I Sent My Drone Sailboat on a Long Distance Mission

[@levio1463]

I think you should compete in something called the micro transat. Its a competition held every year where autonomous sailboats try and cross the Atlantic unassisted. I think to date only 2 boats have successfully finished, but some have come close. It would be a really cool build/testing series.

[@zyeborm]

Transat not transit btw. Microtransat

[@tracybowling1156]

The best idea EVER!

[@GladiusYTR]

I wish I could like this more than once

[@giovane_Diaz]

now you have my beer bro

[@bjrn-oskarrnning2740]

That's awesome! I would ABSOLUTELY watch a series about that! Multiple series, actually!

[@bradley3549]

The music is soooo on-point.

[@bradley3549]

Though maybe a little loud and distracting as I was jamming out and didn't hear a damn word you said for the first minute.

[@bradley3549]

Oh damn, it gets better!

[@GimSlim]

💯

[@blaircox1589]

@@bradley3549 lol, yeah, I'm totally focused on this rendition and can't focus on what he's saying.

[@TestarossaF110]

sail but rc'dified, lmao soo good 😂😂

[@Suchega_Uber]

That music snuck up on me. At first it's like, oh that's a nice sound, then it's oh that's got a little rhythm, then wait, is that, noooo, sounded pretty close though, then IT TOTALLY IS! That's hilarious. What a great choice to put in the video.

[@n3mos]

Had this same experience in a thai restaurant, like instrumental versions of hit songs but the only instrument was a flute 😂

[@andrewreynolds912]

Ikr?

[@tobZZZilla]

In many of his videos, there's a banger hidden somewhere. I've been a regular for many years but they still get me by surprise every time, absolutely love the choices made..

[@hazard7732]

Makes me think of all the goofy music references that the Tim Traveler makes in his videos

[@NeuralEngin33r]

pure fire 🔥🎶

[@crfsikness]

If you keep a small pieve of sponge in the bottom of tje boat it will keep the small water ingress from being free to slosh and get all over electronics. Simple trick i learned from older rc boat guys.

[@Egress.]

Or a tampon

[@LostLargeCats]

I feel peeved by your spelling. 😛

[@kadmow]

@@LostLargeCats - haha, tricky to realise the typos from phone qwerty inputs - vs lack of education... lol..

[@joewoodchuck3824]

​@@kadmow I'm a much better spell checker than my spell checker is.

[@dimitrijenovakovic7942]

Daniel, if you are reading this i must say that Im really gratefull for your channel. Tomorrow I have an entrance exam for an engineering university, which you inspired me to try my luck at. I remember that the first youtube video i watched from you was about uprading cheap rc cars. It started an obsesion about all things mechanical and remote controled. I am thankfull that you uploaded this video today, it helped me relax.

[@MaxNippard]

Good luck with your exam. 👍

[@peters9929]

Yes same here good luck with your exam, im sure you will ace it

[@marcusrauch4223]

I hope your entry exam went well.

[@sail4201]

That’s very cool. I’m 40 years old and we didn’t have KZbin content in high school. If I did, I’d probably have ended up in engineering or robotics.

[@OzDeaDMeaT]

We come for the RC, we stay for the tunes.

[@milehighsparky8796]

amazing music indeed! so creative!

[@SuperUltimateLP]

look up his cyclone series for more ^^

[@TheoriginalQward]

Self guided drone sub next?

[@spacechild7452]

Yes That would be awesome

[@10aDowningStreet]

What would you do for GPS/radio? Tether a floating antenna buoy kind of thing?

[@landonearlabaugh463]

I’m pretty sure DJI has done or tried that

[@ectorwillis9228]

Maybe have it pre programmed and then hope it makes it? Imma be honest idk if that would work​@@10aDowningStreet

[@zyeborm]

​@@ectorwillis9228if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on an export controlled INS system you'll probably only be 90 degrees off course in an hour or so.

[@MechDale]

Long day at the lake, what could be better. Best music ever, that guy is spot on with his humor/song writing.

