Solar boat

Hi There,
My daughter and her 6th grade class have entered a competition to design and build a solar boat. Does anyone have any ideas or links to get them started in the right direction?
Your help will be appreciated
Kengt

 

What are the rules? What is their budget? Sponsors? Time frame?
I hope the Sponsors have a good disclaimer policy.
You need to recruit a boat surveyor and indemnify him and get him to vet the electrical system for safety - before they build it. ANY electrical component not specifically made for boats is a risky proposition.

In terms of being able to fiddle with the powertrain and then installing it on a boat, I think an air fan boat would be the easiest to design/test for thrust and then select an resonable hull for the result. Lots of info on model plane props and motors and reasonable cost on these parts. but I repeat, parts not made for boats need to be looked at very closely.

 

Child on board, or model-scale?

 

get a Torqeedo travel, a Torqeedo solar panel. Buy a small dinghy, place the solar panel on the dinghy, hang the Torqeedo at the transom and here you have a solar boat!

 

Spec for Solar Boat

Yes, actually the kids will be the pilots.

 

is dadddy paying? What is the budget?

 

The rules are: We are given 4 solar panels MSX64 (Solarex is the brand), we choose a boat (we are looking for a lightweight boat. Also it must be less than 20 ft. long, less than 8 ft. wide and less than 5 ft. tall), a 100ah at 24v battery, any DC motor, must compete in a shalom, speed and a endurance race. Your help is very much appreciated. Thank you!!!
kengt

 

Budget

The project is funded by state grants and local donations. We have about $3500 so far.

 

Given the limitations, I am thinking either build or buy a 20' long canoe, with as little free board as possible to support the weight. Using a high power 24v trolling motor for power. Most of this can be found used for a fraction of new prices.

If you have the time and resources to build, then go with a even narrower hull. More like a kayak.

 

Get 2 skinny hulls (used) as the base platform easier to drive (a hobie 12 ft of 14 ft would be OK too... the expensive bit would be the drive motor, if home made a flexible ss shaft about 3/8 ins dia (or one made of grp) and affix a 2 blade model airplane propeller about 12 inches in diameter or bigger then use hobbyist gears to gear it down so it rotates nicely in the water... Look up threads by Rick Willoughby on man powered boats (he designed and recorded design thinking on this site - his design was winner in a 24hr man powered race... my thoughts come from there...

 

Check out the electric boat assosiation electric challenge at http://www.bealeparkboatshow.co.uk/competitions/corless_canoe_challenge_results_article/

you can build a stitch and glue for under $300 no sharpe transom please and fit your 24 v minn Kota with a aero prop about 10 x8 ...you will only need about 60w to do 4 mph ...calc charts at electric boat association http://www.electric-boat-association.org.uk/

Also see http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-design/efficient-electric-boat-27996.html

your 100ah 24v will keep you going for 6 hrs ...you will only need 12v which will in effect give you 200ah at 12v

 

What is a shalom race?

 

I thinks its when you have to steer around a tight course of buoys. Means the design has to be maneuverable...not a long thin straight line speedster.

To the OP...do some googling for elcectric boat races.

 

Ah, slalom race then.

 

Perhaps put some tell tales on the panels and feather the solar panels upwind . Minimium windage. Downwind go for max windage solar panels or max windage BAT WING crew racing suites

Perhaps a sliding seat so you can shift crew weight to match all conditions and turn faster on the coarse.