radio controlled solar electric boat with lazy-boy recliner

[scott harris]

Batteries: two 8S 24 volt 280 AH eve prismatic cells
Solar: three 175 watt Renogy flexible panels
Speed: 4-5 mph. sweet spot: 4mph
Motors: two Minn Kota 80lb thrust trolling motors with heads removed
Motor Controllers: two RoboClaw Solo 60 amp
Inverter (not shown) Giandal 3000 watts (for electric blanket on cold days)
Steering: differential thrust
Range by battery alone: 85 miles (two days)
Range including solar on sunny days: 155 miles (3 days)
Longest trip: 50 miles Bear Lake Utah
Next Trip: 100 miles Lake Chelan, WA

The best part about this boat is that I can just push it out into the lake, go park my trailer, and then RC it back to the dock. Everybody on the shore thinks that some crazy old man just lost his boat. I have even had some kind-hearted teenagers volunteer to swim out and retrieve it for me. Then they see that I am not so crazy after all.

 

[DPC]

need some fishing rod holders and an umbrella stand.

then its perfect

 

[Brucey]

View attachment 221860


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Batteries: two 8S 24 volt 280 AH eve prismatic cells
Solar: three 175 watt Renogy flexible panels
Speed: 4-5 mph. sweet spot: 4mph
Motors: two Minn Kota 80lb thrust trolling motors with heads removed
Motor Controllers: two RoboClaw Solo 60 amp
Inverter (not shown) Giandal 3000 watts (for electric blanket on cold days)
Steering: differential thrust
Range by battery alone: 85 miles (two days)
Range including solar on sunny days: 155 miles (3 days)
Longest trip: 50 miles Bear Lake Utah
Next Trip: 100 miles Lake Chelan, WA

Nice to see the life jacket on in case of over indulgence of the cold beverages.

 

[scott harris]

need some fishing rod holders and an umbrella stand.

then its perfect

The umbrella stand is to the left of the chair.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Haha this is awesome

 

[Q-Dog]

Nice!

 

[Hedges]

Looks like fun.

Massive batteries, small PV array. What is the ratio of PV watts to battery Wh?
Chemistry?

Got convenience outlets for cooler, blender, coffee maker, fan? (add a sail in front for a joke.)

Larger elevated array could make shade above passengers. Some models are lighter than others.

Looks to me like if sun comes from the rear, batteries will shade ends of PV panels, reducing then eliminating output.
Suggest sliding panels a foot or so toward the bow.

 

[HalfBaked]

Beautiful! Reminds me of the picnic table/pontoon boat a friend made, but yours is cooler.

 

[scott harris]

solar to battery ratio is 525 watts solar to 15kwh battery. I'm planning on adding 600 watts more solar next year. That will be the max I will be able to fit.
chemistry is LiFePO4
sliding the panels forward is a good idea.

 

[Hedges]

525/15,000 = 0.035C, 28 hours to charge, maybe 4 summer days.
LiFePO4, fine with slow charge and any SoC.

How much do motors draw? How fast?

I'd assume 1kW for the two, two days motoring around on a charge.
So when you double panels, you can operate continuously with sun.

If weight isn't too big a problem, could add twice that much with a pitched roof sloping left & right.
Oh, flexible panels are lighter, but may deteriorate fast.

How about mounting the light flexible panels up high, and put rigid glass panels low where they are now?
With the ability to detach and lower flexible panels for high winds.
Panels in the 350W +/- range are about 45 pounds.

 

[scott harris]

525/15,000 = 0.035C, 28 hours to charge, maybe 4 summer days.
LiFePO4, fine with slow charge and any SoC.

How much do motors draw? How fast?

I'd assume 1kW for the two, two days motoring around on a charge.
So when you double panels, you can operate continuously with sun.

If weight isn't too big a problem, could add twice that much with a pitched roof sloping left & right.
Oh, flexible panels are lighter, but may deteriorate fast.