[@PeaceProfit]

Suggestions: Replace electrical tape with waterproof tape. Place some moisture absorption pads inside to control water sloshing about. Add ama’s and change to a shallow metal keel for longer missions. Print an autonomous mission message on the sail wing. 😎⛵️😎

[@recurvestickerdragon]

what do you mean by "add ama's"? /genuine curiosity

[@PeaceProfit]

Outrigger pontoons, trimaran.

[@Katvanished]

probably should use some pumps. also something to consider is when you're sailing small boats, is you use your bodyweight to help counterbalance the rotational force from the sail. some sort of automatic counterweight- or perhaps even a swing keel like seen on some larger keelboats(imho this boat is a little small for a keel lol)

[@kobitz9001]

@@recurvestickerdragon essentially a muti-hull design. google "Polynesian multihull terminology" if you want more detail.

[@tylergodfrey2800]

WRT to the tape, there is such a thing as Marine Tape. Horizon Hobby makes a version specifically for RC boats, but I’m guessing the version for real boats would work too.

[@mickeyfilmer5551]

I don't know if you read all the comments, as there are a lot, however you are a great inspiration to people, and I thank you for that. For me, I have a couple of suggestions, #1 Vaseline, or Petroleum Jelly is a great water repellant and if applied to the seals will greatly improve the watertight component, #2, get yourself a Pure Sine wave inverter that will enable to to charge batteries- but more imprtantly your laptop-- oh and camera batteries. They are a bit more expensive, than the non sine wave ones, but you will not get any electrical noise from one. Hope thes two tips are helpful to you or anyone else. BTW I am old...very old. a pensioner who is constantly learning from the like of you, and other young people on YT and it's a great feeling.It keeps me going. Thank you all of you.

[@Santos-oc2no]

I don't know what I love more of your channel, your enegy, your always research mode, your creativity, the happyness, your music composition... amazing, thanks for sharing

[@ThreeAngrySquirrels]

PLEASE tell me this is the return of your friends doing song covers for your videos. Always make me smile.

[@romeo5239]

I cant figure out which is the best part of the video, the project or the song

[@BernardoRocamora]

The mountain was out! That shot of the boat and Mt. Rainier is amazing.

[@MrCZRC]

Amazing video, really hope to see more and perhaps see you enter some competitions 😁👍🏼

[@infinitytec]

Not going to lie, the music was a big part of why I subscribed. I'm glad to see it back! Or hear it back. You get the point.

[@thirdeyevision11]

Your version of the song is a work of art. That song will forever remind me of the wing suit guy who clipped the side of the mountain during a flight.

[@randomname4726]

This channel deserves a million plus subs. Great work as always.

[@davidherbert5027]

I've seen a KZbin article on a trans ocean autonomous sailboat. It had similar features to your boat, but it had a torpedo shaped hull. No need for decks or cabin roof if you have no crew or cargo. The torpedo hull is better able to pierce the waves and has a smoother passage. The next law for sailboats is bigger is always better, limited only by tacking space and strength of the fittings. I'm enjoying this. Please continue your research.

[@aeronerd22]

it's a good morning when there's new RCTF

[@meanman6992]

Please do write ups on the electronics! And how to build / program them

[@mthurtell]

Would love some more info on that

[@linolafettatnet]

That cover song alone was worth it :D Thank you!

[@r1m.dog78]

So many negative videos about the sponsor, Betterhealth. No idea why Daniel would associate himself with them.

[@ShadowCake]

What happened?

[@SpektrikMusic]

@@ShadowCake They shared information with other companies from 2017 - 2020 (IP, email, prelim health questionnaires) that was settled. Some people have good experience with the service some don't.

[@ProbablyJustJack]

My guess is that he needs to wait for a contract to run out.

[@spaRTan3246]

Yeah. Couldn‘t he get a proper Pfizer sponsorship like a politician? ☺️ kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmSml6mIZdiHnNE

[@We1c]

He probably recorded the video a bit ago before all the feedback came in.

[@quicksilver8180]

I think it's awesome when you add music like this to your videos. My favorite is still the how many miles on a RC car and that song tho! . I see you have made your way to ¾ million subs , 🎉 milestones!

