Modified Paddle boat. Need more power!

Discussion in 'Jet Drives' started by Chris A Farwell, Nov 22, 2019.

  1. Chris A Farwell
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 20
    Likes: 2, Points: 3
    Location: Spring Hill Fl

    Chris A Farwell Junior Member

    @KeithO Thanks for the share. I will be playing with props next time I take here out. I've come across a 55 Lb with a triple blade prop and will mount it so I can steer it instead of using a rudder but still using the little lever in the "seating area". I'll take pics one done. May go with an actuator for raising and lowering the motor. Through this process I've come to realize that speed is not what I'm looking for. I'm looking to be able to fight the current coming at me so I can get up the damn river. It's become kind of a self induced quest. I've now got 4-35 Ah and 2-55 ah AGM's and have redistributed the weight so it doesn't sink. I think I'll edit the name of this thread to I need more battery power as that is the truth of the matter.
     
  2. Yellowjacket
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Landlocked...

    Yellowjacket Senior Member

    No, you need more speed. Increasing your upstream speed by one knot almost doubles your true speed against the current. You need longer and skinnier hulls. This will improve you hull speed and if the hull is finer it will be even better. You will find that more thrust and more batteries are not going to get you what you want. You need less drag and in this case that comes with hull length and fineness. Think about how you can increase the hull length at the waterline, or remove and replace the hulls with hulls of similar volume that are longer and narrower. Every bit of length will pay off in higher hull speed FOR THE SAME POWER. If you go even one or two knots faster you'll double your upstream range and it won't take you all day to get upstream. You could even use a closed cell foam and mock it up and try it and determine how well it works. Your hulls are blunt at both ends (from the pic you posted) and extending the length by two feet on each end would make a huge difference in hull speed.
     
  3. Chris A Farwell
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 20
    Likes: 2, Points: 3
    Location: Spring Hill Fl

    Chris A Farwell Junior Member

    @Yellowjacket , I have discussed this with the missus and I think she may finally let me do something but it has to be removable. Not sure how I'm gonna do it but when I figure it out I'll post pics and such. I may just move everything to the new (to us) Peddle boat that is 2 feet longer and doesn't have chisel points on the front. Another option I'm considering is a couple of cheap used kayaks and cut them up for a pointy nose and tail on the current vessel. Our current focus is on motorizing our kayaks and making them more comfortable and cool looking. I'll upload some pics when I have a moment.
     
  4. Yellowjacket
    Joined: May 2009
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    Location: Landlocked...

    Yellowjacket Senior Member

    If you want something removeable, then turn the boat over, cover it with a thin plastic like Saranwrap or packing tape. You can then add foam to the ends and cover that all with a layer of fiberglass cloth with epoxy. What you're doing is basically making a thin skin that holds the foam. Another way would be to make two longer symmetrical hulls out of plywood that your old hulls sat down into. You could put the Saranwrap over your old hulls and then pour foam into the new hulls around your old hulls and this would mold the cavities to fit your old hulls. Lots of ways to do this, you just have to be creative.
     
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  5. Yellowjacket
    Joined: May 2009
    Posts: 664
    Likes: 113, Points: 43, Legacy Rep: 447
    Location: Landlocked...

    Yellowjacket Senior Member

    Of course you could go with hydrofoils. That's really the only way to get past the hull speed limit with a short hull. Here's a link to the Quadrofoil QS2, an electric hydrofoil that has a range of 80km (about 2 hours of endurance) at 20 kts. Low speeds and battery weight call for big foils, but it's likely doable. The QS2 costs about $20k, but if you want to play you gotta pay.
     
  6. Chris A Farwell
    Joined: Nov 2019
    Posts: 20
    Likes: 2, Points: 3
    Location: Spring Hill Fl

    Chris A Farwell Junior Member

    I've just accepted the fact that it will be slow and doesn't below in that particular river. I have quite a few other boats that will make the trip and made it to the river-head in kayaks with trolling motors last Sunday. I don't think I have even 1/4 of the 20K invested in all of my watercraft combined. Would be really cool but for 20K I would buy a new truck.....
     

  7. Rusty123
    Joined: Jan 2022
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Calgary

    Rusty123 New Member

    Chris , awesome job on this. I want to do this to my pedal boat and was wondering how you sealed the mounting shaft at the underside where it goes through.
    thanks
     
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