My Illegal Tugboat Is Now An R/C Toy!

The Minnesota DNR said my modified sandbox is legally a toy, not a boat. So I doubled down by making it a radio controlled toy! Now Tuggy can pull barges around, and if the barge happens to be my kayak, that's perfectly legal, right? Tuggy now has full radio control, a louder horn, and only occasionally catches on fire. I even dumpster-dived a zombie child Halloween decoration to be the new captain. Honestly I'm pretty sure this thing is more of a hazard to navigation than before, but at least it's not a "boat", so the DNR should be perfectly happy!
Original Tuggy build video: • Turning a Tuggy Sandbo...
DNR smackdown video: • The Minnesota DNR Hate...
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[@edellenburg78]

We built a floating dock here in Michigan but used a trolling motor to bring it out to the middle of the lake and back. Our DNR says if it has a motor and being using in the water, it has to have an MC number. I went to our local Secretary of State and told them I built a custom boat with motor. They gave me my MC number. I went to Home Depot and bought the sticker numbers and posted on the side of the dock. You should have seen the faces of the DNR when I went motoring by them in my 16x16 float dock. They did not pull me over or say a word. Lol

[@saveitforparts]

See, I tried to say I built a custom boat, and our DNR wanted pictures, then they didn't like what they saw. Couple years ago we built an 8x16 raft out of barrels and plywood, and they let us register that just fine!

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

When the governments overstep their boundaries, revolutions result. Just sayin'....

[@arjovenzia]

not a licencing issue cos we never motorised it, we built a floating platform out of big 1ft chunks of styrofoam. to keep it from shedding beads and to give some texture, we wrapped it all in a cream shade cloth. when moored in deeper water, it looked like it was made of limestone. apparently we confused quite a few beachwalkers as to how on earth we made limestone float.

[@capichow]

@@edellenburg78 🤣🤣🤣🥲🤣🏆❤️❤️

[@capichow]

@@arjovenzia 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ajbent1]

For me the issue with cheap trailer lights has always been the wiring. Its always copper coated aluminum that just disintegrates when any moisture appears. Replacing it with actual copper wire with silicone insulators is what solved it for me. The replaced wiring on my crappy Harbor Freight trailer is going on 7 years now without any adjustment, while the original wiring lasted like 1 year.

[@CryingWolf_225]

My uncle used bulk extension cord wire for his trailer and it has been working fine ever since. It looks cool with the orange wire going down the tongue and branching off from a waterproof junction box. It has worked for more than 5 years accept for the bulbs always going out it is a perfect sa;ution using the bulk extension cord wire.

[@DonnyLA]

Being towed across the lake by an evil zombie kid was priceless!!! Greatest vid ever! You are awesome dude 🙏

[@serecon]

As soon as I heard " Crouching Zombie Child" I had to put everything aside and give my full attention to the video, this is youtube gold.

[@digitalchaos1980]

Crouching Zombie Child, almost sounds like a corny martial arts move! 😆 😆

[@shinji391]

@@serecon Crouching Zombie Hidden Child. Crouching Zombie Hidden Demon.

[@nicholasjohnson2422]

It is too bad that the DNR would not register the boat, but to be honest being towed by a zombie child in your kayak is a far better result than piloting it yourself would have been!

[@adamweb]

Manned boat: ❌ RC boat towing man: ✔

[@al3k]

Future upgrade idea: amplify Timmy's voice and try and remote trigger it somehow too... and maybe make his head move around :D

[@cobraspottedwolf8791]

Definitely a responsible use of time and resources

[@MerlinTheGreat-op3lz]

It is like watching Red Green back in the day . keep on going sir { salutes }

[@PU7MZD]

This is definitely going to the "Best of 2024" video recap

[@PU7MZD]

Also, I'm happy to see Little Tommy/Jimmy/Timmy as a new member of the gang

[@jeffheiner]

DUDE If you named it Tuggy McTugFace and had a fire extinguisher, I think you would have been legit.

[@jimmy2thymes916]

That 1-800 number on the boat is still in service lol. Little Tikes replacement parts hotline.

[@saveitforparts]

Ha! I've never actually tried calling it. Sometimes I forget phones make voice calls that aren't just scams or advertisements.

[@userscott]

When I registered my Tuggy boat in the UK, I gave that number as the hull serial number. 😂

[@BobaPhettamine]

it's funny that a plastic canoe is legal but not tuggy 😆

[@napalmholocaust9093]

I made a trailer bumber and set all the lights under metal grills. Also used marine wire in spools. You can just buy the appropriate pig-tail. Never rely on chassis grounds lights either. My chassis is grounded but each light is 3 wire and gets linked in. No problems for over ten years. Also put the pig-tail in plastic conduit and have it attached close to the tongue so it isn't long enough to get run over or drag (seen many like that).

