SOLAR POWERED BOTTLE BOAT - water drive propeller

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It proved very difficult to source a suitable air propeller which would allow the solar motors to spin up to an efficient speed.  Small electric motors are not that efficient (about 20-40%) and even less so at low revolutions.  Consequently, it was decided to fit a water propeller as the next stage of testing.

In addition to the poor thrust and the necessary height to give the air propeller space to spin, the 1st version of the blackcurrant bottle boat was unstable in high winds, just as with the action man conversion. On several occasions a gentle push saw the boat up-end and nose dive beneath the water.

Lower and more purposeful looking - Bottle Boat 2 takes to the water

With the water propeller, the performance improvement is staggering.  The lowered bottle boat is much more stable.  We wonder what will improve the performance further?  If you are at school - Why not email your guess as to how fast this boat moves in bright sunshine.

 This photo clearly shows the prop shaft arrangement of BBSB2

How fast is Blackcurrant Bottle Solar Boat 2 (BBSB2)?  The closest guess gets the winner a web page of their own on this site.  Use the contact below to tell Nelson.

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