Boating Stuff - Tow Generator For Sailboat

thingiverse

I'm working on a project that involves building a small propeller to be towed behind a boat and used to spin a Nema17 stepper motor. The goal is to generate just 1 amp of power at 12V, which might sound like a wild idea, but I'm hoping it will work. If you have experience troubleshooting electronic circuits, your help would be greatly appreciated. The propeller needs to be weighted down with small fishing leads so that it doesn't skip across the surface of the water. To achieve this, I fill the prop with a combination of sand and water, then seal it with an end cap. The finished product weighs about 5 pounds or 2 kilograms. I've created two prototypes, which are shown in the photo. I think the smaller one will perform better at speeds above 7 knots, while the larger one should be more effective at 5 knots. Both designs are intended to deflect off any crab pot lines or other obstacles that might be encountered during sailing. The cable used is a vinyl-coated laundry line, which works but may need to be replaced with something thicker once I refine the design further.