[@frostbittenspirits]

I will continue asking for this song. It lives rent free in my head and it gives me serotonin. Please please please I want more of sail. I’m not even into RC anything, I just heard it while my husband was watching your video and I’m obsessed with this cover

[@EliEverson-jv4io]

The sail music with a flute is hilarious

[@lukasmy6863]

This Sail Remix fits so well :D

[@stacyp4534]

Try using a parachute to help on the downwind leg. I’ve seen those in popular mechanics and similar stuff over the years but I have never seen one actually working.

[@D3moknight]

Version 2 of your sailboat might be better as a catamaran? No real need for a keel, and you can shape the hulls so they don't hold seaweed, and you could make the rudders able to swing up out of the water with a small servo to clear any seaweed they might pick up. The fact that catamarans sail more flat also improves the efficiency of the sail. You are losing a lot of efficiency by using a rigid sail on a monohull that is allowed to lean so far over.

[@wavesAndBerms]

Catamarans don't tack well. I would think that a small catamaran would get in irons a lot, especially in chop. With software, that limitation could probably be overcome -- perhaps it would have to gybe rather than tack.

[@wavesAndBerms]

Actually, I didn't realize until the end that he uses an electric motor to help through the tacks.

[@danieleveritt4086]

While it's true in lighter conditions a catamaran is more stable, the angle of vanishing stability is far lower on a cat meaning in higher wind a chop conditions the chance of a capsize is much higher which is not good for an autonomous vessel whereas a monohull will generally self right from a capsize situation as seen in the amount of heel this boat can cope with amd still right itself

[@SeanOHanlon]

Agreed. Also, the hulls should be longer and much more narrow than this monohull. A Hobie Cat hull like design would be ideal.

[@SeanOHanlon]

​@@wavesAndBerms Catamarans don't tack well??? Dennis Conner would like a word with you and so would all of the current professional sailing teams around the world. 😂

[@andyfermanich9956]

Seeing the guy making huge bubbles must of been cool for you. Your not the only dude who does random stuff at the park :)

[@yakacm]

Remember it's Seattle, folk there probably think juggling and fire eating are still cool...well maybe not juggling, but who knows?

[@Curt-0001]

@@yakacm If they have fun and enjoy themselves it's cool by me.

[@JasonBorn.117]

I love the video where you test the endurance of RC cars that was cool. Seeing all the worn down parts and stuff

[@bauerma4]

I’m just imagining how much Daniel could make consulting for the cartels.

[@RoofAndAMeal4UsAll]

If the weighted keel were hinged with a servo on it you could orient the pitch of the hull more into the wind by levering the keel port or starboard so the boat stays more upright?

[@stevenparker7922]

NEMA box for the electronics, and deck screws replaced with truss head or flanged round head screws, and it should be more water tight. The other areas with through-holes could be sealed with some flowable silicone upon assembly, and it won't cure too hard to disassemble/scrape off. Lastly, a little grease on the screw threads can help prevent water ingress and galvanic corrosion at the same time. Great build, I've been looking forward to seeing this one again.

[@beautifulsmall]

Love the Awolanation version, following on in a great line of parodys, snail, nail, fail, bale, tape, (tapes not that great) its a great tune to tell a story to and what a story your telling. Congratulations on the wind only fully autonomous voyage, superb work as always. As you mention and sufer from contamination, its a wonderful problem to crack, anti fouling mechanisms, like a sewing machine.

[@Raven74947]

The music was good. Changed it up a little. And it looks like you got that boat working well. Pretty cool

[@NickCombs]

My intuition is that the boat isn't moving fast enough to get seaweed caught on the keel. It's like moving with the crowd instead of trying to push your way through. Something to test so you know for sure.

[@ArmchairDeity]

I would think that expoxying a small camera or 4 into the hull looking out so he can see himself what the hull/keel are doing while the boat is cruising (not to mention a great way to see Nessie when she swims underneath the boat!) Save the data to a massive SD card while it's cruising and watch the video after the fact would keep you from having to have a high-bandwidth connection between the controller and the boat.

