Motor Boat RC small (experimental)

thingiverse

Small boats can indeed be seaworthy; check out this video (http://youtu.be/zP-G-ovutto) for proof! This is my first motor boat, but I didn't have a small enough receiver at the time. It has the same hull shape as one of these boats (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:204303), and it now features a keel, stern tube, motor mount, rudder unit, and a propeller to make it ready for RC control. The boat in the video doesn't have an additional stern tube; the shaft runs directly through the plastic, which requires regular greasing and careful handling to prevent overheating and potential damage. The second version (motor_boat_stern_tube_small) has a larger exterior stern tube opening to accommodate a brass stern tube with a 1mm inner diameter and 1.5mm outer diameter – similar to my other, larger boats. This version hasn't been tested yet, though. The coupling is made from a heat-shrink tube. For optimal printing results, use the spiral vase method for the hull, which should be printed at 1.5mm thickness with layer height set to 0.3mm and width at 0.6mm. If scaling down, you might need to reduce the width as well, so there's a gap between the two perimeters. To prevent nozzle damage, add a small base on the aft side during printing (without a heatbed) and use 6mm brim. Reduce temperature and speed gradually when reaching tricky areas. The propeller should be printed at layer height of 0.1mm and width of 0.3mm, while other parts require layer height of 0.2mm and width of 0.3mm. Instead of printing the rudder with a shaft, you can use a 3mm filament for the shaft, drill a 0.8mm hole in it, connect both parts with a 0.8mm wire, and glue them together.