My First Solar Powered Boat Project

[SolarCanoe]

Extendable Pontoon Outriggers

Tonight I almost finished fabricating the extendable version of the outrigger pontoons. Just a couple of small things to finish up tomorrow morning and then we should be good to go for some testing in the afternoon.

IMG_0393 - small.JPGIMG_0394 - small.JPGIMG_0395 - small.JPGIMG_0396 - small.JPG

[SunEagle]

I decided to go old-school with my monitoring meters. Sort of like and old fighter aircraft cockpit style.

I'm thinking I monitor current from the solar panels, probably after the charge controller, the battery voltage and current, and the load current. The battery amp meter will need to be a +/- type. Then I will need some switches. I am assuming I will find a way to use linear actuators to extend/retract the pontoons, raise & lower the motor, and raise and lower a pair of wheels. I am also thinking some LED rope lights around the canopy would be a cool touch.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3245[/ATTACH]

Is there any point in monitoring the Solar Panel voltage?

I am also thinking that I will have an LED per panel so that I can see that they are working. These will be up under the canopy not on the instrument panel.

At some point I want to remove the tiller/controller unit from the top of the trolling motor shaft and mount it in front of me. I will use some sort of cable linkage to turn the motor. Recently I had to do some plumbing with PEX tubing and I think I could use it to guide the steering cables instead of a bunch of pulleys. The PEX tubing is stiff but bendable so I think it would work well to guide the steering cable from the front mounted tiller/controller to arms mounted on the vertical motor shaft.

YES the plot thickens!

Looks cool. Be careful with any additional loads like the pontoon actuators and rope lights. You may need to increase the battery size but you should be ok as long as you don't decide to go fly that boat.

[SolarCanoe]

Instrument Panel

I decided to go old-school with my monitoring meters. Sort of like and old fighter aircraft cockpit style.

I'm thinking I monitor current from the solar panels, probably after the charge controller, the battery voltage and current, and the load current. The battery amp meter will need to be a +/- type. Then I will need some switches. I am assuming I will find a way to use linear actuators to extend/retract the pontoons, raise & lower the motor, and raise and lower a pair of wheels. I am also thinking some LED rope lights around the canopy would be a cool touch.

Instrument Panel.JPG

Is there any point in monitoring the Solar Panel voltage?

I am also thinking that I will have an LED per panel so that I can see that they are working. These will be up under the canopy not on the instrument panel.

At some point I want to remove the tiller/controller unit from the top of the trolling motor shaft and mount it in front of me. I will use some sort of cable linkage to turn the motor. Recently I had to do some plumbing with PEX tubing and I think I could use it to guide the steering cables instead of a bunch of pulleys. The PEX tubing is stiff but bendable so I think it would work well to guide the steering cable from the front mounted tiller/controller to arms mounted on the vertical motor shaft.

YES the plot thickens!

[SunEagle]

I finished fabricating the new outriggers, and here are a couple of photos.[ATTACH=CONFIG]3239[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]3240[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]3241[/ATTACH]

I inserted some 1" aluminum tubing in some parts to strengthen it. These outriggers are 24" out from the sides of the canoe. I am also working on a set of arms that will allow the pontoons to be retracted and extended from 1 - 2.5 feet. That's right I am shopping for some 18" linear actuators. Then there are my ideas for retractable wheels and a motor deploying mechanism. But for now I have some outriggers to test on Saturday.

Nice. Is that blue pipe insulation or those noodle things that people use in pools? That stuff will get brittle in the sun so be careful you don't lose your float material.

[SolarCanoe]

Outrigger Photos

I finished fabricating the new outriggers, and here are a couple of photos.IMG_0389 - small.JPGIMG_0390 - small.JPGIMG_0391 - small.JPG

I inserted some 1" aluminum tubing in some parts to strengthen it. These outriggers are 24" out from the sides of the canoe. I am also working on a set of arms that will allow the pontoons to be retracted and extended from 1 - 2.5 feet. That's right I am shopping for some 18" linear actuators. Then there are my ideas for retractable wheels and a motor deploying mechanism. But for now I have some outriggers to test on Saturday.

[SunEagle]

This whole thing started when I was looking into DIY canoe stabilizers/outriggers. I have done some experimenting with outriggers that use pool noodles as the pontoons. My test rig worked much better than I had expected. I am now in the process of making final versions of this sort of outrigger. I also rigged up a simple motor mount and we tried out a Minn Kota Traxxis 45 lb thrust trolling motor. I used the deep cycle battery from the trailer we purchased this summer. I suspect it is 7 years old and never really drawn on as the trailer was permanently hooked up to the grid. It was great for about 20 minutes and then died. It was enough for us to know we really liked the quiet motor and how fast it could push the canoe.

The 50 watt semi-flexible solar panels have arrived. They are quite light and all together weigh about 30 lbs. I should mention that we would be making some sort of canopy anyway so now I will make it using these light flexible panels. Now I need to figure out how to test them. I guess I should expose them to some sun light with some sort of load and see what sort of voltage and current they produce.

I hope to try out the final outriggers this weekend before it gets too cold here. I will try to post some photos of the canoe with the outriggers.

Looking forward to the pictures of the new design.

[SolarCanoe]

It Started With Outriggers

This whole thing started when I was looking into DIY canoe stabilizers/outriggers. I have done some experimenting with outriggers that use pool noodles as the pontoons. My test rig worked much better than I had expected. I am now in the process of making final versions of this sort of outrigger. I also rigged up a simple motor mount and we tried out a Minn Kota Traxxis 45 lb thrust trolling motor. I used the deep cycle battery from the trailer we purchased this summer. I suspect it is 7 years old and never really drawn on as the trailer was permanently hooked up to the grid. It was great for about 20 minutes and then died. It was enough for us to know we really liked the quiet motor and how fast it could push the canoe.