[@ferdyg3520]

I am always really excited whenever you release a video. The mix of vlogging ang building is just awesome. Reminds me of all the projects I would love to make but never do

[@MarkDay-it1ho]

I’ve always got slightly enthusiastic to watch your videos Daniel, content arrangement and transparency is as good as it gets But I’ve become way more excited to hear what personal song or cover you’ll do a rendition of, skills of legend. We’ve got a true OG right here everyone 😎✊🏼

[@wolpueh]

You are doing such a great job in making this video apart from the amazing job you did with this sailboat - thank you fpr sharing your experience 🥰

[@benmurphy9328]

I just woke up in Aus and watched your video over breakfast. Your content evolves and makes for great watching. It’s also super interesting, I hope you get scooped up one day by some like minded individuals pioneering some sort of amazing technology. Cheers

[@AdmiralThumbs]

Love seeing all the local Seattle area scenery you include in your vids. Like, you launched the boat from someplace I've gone paddleboarding!

[@davidjulian8536]

Great to see it complete the route! The sail is airfoil shaped to efficiently transform the airflow into forward thrust, in the same way the keel transforms the force of the water flowing past it to give "lift" to windward, so you'd improve the upwind performance if the keel was airfoil shaped.

[@thetabest]

You need a sump pump in the bottom of the boat...use a float switch to avoid continuous operation... very awesome!

[@TramsnStuff-r4o]

The song playing in the test.. So beautiful would tottaly play it everywhere

[@GimSlim]

Love the flute music cover lol

[@struanpeat5116]

took me a second to recognise the song. all i san say to him is well played haha

[@iNerdier]

It’s a recorder not a flute

[@zHan8372]

Recorder*

[@GimSlim]

A recorder is a type of flute, same way that a bongo is a type of drum. I was generalising because, well, flute is quicker to type. If you still feel like a recorder cannot be classified as a flute, please tell me why so I can learn.

[@jebslouch708]

Colin cracks me up every time. Buy him a coffee please :)

[@rctestflight]

I will. Thanks!!!

[@jimstrieby4998]

You definitely have this KZbin-thing down. The video presentation and narration is really well done. WA is where a CO kid like me could hang out!

[@landynfellner1610]

YESSSSSS! THE MUSIC IS BACK! 😂 That's what got me hooked in the first place. Makes me crack a good smile and a chuckle every time.

[@jamesaddison81]

Super cool! Get some solar panels on the sail then it could sail forever 😎 also with the keel if you removed the front facing ‘spike’ off the bottom any seaweed would just slip off the bottom rather than getting snagged if you happened to catch any.

[@peterhillas81]

This made my Tuesday so much better! SAIL! 🎉

[@tracybowling1156]

I have really missed the video ditties! I'm glad they're back in this video! Excellent choice of song!

[@rrittenhouse]

One of my most favorite times of the week!!

[@erikswenson2659]

A little sailing advice that might help mitigate your tacking issue. First, if you have set the boat to sail as close to the wind as possible, have the boat fall off briefly to gain boat speed before the tacking maneuver, then have it swing to the opposite tack further than necessary briefly to gain speed on the opposite tack before resuming sailing as close to the wind as makes your best overall speed to destination. Second, your bow mounted wind direction sensor is likely really hurting your tacking performance. I’d try to use a smaller and lighter sensor on the top of the mast (probably more accurate reading of relative wind direction up there anyway or put it aft of your sail where it would at least help swing the boat into the wind at the start of the tack. Finally with regard to the excessively short tacks, my guess without seeing your wind direction data is that the boat was passing through at cat’s paw (which is a down draft that fans out when the downdraft is blocked by the surface of the water) or some sort of vortex coming off a hill on the shore upwind of the boat. This will cause a short term radical shift in wind direction, followed by the wind returning to the true prevailing wind direction. I don’t know the logic you use to decide when to tack, but this could fool your boat into making a series of short tacks. You might improve things by programming the boat to fall off a bit, rather than tack, when it experiences a sudden change in wind direction and then only tack if the new wind direction remains steady for some minimum period of time.

[@stevelawrie7087]

awesome, I never miss your adventure videos, they are supremely meditative, thank you

[@bebarty]

love the flute sail cover.

[@bradvdb4136]

Try using RC boat hull tape, I use that on my RC boat to secure the hatch and keep water out.