How about mounting the light flexible panels up high, and put rigid glass panels low where they are now?
With the ability to detach and lower flexible panels for high winds.
Panels in the 350W +/- range are about 45 pounds.

Weight is a big problem. You can see how low it sits in the water, and this is without camping gear, food or tools.

Sol-Mate 2 is based on a Hobie 16 frame. I should have started with a bigger pontoon frame like the Hobie 21SC. But I did not know that until I built it.

I figure I would need another 100 lbs to build a study frame and mount panels above,. I just don't have that much weight left. Now if I could lose a 100 lbs it would solve this problem and make soul mate 1 happy at the same time. (-;

My plan is to put two CIGS panels on the deck and one more across the back of the pontoons. This would take about 15 lbs and would keep the center of gravity lower.

motors draw 300 to 500 watts each depending on wind and current. 800 watts if i am trying to make it to a bathroom

 

[SoggyShoes]

That is so awesome!
This is the stuff of legends.

 

[timselectric]

Love it.
Just needs a beer refrigerator.

 

[DPC]

WaTch out for sharks lol

 

[wme]

Think battleship. Put shaped foam torpedo blisters on each pontoon, not a bunch of weight for the added buoyancy

 

[crossy]

if i am trying to make it to a bathroom

Aren't you surrounded by bathroom??

 

[salaxi54]

That's a great build! May i suggest you add an auxiliary means of controls, just in case the RC radio goes wild?

 

[scott harris]

That's a great build! May i suggest you add an auxiliary means of controls, just in case the RC radio goes wild?

that is a good idea.

I'm working on a motor mount that goes right in front of the chair. For my longer trips (100+ miles) that will tale me to more secluded places (like side arms of lake Powell in October). The plan is to carry a 3rd trolling motor that is unmodified (except that the head with the tiller and throttle will be tuned 180 degrees) and will allow me to propell and steer if one or both motors go out or if the RC system goes crazy. it will just be a standard issue 80lb thrust trolling motor.

 

[salaxi54]

that is a good idea.

I'm working on a motor mount that goes right in front of the chair. For my longer trips (100+ miles) that will tale me to more secluded places (like side arms of lake Powell in October). The plan is to carry a 3rd trolling motor that is unmodified (except that the head with the tiller and throttle will be tuned 180 degrees) and will allow me to propell and steer if one or both motors go out or if the RC system goes crazy. it will just be a standard issue 80lb thrust trolling motor.

I'd love to see the concept (at least as a schematic of some sort)! Best of luck. I'd personally utilize the existing motors, have an immediate-access mains breaker to prevent the RC part going berzerk, and install some sort of a mechanical linkage to the rudders -or rotation of the motors* if that's how you steer your rig. Just saying for weight's sake.

*Edit: just noticed the detail: Steering by differential thrust.

 

[scott harris]

early on I had an rc linked steering actuator connected to the port side motor, but I always had trouble with the linkage (poor design on my part no doubt). Then I discovered that with the wide spacing of the motors that differential thrust worked just fine. So I removed actuator making my boat simpler and a bit lighter.

 

[NC_hydro]

You could get one of those super comfy lay back camp chairs and save a ton of weight over that recliner…

 

[JoeHam]

You could get one of those super comfy lay back camp chairs and save a ton of weight over that recliner…

Yeah but……..

It just looks so cool .

 

[NC_hydro]

Yeah but……..

It just looks so cool .

Agreed but some of those fancy camp chairs are pretty sweet too and would give him some weight back.

 

[scott harris]

Actually, those 4 circular cutouts to the right of the lazy boy are for the legs of a camp chair. sometimes I remove the lazy boy, install a camp chair to the right and a fishing chair to the left. I have a buddy that likes to go fishing. I act as chauffeur.

 

[IGBT]

Big screen LED tvs with high brightness are pretty cheap nowadays...just sayin...