The 50 watt semi-flexible solar panels have arrived. They are quite light and all together weigh about 30 lbs. I should mention that we would be making some sort of canopy anyway so now I will make it using these light flexible panels. Now I need to figure out how to test them. I guess I should expose them to some sun light with some sort of load and see what sort of voltage and current they produce.

I hope to try out the final outriggers this weekend before it gets too cold here. I will try to post some photos of the canoe with the outriggers.

[SunEagle]

Unless you have a very stable platform a solar panel will not produce it's rated output. You can easily duplicate a rocking boat on land with your panel and measure the amount of current it is putting out while moving or while being very still directly pointed at the sun. While moving, the output will vary greatly as compared to a fixed location.

To get a significant output of charge from moving pv panels requires more panels than a fixed setup. More panels will require more mounting space and on a narrow boat more instability. You would need a set of outriggers to keep the boat balanced or it can easily tip over. Those outriggers will then produce more drag which requires a bigger motor which requires a bigger battery which requires more panels. Not a good spiral to get into.

There was one video in an early posting showing the Minnkota Endura C2 trolling motor on a canoe. It was pretty slick the way he installed quick disconnects for his battery and motor connections. He didn't use a solar panel to charge his battery. He used a power grid connected charger. He could have used a solar panel charger but it would be better if it was installed on land where he could charge his battery.

If you are worried about running out of power than it would be smart to have a second battery on board that can be used when the first one runs out.

[russ]

If you watch you can see solar panels on all types of things from boats to airplanes. Practical? No way but it makes nice eye candy for the greens to go "oh and ah" about.

[russ]

If you watch you can see solar panels on all types of things from boats to airplanes. Practical? No way but it makes nice eye candy for the greens to go "oh and ah" about.

[tylertim]

A solar powered boat! Never really heard of that idea - but now it is in my head Very interesting!

[inetdog]

The downside to the inflatable is it will take much more power for the same speed than the canoe. Also when the battery's are dead a lot harder to row than paddle a canoe

On the other hand, an inflatable is less likely to sink from the weight of the batteries if you overturn it. It is hard to add enough flotation to counteract the weight of batteries large enough to propel the boat very far.

You should not think of the batteries as just a buffer while the panels provide most of the power while the boat is in motion. The energy balance just will not work out.
So look at the range and speed you need between charges and calculate the battery size and weight you need, not counting on any panel contribution.

If you have the money for it, this is an application for which expensive but correspondingly smaller and lighter Lithium batteries (I recommend Lithium Iron Phosphate, LiFePO4) ) could possibly make sense. They are available as batteries for motorcycles and for electric bicycles, but would need a slightly different charging system for best performance.

[Naptown]

The downside to the inflatable is it will take much more power for the same speed than the canoe. Also when the battery's are dead a lot harder to row than paddle a canoe

[SolarCanoe]

Thanks for the replies!

The batteries I have been considering are from CanadianTire. The Nautilus Marine Deep Cycle AGM type. There is a Group 24 and a Group 31 battery.

I was inspired by the following examples of electric boats:

The Little Solar Boat

The launching of the Sienna Solar Boat

Tritolyte Solectric 25 - electric boat test run

Minnkota Endura C2 trolling motor pushing a 17.5 BWCA Cruiser Canoe

SOLAR POWERED INFLATABLE BOAT PONTOON

So it's not a new idea but it sure looks like fun.

I see where I could buy a fairly wide inflatable boat for around $1400 CAD. That might make a better platform for this project.

[FloridaSun]

Hello All!

I am in the early stages of putting together an electric boat. I have searched the net to get some answers to questions I have but I am still not sure I am on the right track. I am an electronics technologist so I do understand the basics of Ohm's Law etc. I finally decided I would have to join a forum and outline my plans and get some feedback on my plans so far.

Welcome Todd, You've picked the right forum to join.
"Give the overkill of solar panels I am thinking I won't need a very large battery, maybe a 75 Amp Hour deep cycle battery would be enough."
Battery size will depend on your motor and use of it, not the panels.
'semi flexible' solar panels... maybe not a good idea for a canopy as you might need more structure (heavier) to support them. Suneagle's thought of a shoreside power station might be wise.
You might consider purchasing a 24v motor instead of that 12v. Morningstar's 15amp MPPT @24v would work with the 400w of panels you've committed to with a pair of 100ah marine batteries, they're cheap. If you are out until dark and it takes you two hours to get home.... better bring the paddles too. You'll get little charge from the panels except during mid day and most likely run your batteries low by then. Your 'lack of sunlight' will be around 2pm-3pm on a clear day. Remember your charge controller will need to be kept dry, no water splashes, no rain, but still ventilated for heat dissipation.
The trolling motor should be connected directly to the batteries.
Being in a seasonal campground with trailer... where will you store this boat? Have a boathouse or shed to drag it to? You might consider the possibility someone might find your PV system a fun toy to play with while you're away if it's left alone without protection/security. Also, the battery will need to be kept charged over the winter while not in use.... and too, those thin film panels will last much longer if kept out of the sun half the year.
I live on a lake year round, one thing that keeps me from playing with this solar panel canoe idea is wind possibility. A solar canopy on a canoe might need strong outriggers on both sides to prevent a gust from sending all to the lake bottom.
Be safe, have fun.