[@xSARGEx117x]

For dealing with water buildup on future boats, if you don't mind the extra weight or battery usage. Make the interior of the hull taper slightly into a sump hole, with a small self priming pump and the inlet hose sitting in the hole. Water sensing switch flips it on when water gets to a certain point. It may seem like overkill but it gives you ease of mind if water is getting in and you want to make some long distance missions. The pump can be pretty small, I designed a small solar powered water pump system using a sawyer water filter, 5 gallon bucket, and a water source (creek). The whole assembly weighs about 1lb with a small panel, small lifepo4 deep cycle battery, and small 12v pump. Fills up a 5 gallon jug in about 20 minutes. Its not meant to be quick, it's meant to be low power, lightweight, and portable. With some extra money tossed into it, I'm sure you could reduce the weight and power consumption even more. It may not save the boat if the hull cracks in half, but it'll 100% keep leaks from sinking your fun.

[@pfaura7016]

Catamaran hull will reduce drag and improve stability so you can use a much bigger sail and a smaller counter weight. Increasing the width of the daggerboard might help it to not drift of course. And maybe the wind vane is turning to much because of the waves so its making the sail rotor turn when its not necessary .

[@CaptainAtSea]

Thats awesome, great job! How about a faster hul? Catamaran, foils or a kite? Or even a combination?

[@MindCrime550]

I feel like at the more inefficient parts of the pathing the low innertia of the boat and high drag of the sail loses a lot of ground. I think these rigid wings are really efficient and powerful and I think you'd find more success scaling up the boat more and the sail just slightly less more.

[@terminalpsychosis8022]

That's really interesting you can automate a sailboat like that. Ok, it's a very high-tech one, but still. It looks totally cool with the one big wing "sail" too. Seems the longer keel is balanced really well.

[@MultiFindus]

not only are you pretty good in RC stuff but your flute is spot on man!

[@RWBHere]

Nice job! Thanks, and well done. 🙂👍

[@TammyNorie]

I'm a solo sailor of a single-sailed (junk rigged) sailing boat whose sailplan resembles your models a bit! Tacking through the wind can be an issue for me, especially when there's a lot of short waves hitting the hull. I can imagine your model has quite an issue. A foresail really helps with this on the commonplace bermuda rig. You might get some improvement from a two-element wingsail with a slot. Also, I recommend replacing the foam with butyl mastic tape if you want a better water seal. Looking forward to the next!

[@NinaNime-eh7ew]

When you post I’m genuinely happy

[@fredio54]

You could move the keel forward a bit and make the weight part purely trailing to prevent fouling. Maybe rake the keel a bit too.

[@manuellopes8281]

You can try to make the rudder longer, thinner but smaller bow to stern. also the stern looks really rounded. And the bow can be a lot sharper.nthere are a lot of designs online you can take ideas from the tp52 class probably the faster ones and very versatile in terms of angle to the wind(fast upwind and downwind).

[@6yjjk]

About the keel getting fouled: I wonder whether you could look at some sort of daggerboard/centreboard mechanism, periodically retract it up into the hull so the weeds can slip past. Wouldn't work with a bulb keel, you'd need a blade, and of course there are stability issues while it's retracted. IIRC it'd be marginally more efficient on anything below a broad reach with the board retracted (again disregarding the stabilising effect of the keel weight, which for a typical dinghy centreboard is negligible).

[@hankus253]

When I was in high school in the 50s, that "bay" at Seward Park, used to hold some of the best submarine races ever not to mention snipe hunts.😉

[@morgananderson9647]

I worked there as a lifeguard in the 80's.

[@Wisterson]

the music at the beginning!! FIRE

[@NotAnotherTim]

I need a full RCtestflight album 😂

[@jamesbramlett5407]

ahhhhh...the return of the Audio Tracks! (I bought that guy's full album a couple years ago :)

[@paulsharpe3794]

Hi there you mentioned about weed on the Keil. If you put a few degrees of back sweep and the main ballast starting from the front edge of the Keil then there's a good chance of the weed just sliding down and off

[@MarkMellors]

the short tacks may have been because of the varying wind direction. Ardupilot could have been tacking on the wind shifts, so always on the tack that gave the best VMG. Not sure if it would do that deliberately or inadvertently.

