DIY solar canoe?

[Brooks]

Hi guys. So I get these weird ideas in my head sometimes and this week its a solar boat. Don't ask me why.

My goal is to build a boat that can cruise 3-5mph all day long from sun up to sun down. I've been consider kayaks, canoes, and even paddleboards in this process. This is the current plan:

Get a canoe. one big enough to fit 1 passenger and maybe a few things. Find some sort of leisurely position to sit in it. I'm trying to do this on a budget so no boat as I have nowhere to store it and will need a trailer to pull it. I want to slap it on top of my electric car.

Slap a trolling motor on that bitch. From what I've researched online, these things will draw about 30 Amps or ~400 watts at full power.

It will be a 12V system, simply because I plan to buy a bunch of used shit and 12V is more available.

Steering will be done with some sort of U-joint attached bar and lever system where I can push/pull a bar attached to the motor somehow to turn it. I'm open to other ideas on this one.

Build a solar canopy. Because the sun will power my boat instead of burning my skin and giving me cancer. This will be comprised of 4x100 watt panels from Grape Solar via Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Grape-S...ts-and-12-Volt-Systems-GS-Star-100W/204211365 or possibly some used panels I've sourced locally.

I realize these are not 100% efficient so I expect to have some power loss, but I suspect it will be close enough, and if not, I'll investigate what kind of increases I can make in efficiency, or ultimately add another panel if needed. Or I guess I can just slow down...

BUT if you slow down, then pretty much every trolling motor uses a resistor, which is not efficient at all, so I'll have to replace that with this speed controller: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01M26Y...olid=35A0SEJSA8TT5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I'll be using is with this MPPT charge controller: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07B9NF...olid=35A0SEJSA8TT5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This propeller supposedly makes the boat go significantly faster, so I assume it probably makes it more efficient, as well: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0091VA...olid=35A0SEJSA8TT5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Also plan to use it with a standard lead-acid deep cycle battery since I don't really need it to store much energy or last very long. If it shits the bed in a couple years and I've gotten good use out of it, I'll replace it with something better.

Shout out to big Willy, his YT channel is super informative!

I'd appreciate any feedback you guys have on this.

 

[KauaiMolokai]

How about installing a used F-16 jet engine and some jet fuel tanks instead? You'd go faster. And its retro, baby

 

[Bob B]

If you put some sort of canopy on a canoe it is going to be very top heavy and hard to keep upright .... unless you do something like put outriggers on it.

 

[Brooks]

@Bob B Thanks, I hadn't considered that. I do plan to keep the panels low, just above my head in a reclined position. And I didn't think they were very heavy. According to the HD link, they're 18.11lbs/panel so 4x will be about 72 lbs. total...

 

[Bob B]

If you have ever been in a canoe, they are not very stable even without a canopy. Wind against that blowing from the side would be another nightmare.

 

[Brooks]

Well I plan for them to be mounted horizontally, so winds shouldn't be an issue, theoretically.

The other option I considered was an inflatable boat like this one: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00CMBJ...olid=35A0SEJSA8TT5&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It just seemed really flimsy and I didn't want to get 20 miles from home and then get a hole and start sinking. Also it may be difficult to mount the panels, but would be much more stable.

 

[Bob B]

THIS VIDEO might give you some ideas. There may be others if you search.

 

[Deleted member 4428]

Put a EVE LF280 Ah 12 volt battery in the canoe and clamp the trolling motor to the side. Run the motor as far as you can on 40% of the battery, then head back. When you get home recharge on your solar array. It's still solar powered.

We did this along time ago using a Marine battery. If we went to a river or creek, we would power up-stream and float back.

 

[Brooks]

@JC777 Why use a lithium battery when I don't care about battery life or longevity? As I said, I intend to start with lead acid, and if that lets me down, and I get sufficient use out of it, I'll switch to lithium.

 

[Deleted member 4428]

Mainly because of weight.

 

[Brooks]

Weight isn't really an issue for me. @Bob B if the CoG ends up being a problem, I guess I'll have to change it up to some of the flexible solar panels that are lighter.

 

[Bob B]

Weight isn't really an issue for me. @Bob B if the CoG ends up being a problem, I guess I'll have to change it up to some of the flexible solar panels that are lighter.

Let us know if you get something working. Are you planning to fish or just enjoy nature?

 

[svetz]

What about flexible panels on top of a paddle board? Or something like the Hobie Eclipse with a hand throttle?

 

[Brooks]

@svetz ahhh everything from Hobie is stupid expensive. That paddleboard is $1900! @Bob B Not sure what the plan is at the moment. My cousin loves to fish, maybe I'll take him out and have him catch me a nice lunch or something LOL.

 

[Grumpy 49]

That is why I am thinking a small pontoon boat, as stability and capacity are important. Even found a paddle boat, with an electric assist motor, to which it should be easy to add Solar Panels. If I was looking for a single/dual person rig, and a CRAIGCAT was out of my price range, would have tried to add the paddle boat myself.

 

[Brooks]

Yeah, I appreciate that, but as I said, I'm trying to do it on a budget and a pontoon boat would require purchasing a trailer and then I have nowhere to store it. Kayak or canoe would easily fit on top of my car and in the garage.

 

[Grumpy 49]

If you haven't got the canoe yet, and wanted cheap, try a Coleman SCANOE with a 35 lb - 50 lb trolling motor. Used such a rig for many years, with no issues. For a single person, I made "duck boards" to fit in the middle of the Scanoe. Mounted the battery box on the "duck boards", and use 8' Jumper Cables to run power to a Minn Kota 35 lb trolling motor.

"Duck boards" transfer the battery weight onto the aluminum ribs, so the polymer hull is not damaged. Cutting and fitting a piece of plywood to fit over the ribs is a royal pain in the A##! You can dry fit and trim the 1x strips to fit properly before you screw everything together. I used one of the 1x strips laid edgewise, for spacing between the cross pieces. Just make sure you can remove the "duck boards" once everything is screwed together.

Adding a Solar Panel to the front of the Scanoe, and upgrading to a LiFePo battery should be an easy stage two project. Only issue is to build your "duck boards" out of 1x Cedar and marine grade brass screws. Add minimum of two coats of waterproof Sealer to seal wood. Used a 12v trolling motor and sealed lead battery this way for years. Actually made the Scanoe more stable with the battery mounted low in the center of the Scanoe.

 

[Brooks]

@Grumpy 49 Yes! I was actually looking at those but I wasn't able to find anyone selling them.

 

[Grumpy 49]

Don't know if Coleman still makes the Scanoe square stern poly 15 ft canoe any more. Bought mine about 30+ years ago. Check the internet to see who makes a inexpensive (poly) square stern canoe. If you find an Old Town or Lowe aluminum model, they are one of the better ones to have.

If you do use an aluminum canoe, you must use some type of duck boards or plywood base to mount the battery box. Any short of a large battery would do major damage to the aluminum hull.

P.S. Using a fully charged sealed lead trolling motor battery, I could fish for several day, with spare enough power to create a wake. Bet a LiFePo battery using a 100 watt solar panel, and the motor at a lower power setting, would run forever.

 

[Brooks]

I've been looking at all sorts of different boats. Canoe is the best compromise of efficiency and space, in my findings.

I don't really want to fish, so much as cruise up and down the local river.

As I stated in my original post, my goal is to cruise @3-5mph indefinitely. Or until the sun goes down.