[@jacobhofmann9503]

I have to admit, they were right about that being a toy, it looks like way more fun to R/C that and have it tug you around as a toy lol

[@nicholaslewis7208]

zip ties are worth there weight in gold. The golden zip tie. we must start a quest for this.

[@zachwhite2716]

Good thing zip ties are light.

[@mikebond6328]

I’ve got a pile of linear actuators that I saved from the landfill. I find them on treadmills and stand up assist recliners. I got two off an electric futon my neighbor threw out.

[@arjovenzia]

yep, great source of them. the DC motors in a treadmill also make excellent generators. only problem is is they are often at weird voltages. they still work at 12v, but will have far less power than what is on the sticker. still, fine to run a tiller or tilt a yagi.

[@HippieLongHaired]

7:38 that phrase has to go on a T-Shirt. Thank you. "If you hoard enough trash then eventually trash.A fits trash.B and you've got something usable."

[@ericdpeerik3928]

I think Tinder already uses that as a slogan .

[@TechGorilla1987]

@0:23 🎶Summer's here and the time is right, for Tuggin' in the weeds (tuggin' in the weeds) Tuggin' in the weeds.🎶

[@zeroy]

A note on the Futaba Remote, if you ever come across a model FP-T8SGA-P just know that it is worth a lot of money as it is the exact model used in the Back to the Future movie! I was lucky enough to pick one up on ebay for cheap recently (UK)

[@saveitforparts]

Neat! I'll keep an eye out for that :-)

[@jampskan5690]

16 mins in, I lost my sh*t! This could have been due to the fact that I'm now 4 Spotted Cows deep at this point, but that music with that video footage hit hard! By far the wellist edited SIFP video I have witnessed! Sweet editing, multi-camera angles, and cheesy bits that a WI resident approves of.

[@jampskan5690]

I also respected the fact that you had "Tuggy" pull you, as a way to avoid MN legality. Veryy nice indeed!

[@saveitforparts]

Glad you liked it. And yeah that's a good beer :-)

[@iamgriff]

2:40 Man that Futaba Box takes me back! Life was better before the interweb

[@maxallister66]

Wait until the DNR finds out you're going to build a kayak battleship that fires nerf cruise missiles. lol.

[@saveitforparts]

Don't threaten me with a good time!

[@truthreigns7]

I do believe you could start a support group for the procrastinators and for the hoarders, lol

[@dudley8671]

I will come if there is cookies & coffee!

[@truthreigns7]

@@dudley8671 very good

[@nobleherring3059]

I think we call that a 'swap meet' or a 'flea market'

[@truthreigns7]

@@nobleherring3059 I could see that

[@ericdpeerik3928]

Yeah,later maybe

[@GuitarSlayer136]

5 seconds in and this is already one of the best SIFP videos

[@thomasdemaio53]

Waterproofing is different though. All electronics have impedance which turns to heat. Ventilation is needed. Covering anything with only a top tarp caused a greenhouse thing to happen and it holds moist air. It destroys stuff through good intentions

[@BlueEyedColonizer]

Remote control battleship with a kayak......Do it!!!

[@JayReding]

OMG, that whole project is just hilarious! The zombie child driver is an extra fun touch. Driving the motor with a giant-ass linear actuator is a clever solution, and looks to be just fast enough to work!

[@Gunbudder]

its wild that the DNR cares that much. they probably just want their taxes and don't want to deal with letting people register random toys as boats lol. i know in WA you can simply sit on a paddle board and then pull yourself with an RC toy connected by a line, and that doesn't require any tags or anything (although you have to follow normal rules for paddle boarding). you can also let it rip with a paddle boat here and you don't need tags or anything

[@nebula0024]

omg, dude...This is so stupidly hilarious. Well done 😂😂😂

[@mikew2046]

CALLING ALL TUGGY CREATORS...when is the first annual TUGGY CONVENTION......LOL.... Great vid and awesome idea...

[@BradinSiouxCity]

I made my trailer light set from harbor freight magnetic. I remove it from whatever trailer I'm using and bring it inside. Works every time.

