoesSailing]

i will take a look at that!

[@maximolotov]

Lol your motor gets same speed as this toy , or slower and it also need a very heavy battery + battery charger + battery waterproof box = 280+150+70+ 25= 515 :)))) = Toy from this video wins

[@jfsoutdooradventures2384]

Chineseium LOL

[@-tee--bee-3230]

Get yourself a better drill!!

[@-tee--bee-3230]

“Chinesium”. 😂😥😂. Love it!!!!!!!!!!!

[@AlexGoesSailing]

@@-tee--bee-3230 I was more worried about snapping the bendy shaft! The chinesium gears had already self destructed by that point!

[@vlahosfanisvlahos9404]

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