Electric mini airboat!

Update 20230622:
Since we have made this video we have created our own webstore, where you can find batteries, ESCs, motors and anything else you might need for you builds! The webstore is expanding by the day, so keep an eye out over at:

www.marsons.se

Anything questions? Feel free to contact us via email:

[email protected]
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Strängnäs, Sweden

Need: to transport ourselves over 500 meters of lake to get to our place.

In the summer, a small aluminium boat with a powerful little electric motor is perfect. In the winter, walking is great because the lake freezes.

In the autumn, and the spring, the ice is weak, so we need a mode of transport that is safe and reliable, thus the airboat.

I love electric vehicles, electric bikes, built a speedy little electric outboard last year, so the choice was easy. Go all electric!

Specs for airboat prototype:

Electric motor, rated 12kW, peak 25kW
Weight of motor: approx 5,0 kg
Thrust: not measured.
Forward and reverse via hand controller.

Batteries:
LiPo
24S (100V)
Coming from 6 packs of 8 cells
3,7kW/h
Charger: Imax B8

ESC:
120V
1000 amp

Propeller:
160 cm (63 inches)
Pretty beefy propeller, quite wide, and a fair bit of pitch
Very quiet at the rpms we are running at the moment. Unsure of rpm, have not measured.

Cage: work in progress. Full safety cage yet to be installed.

Hull:
Kimple 330
Flat bottom jon boat
Aluminium, thinner than a can of beer :)
3.3 m long (10'9")
1.15 m wide (3'9)
Weight: 38 kg

Mechanical steering to air rudders

Throttle:
Remote controlled via Traxxas transmitter/receiver

Speed: Have not measured yet. It would be deadly quick on pure ice, a guess would be in excess of 100 kph if given the space.

Future improvements:
make a wider hull for the setup, alternatively, buy a wider jon boat. This hull will not work in water, it will capsize.
radio controlled steering. Have already purchased a large servo for this.
cameras. Can then send boat to other side to pick someone up.
redo battery setup with a plug and play option.