[@bernd-das-brot]

If you don't know exactly how much current the motor can draw, you can measure the internal resistance of the motor. When an electric motor is in operation, all sorts of other physical laws come into play that limit the current consumption, but with the measured resistance you can roughly calculate the current consumption of the motor when blocked, and this is usually higher than the current consumption in normal operation. If you set the speed controller to this current, you are relatively on the safe side, but a fuse in the battery supply line doesn't do any harm! For comparison: my XL Springer Tug initially had a brush motor with a nominal current of 10A, although the ESC was supposed to withstand 25A, it still burned out. A brushless motor is now installed, which requires 2A in the air when idling and 26A in the water under full load. When driving quietly, with about 35% throttle, i measured 3A. I don't have the exact technical data for the controller I'm using now, which is why it was so cheap to get, however, the transistors built into the controller can handle up to 90A. I'm guessing that with a bit of a buffer, it can be used for up to 75A continuous current, which is almost three times the maximum current of the motor. Now i have fun without burning enything: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnSmqXyId5Zrp68si=hv1sQ_Q07HzSLd3p

[@jameskelly1680]

You can test that ammeter with a known load. Plug in a 120V lamp, separate the cords, and put a 100W conventional light bulb in it. Using Ohms law, you can determine that it should draw 0.83 amps. If you need more current in order to test the scale, you can use some of those 300W halogen outdoor lights.

[@superbmediacontentcreator]

Whew, at least I'm not the only one with trailer light issues. This was the absolute stupidest project ever... I loved it.

[@osseo9947]

A tip for the trailer lights, add a dedicated negative wire to all lights and don't rely on the trailer chases for the negative. The chassis negative connection is archaic snd should be discontinued.

[@Slimzors]

Glad that guy finally got his ski boat going. I'm sure at first he thought tuggy was a piece of junk but then tuggy did laps pulling a rider while his boat wouldn't start.

[@Drakoman07]

Wow, I thought I was the only one who stares at my project for 20 minutes, waiting for the problems to solve themselves. Most relatable lol

[@dienadel30]

Ha love the tune that plays why you are towing yourself around reminds me of 80s montage music

[@NoSTs123]

I GOTTA GO AND FIND SOME SURPLUS TRASH TOO!

[@andrewstewartjacobs9678]

@9:53 - Someone call CPS!

[@olympusmons4089]

When you were measuring 2 amps, that is the no-load amperage. When you put a load on the motor by running it in water, the current will be significantly higher. Great video! Really enjoyed it!

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

Love it when trash A fits trash B, the pinacle of hoarding, its like getting a tetris. Almost makes the disease i mean hobby worth it... (trips over trash C).

[@nathanlewis5682]

The air tank can be refilled by a high pressure pump used for refilling pre charged pneumatic airguns

[@georqedubyakush6066]

Honestly this might be the best case for a stupid bureaucratic law, cause this thing is so much funnier pulling you in another boat. I love how our laws won't allow us to "dangerous" stuff but opens the door for us to do it even worse

[@rubberknees]

New coat of paint is all she needs to be legal as far as I can tell. She's a fine ship, she is!!😊😊

[@TrueHelpTV]

BROTHER>.. I LOVE the idea of challenging the loophole of being towed... and not having to register RC boats.. my gears are churning

[@arjovenzia]

Our solution to the trailer light problem was to invest in one really expensive set that we use across all our trailers. they have clamps and magnets, and a really long cable. Its fully potted in epoxy, all the wires are sealed in glue back heatshrink. we have I think 6 trailers in the fleet at last count, so could justify spending a bit on good lamps. just clip them on whatever one your using that day. but the best part is that they live in a bag in the cab of the truck, so dont spend months between use sitting out in the weather, and you can remove them before you reverse the trailer so they never get submerged. they've lasted a good 5 years. we also do a similar trick with the licence plate, trailers here are all lumped together as 'single axle trailer', no differentiation if its a boat trailer, box trailer, firefighting unit, caravan etc. that lives in the same bag as the lights. makes buying stuff on trailers really easy, in 5 minutes you can have a licenced trailer with lights you trust. I dont think its technically legal, but if the lights work and the plates check out when they're run, they have no reason to stop you. Thats been our solution. That idea came from a friend who had a government issue work truck, and government licence plates look very different to civilian ones. he was in the habit of going fishing on his lunch break, and using the truck to tow his boat on the weekend, which technically wasn't supposed to. so he glued some fridge magnets to a civvy plate he 'acquired', and used that to cover his plates whilst parked at the boat ramp. not driving on the roads with it, so not strictly illegal. and unfortunately yes, it was necessary, some Karen (although that term hadn't been coined then) had phoned up the cops to investigate why a government vehicle was at the boat ramp on a Sunday afternoon with an empty trailer, which led to an uncomfortable conversation with his boss. he didnt mind personally, but it had caused him a whole pile of paperwork and pointless work. thanks Karen.

