The Drift Initiative Build, UAE

This is my first build and is now in full swing with mast, wing, fuselage, prop, motor mount, etc all designed in Fusion 360 and mostly printed. (PPEHF) Partially Printed Electric Hydrofoil. The idea was to 3D printing as much of the build as possible keeping costs down. I would have done the full board if I did not have time constraints or more printers. I look forward to sharing.

3 Likes

Looks great. Good luck!

1 Like

My setup will be as follows:

  1. SolidGeek Firefly remote with wireless charging and UART control (this will be my biggest challenge as I have never worked with Arduino and PWM/UART. Any help and assistance with this would be greatly appreciated.

  2. 120 Samsung 25R 20A in a 2 x 6s10p setup with balance leads (no BMS however I will be charging on a 6s Li-po Charger that has a balance function) - recommendations on BMS’s are welcome or if there are any no no’s with this setup.

  3. Alien Power Systems 6384 100kv 4000W ( 75kg rider)

  4. Arc 200 ESC, Powered by Freefly

  5. My Ender 3 is doing most of the work for me here. Printing V1 in PLA certain components in PETG and Carbon Fibre ie Motor mount and Prop.

  6. Prop!!! If anyone has any recommendations, please send me a file or link!

  7. At a later stage, I intend to cast pieces of the mast/fuselage in aluminium, using a similar method to that of lost wax casting however the was will be PLA prints. For structural reasons and a bonus will be, it will make for an excellent heatsink for the Arc 200.

  8. To be continued…

1 Like

Go for the APS 63100 if you want to have some power.

1 Like

Already got the 6384, Maybe for V2 but hoping to get up with it at the very least. The wing is huge (chord of 30cm and length of 60cm) more drag but requiring less power to get up.

looks cool, do you plane to fiberglass or carbon over the prints?

3 Likes

Cool design! I really like the board. Makes me think of 60s sci fi. Why the curved mast?

1 Like

Apologies for the lack of detail in steps I’ve taken but got stuck right into it. So I reshaped the board, have covered it in 1 x 200gsm and 1 x 130 gsm fibreglass. The 3d prints are covered in 3 x 200gm and have epoxy fillers in certain areas where there is structural concerns (mast board and mast fuselage). It seems fairly strong and will take all my weight with some serious weight shift however there is some flex which I feel won’t be an issue as water is forgiving. Might add another dimension and fluidity to the overall ride performance.

I’ve taken it into the water to test waterproofing, major issues in this area so probably going to use watertight lunchboxes until I have the time to make a version 2.

What is a concern to me is the weight. Mast, foil, wings and motor come in at around 17kgs. What is an average weight of an efoil. Batteries are coming in at 9kgs.

Thanks man, it’s been toil, to get it to where it is but well worth while. No reason in particular for the curved mast, i just liked the aesthetics and thought I’d have some fun with it.

Haha the 60s sci-fi wasn’t the intention, originally planned to have a bamboo veneer In-lay in the deck but I couldn’t find a small enough quantity for just one board so the mat black came out.

Dont worry. About 26 kg is a normal total weight for efoil. Mine is about the same weight and foils great.

1 Like

Doing the water tests I had the chance to push the board from in the water, was great to see it hop out the water and cruise for 3-5m before loosing power and stalling. Couldn’t get enough speed while paddling to get up but seems like it’ll be solid when I do. Seems like the wing is good. I have high hopes for the 6384. Water testing when I get the remote and waterproofing finalised.

What spot welder are you using in the photo?

Very nice : https://malectrics.eu/

1 Like