Hi everyone. Apologies in advance if this has already been covered but I did have a look around on the forums and couldn't find anything.
I need a boat. Maybe two. I need to be able to test the APM:Rover code in a boat. I'm in Australia and summer has just started so it seems like a great idea to get my APM boating off the ground. As this is going to be used for testing new code the boat will ideally be cheap, parts easily replaceable and have room in the boat for the electronics - Pixhawk, radios etc. I would like to be able to test single motor as well as twin motor for skid steering code so I'd be interested in recommendations on both. I have no doubt I will crash, flood, sink or have the boat disappear over the horizon never to be seen again so cheap and easily replaceable would be good.
Needless to say the supplier needs to be able to ship to Australia.
cheers
Grant
Replies
I bought a boat. I have no idea if I've chosen well but I wanted something delivered before Christmas. This boat seems big enough to fit the electronics onto - other cheaper boats appeared to me to be too small. It comes complete except for batteries and Tx/Rx. It was also available in Australia at a price I was willing to spend.
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=17503
I figure at the worst if it doesn't work out it will still be fun for my son and I to play with.
I also bought something I shouldn't have:
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=19948
It was cheap and fit within the delivery package weight. I thought perhaps I could stick some free spinning wheels on it and maybe have some weird amphibious craft.
Once they turn up I'll post some photo's and also my plan for fitting electronics onto it.
Thanks
Grant
Hi Grant,
This racing boat is even shorter than my autonomous Traxxas Villain Link which is around 31" in length and I wound up putting the APM2.6 and GPS/compass on the top of the upper deck to get it far enough away from the motors' magnetic field.
I would say that you would need a boat around 40" long to be able to mount the Navigation Controller and associated components below deck and away from the motor's magnetic field. My 31" Villain is a real compromise in relation to the position of the navigation controller and good waterborne stability. I would not trust it in anything but a very smooth mini lake or pond.
Since building my Tug Boat, I think that I have the confidence to build a 40" wooden R/C racing boat VBox or a ARR boat of similar dimensions that can handle rough water and I can mount the Navigation Controller below deck. I would replace the gasoline engine with a large brushless motor like a NEU that can be found in a Traxxas brushless E-Maxx off road race car.
Linus has a version of the Swamp Dag and likes it very much:-)
Regards,
Tom C AVD
Hi Tom. I read your Traxxas Villain post in great detail and from that I decided I'd do an upper deck mount as well. I agree that we would need a large boat to get all the electronics away from the motor's magnetic field and once I have had a play with the smaller boat I have ordered I may indeed purchase a much larger one.
Alternatively a boat that had a compartment in the bow as well could offer more space for electronics. I have also thought some shielding might help - aluminium foil or equivalent.
Your Tug boat does look great (I still might get one ;-) and I'd love to see you build a large wooden R/C racing boat.
I'm gunna contact Linus and see if he will post info about his Swamp Dawg!
cheers
Grant
Hi Grant,
Usually most boats actually fill the forward compartment in the bow with some kind of foam to help provide buoyancy incase the boat rolls over.
The 40 in length boat I am looking at building has the builder put foam in the forward compartment to help provide buoyancy in the case of a rollover. However there is room ahead of and aft of the position of the brushless motor in the hull. Also, since I can seal the boat up, it many not be necessary to use as much foam giving some forward space to the Navigation Controller
I was hoping to use my spare CC NEU 1515 (800 watts) brushless motor in the 40 in length boat, but it turns out that the minimum size brushless motor is around 2,000 watts and up:-( NEU brushless motors in that range are between $350 - $400 USD. However, you get what you pay for in the way of marine brushless motors. Also, it is getting tougher to find quality marine ESCs in the 180 to 250 amp range since CC has gotten out of the marine ESC business.
Regards,
Tom C AVD
@Grant,
Here are a couple of pictures of my almost finished Tug Boat:
I still have to attach the wheel house and the exhaust pipe to the deck hatch cover, add ballast to set the hull trim, wire up the ESC to the battery and the brushed motor, and install the receiver and calibrate the transmitter to the steering servo and ESC. I will probably coat the hull, deck hatch cover, and the wheel house with a clear protective spray.
Regards,
TCIII AVD
Its a great looking Tug Tom. I can't wait to see it in action.
cheers
Grant
I forgot to mention one of the goals of this is to assist other people like me who want to get into boating and put an APM device on it. I am going to document what I do to get the boat up and running in the hopes it helps others do the same. That's the other reason for cheap and easily repairable/replaceable.
cheers
Grant
Hi Grant,
I am involved in an Arduboat project that is kicking some major goals (based on the east coast of Australia) and is being used by non-technical people. Happy to have a chat about that privately, but as Tom rightly pointed out, Hobby King would be a good place to start for a really cheap boat that you could play around with.
Cheers,
David.
Hi David. If its east coast not too far (day's drive) from Canberra I'd love to come for a visit.
cheers
Grant
OK
I am part o the Surrey Park model boat club and there are boats lying around there not being used. All owned of course. Just thought it would be wasy for you.
I am trying to build arduino into a model submarine. Quite difficult for a newbie. I also have a tug that has a camera attached to it and I want to program it to maintain a compass bearing. Don't need GPS just a straight line.
Cheers
John
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next