[@clownearound5751]

More stupid boats you’re working on you say….? Great news. Excellent work with this video Gabe, seeing Timmy’s arms moving/shaking as you launched the boat had me laughing 😆 it just looked so ridiculous but in a fantastic way. Thank you for sharing it so everyone can enjoy ‘the nonsense’. Best wishes to you and the family from England

[@rjdipcord1271]

This is probably one of the most entertaining video yet. Keep this up.

[@80lab38]

"If it's that easy to lose it can't be that important." Words to live by! :D

[@IndianaDipper194]

honestly this is a better fate for tuggy becuase now he can live up to his name and be the tugboat he always knew he could be! lol great video honestly made me giggle, ALOT! those cold hearted bureaucrats! timmy was the icing on top!

[@SawdustSoftwareSiliconChippy]

This is awesome. Parts arriving in August? Perfect to prepare the Tug and terror Zombie-child, into a floating, Halloween lake nightmare aberration. 😆

[@welshdave5263]

If you need a replacement 9V connector, bust open a dead 9V battery. Ive done this a few times and they work just fine.

[@ThatOneTruckGuy]

Absolutely lost it at 15:42 lol Also, should add a bilge pump to prevent water from filling up inside.

[@shinji391]

I can tell you were really proud of that shot at 9:55. It's a good shot. I've been giggling and smiling ever since the zombie demon child appeared.

[@Kx0195]

When I heard you I was like "I'm sure I've heard this guy does satellite videos" 😂😂😂😂😂

[@sirkus34]

I put 3/8" pvc tubing on my jetski trailer just so I can easily replace the wires and lights every year LOL I feel your pain.

[@nicholashanninen7379]

Good timing releasing this video, tuggys just went viral and this is one of only like 3 videos I can find on the internet about them!

[@Dragonsbrath]

Man I laughed my arse off seeing this. You've got a superb imagination to create stuff like this. Very entertaining and keep up the vids.

[@alec4672]

I work for a garbage company and we felt the same way about trailer lights. So we got a set of old chevy pickup tail lights and they've been going strong for 2 years now. Also slather your plug in grease to keep the corrosion away.

[@michaellichter4091]

What a great video! I admire how you always turn a hopeless situation into something good. If you can't get it registered as a boat, then you make an RC model that pulls you in the water with a kayak-simply brilliant. The doll, though, is quite scary and creepy. The horn is a very good idea for attracting attention. And then the magical smoke from the electronics box-this video had it all. It definitely deserves a sequel.

[@zenmark42]

I feel the "how do you have time" section so fucking hard. I'm finally getting around to a project I started 3 years ago.

[@AlbiesProductsOnline]

When you see an old recliner on the footpath for rubbish or at the dump check it because if it’s an electric one they have those exact actuators in them with controls and they are rarely broken the chair normally gets broken by springs or the wood braking

[@saveitforparts]

Last time I checked free furniture on the side of the road, there was a mouse living in it 😂

[@HandTightGarage]

It's always wiring with the trailer lights. Invest is a nice wireless trailer light set up and you can use it on all of your trailers. Casey Ladelle (KZbinr) uses one that is powered by an M18 battery.

[@rareimpalass1966]

I've dragged a pair of the Harbor freight magnetic bases and they're still working awesome. No complaints!!!

[@JimmytheCow2000]

Came for the sat dish videos, stayed for the zombie kid in tuggy pulling you around with the biggest smile on your face. Thank you for doing what you do!

[@mattstosh6960]

Fairbanks Alaska STILL has the Red-Green Boat race down the Chena River. Only "boat" construction allowed is the use of cardboard and duct tape. Safety boats positioned for those sinking. Did you ever?

[@saveitforparts]

I missed that! I was usually fishing in Southeast in the summer. Only managed to see a couple summer days in Fairbanks, and it was weird seeing so much sunlight after so many school years of darkness :-P

[@Electrodoc1968]

Yep, I have one of these Little Tike sandpits on my back garden awaiting the same adaptation. It has been waiting for 6 years. Maybe an electric reclining chair servo would of done the steering.? or electric car window winder / wiper motor. I made a sliding door from an electric car aerial mechanism and used net curtain wire. Which is very under rated as a power transfer belt or is it unrealised.? dunno but good to know. ;) I also have much much junk because of a similar affliction of "Store enough and something will fit" Lol. (could you tell.?) Rebel by seeing who moans at you and screams "NOT ALLOWED.!!" at you if you fill a boat up with sand.. Just subbed ;)

[@SPLavey7751]

Creative way to still enjoy it. Your lable for the e stop is awesome 😂 Need some videos of your jetboat. That's a cool antique

[@processagent5095]

The reaction of those people launching their boat is priceless. Yes, all the good stuff settles to the bottom. Multimeter good

[@gardenfork]

What a story Gabe. Made me smile. I think some of my stuff is in that one drawer.