[@markderoller7645]

That was awesome how well it performed

[@VIJAYzk]

if i can i use this on my sailboat it would be great. You might wanna look into windvane autopilot systems, they are purely mechanical and fascinating stuff. I was hooked on its design and mechanism.

[@Da1ienx]

2 minutes in and im already giving this video a like based just on that epic and highly fitting rendition of "sail"

[@austinclark3495]

Maybe you could put some desiccants in the elec box to have a little bit of extra safety?

[@willt1984]

The song is next level! So, so, good!

[@jeffmorris5802]

Are you certain that that is actually water ingress and not just condensation from the air trapped in the hull?

[@WeBeGood06]

To get out of Irons during a tack, your autopilot needs to reverse the steering if going backwards, or if stopped wiggle the rudder from center helm to full left or right rudder to provide a little forward thrust turning moment. The failsafe Tack is to Jib instead, but will cost some upwind progress.

[@madmaxximus1234]

Great job!!!... With tunes to boot👍👍🤙

[@faafo2]

you should have a radio relay for telemetry on the mavic so you can send the mavic up when you lose signal.

[@ChristianTietz77]

The blade for the keel should mount on the furthermost position, and it should be taped with ptfe tape. The best solution for watertightness is plastic welding, the second best is chemical welding (acetone @ abs, for example).

[@BeardRubEnjoyer]

Dude, this Sail cover is incredible. Edit: PSA a therapist is not a psychiatrist or psychologist.

[@nickbellinger1047]

therapy is performed by many professions from remedial massage to brain surgery in fact anything that helps the human condition

[@Lizlodude]

Can we just take a second to acknowledge the music in these videos? It's always perfect.

[@simtalkayak]

I personally think that a monohull will be a better platform for autonomous missions. Reason is that it can't permanently capsize and they perform better up wind. I would: Give the boat a flatter bottom and widen it a little. Move the keel fin to the front of the keel bulb, and position the whole thing so that the bulb is in a similar position to the current bulb location and angle the leading edge at about 10° to shed the weeds. Make the sail wing like an old school plane wing. A spar, ribs and cover it in film. What I will also suggest is that you should leave the top and bottom open, so that it definitely drains. A fiberglass deck that's moulded to the hull and only the rear quarter is removable. The removable hatch is then protected by a "spray hood" or "cabin" which should shed the majority of the water off the sides before it even gets to the hatch. The modifications I'm suggesting are to help with the Hull's efficiency. Thanks and take care.

[@mrtrendizzle]

You can buy Marine sealant tape. Rooster 3M Slot Gasket Tape would be a good double-sided tape which is waterproof and can be used to prevent 100% of the water ingress unless it's coming from other locations.

[@Azeefiz]

maan you are amazing! so talented all the way!

[@aniragraham3077]

I'm glad you are following through on this one, it's really cool.

[@czecher]

bro i missed these remade songs in your vids :D

[@robb.9368]

As usual an amazing video, thank you for your dedication and energy! Would you mind going into some more detail about your selection of esc‘s and flight controllers? That would greatly help me ( maybe us) out.

[@davidbalfour3390]

You should put A superabsorbent polymer (SAP) (also called slush powder) is a water-absorbing hydrophilic homopolymers or copolymers inside for the water

[@dustinbrueggemann1875]

Maybe for a future seal revision, you could router a groove for o-ring material and then screw down on both sides around it

[@nickbellinger1047]

she needs a wing keel like the aussies had when they won the america's cup back in the late 70's early 80's or thereabouts. good vid thanks rc

[@AndyRock1]

use a small strip of flex seal instead of electrical tape. And make sure to wipe the area first with IPA. Also I was thinking having a camera on the sail boat would be awesome; maybe a self steady gimble like the DJI Osmo! How neat would that be? a steady video on a rocking boat!

[@Kargoneth]

Solar panels. Dehumidifier leading to a sump. Bilge pump with a foot valve that draws from the sump and a water-shedding air intake. Seal the control box and place silica gel inside to absorb humidity.

[@Curt-0001]

Hey lemmie just say, I appreciate your appreciation for the nature around you.

[@Curt-0001]

12:45 what a view

[@-r-495]

First baby steps led to Magura too. Perfect tune!