[@saveitforparts]

I think it might be! I'm still using your camera as my main one :-)

[@rickhunter1984]

You will need 2 esc's 1 for the motor and 1 for the steering system and a water balling pump. Add in-line fuses about 3 to protect your radio equipment

[@SatansPooper]

After this one I have learned the lesson not to eat while watching saveitforparts or else risk biting my tongue because I’m laughing too hard.

[@beautifulsmall]

Love the project, the 100W power you mentioned , I would look at the ratings and go 50 to 100% over , especially when uncertainty is high. Put fuses in, they can save wiring catching fire incase of a short with high power and a 500mA can save an arduino. Ive seen sat dish linear actuators in a skip at a caravan dealers, probably a good place to ask for old ones., Had to look up DNR. Use AWG cable table and calculate voltage loss and lII bet you will go to thicker cable.Great to see the workshop, hoarding is a process where scrap turns into treasure. Its like Alchemy.

[@TheAussieRepairGuy]

12:50 - out of water that's probably correct current draw, in water, under load it's gonna draw a whole lot more lol.

[@kr00k3d100]

In Wisconsin you would be fined for no registration on the boat. You would be able to register it as a boat and get registration number and stickers for it. However, making it R/C would negate having to register it as it's now a toy, and not a boat.

[@welshdave5263]

Dude, you can get them actuators from electric rise and recline chairs, I'v3 collected 4 of them with another around the corner from my home I need to go collect.

[@reneberthold334]

Well now i want that boat too. xD With modern RC electronics it could be a hell of a tuggy. 2.4Ghz Receiver, 2 Brushless Motors (4000KV) with a Kort Turbine, LiPoFe4 Batterys.

[@jamesturncliff5960]

I did see a set of trailer lights that were Wireless. They hook into the back of your vehicle and are Wireless so you can stick them on anything that you're towing

[@jan_vyhnak]

Somehow Tuggy returned to the garage. - classics

[@haydenerich4411]

the bit where it became a real tug boat was hilarious. nice stuff man

[@nbarrager]

Someone gave me a little John boat that he doesn't have a title for and I was gonna register it in another state that only requires a bill of sale, but I think I might do this instead.

[@olik136]

Top Gear isn't around any more.. I enjoy your "Clarkson-like" adventures. The zombie child really ties the engineering together 👍

[@Shmoozo55]

Delightfully inspired madness. Gotta love it.😁

[@gannas42]

Finally, all of the joy and heartbreak of my own projects without me having to actually do them myself. Fantastic! Lol Thanks for a other great video, dude.

[@xyzabc4574]

Sure. You don't NEED a 4,000 psi air horn. But...if it's an option...

[@DesertFernweh]

To quote NoPanicButton, "Dept of Nature Resources.... My Badge!

[@gregoryhunt2409]

This was so cool, I didn’t stop smiling the whole time you were on the lake. Timmy was definitely an excellent addition to the project.

[@userscott]

If Little Tikes had any sense they would start remaking these Tuggy boats. The demand for them is mega!

[@kevinleee3408]

I love the silliness

[@BionicleFreek99]

"Foreshadowing is a literary device in which-"

[@seabeepirate]

Trailer light wiring needs to be protected pretty well. Some type of conduit from the tongue to the lights makes a big difference in how long the lights work. Hope this helps.

[@polarbub]

I really liked the editing style on this video!

[@michaelenglund]

Great episode! Hehe, looked like zombie kid was afraid being on the trailer when you drove.

[@TheTonester2312]

Pretty neat. Especially for Halloween 🎃

[@comentedonakeyboard]

Wow! That is a superacurate 1:10,815 Modell of an obscure, secret, east german prototype, that no one had ever heard of. And it is even RC. To sad you dont have that illegal tugboat any more.

[@RobsNeighbor]

Love the creativity!

[@justingoss3147]

20:19 @saveitforparts you may need to revisit your setup again. If your trolling motor draws 40A at 12V this would be 480W, far exceeding the 100W rating you mentioned in the video. To calculate how many watts something will consume you multiply volts by amps (12V x 40A=480W). If you know the wattage and voltage and need to know how many amps it draws you reverse the equation and divide the wattage by the voltage (480W/12V=40A).

[@stephano6793]

9:23 Boat overboard. Irony😉

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Gabe: You should move to FLORIDA. I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. My parents never owned a boat, but from direct observation I would say FLORIDIANS have BOAT TRAILER LIGHTS down to a science...😊