Same here! I wouldn’t mind testing that fin!
Yeah don’t focus on the speed too much. For some reason the speeds are not accurate at all. I should start using my watch for those measurements. So what I do is try to get to the lowest stall speed of the wing and hover as much as I can without stalling.
All testing is done with a 40L FFB 4’5” board, Axis 70cm 19mm mast, 1010 front wing, 340 tail, ultrashort fuse.
I admit it’s not the most ideal way of testing but it’s just glimpse I feel of what each prop does well.
Also tried out the Manta prop in surf for the first time today. It did phenomenal. Great grip even in white water, good pull to get me out of wired sections, and I felt it breached less often than the FR. I think the last comment can be omitted bc I haven’t the slightest why it would be that way. The only downside is that large efficiency gap compared to the FR. I was also using my Armstrong 1250 wing with 232 tail today. Got a quick session before work so I was heavier on the trigger but did notice more prominent voltage sag when I glanced down at the trigger. Overall great session. I would really like better efficiency but it is the Trade off for certain performance increases.
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How are you finding the run time from your 20Ah battery in the tow boogie? I’m planning a 13s 21700 pack, and thinking around 25-30Ah, to keep weight down.
Have you tried towing another person in foil behind you?
I haven’t tried towing anyone behind me yet. Would prob be very difficult.
Runtimes on flat water with a very efficient wing is about 50 min. In waves where you release the boogie and ride a wave I’ve been out for about 3 hours before. That’s just on and off playing around waiting for a set.
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I tow when I’m kiting, and it doesn’t take much power as soon as I’m up foiling on the axis 1010.
Are you prone paddling back to the boogie in waves, any difficulty getting back to it on bigger days? I was wondering how stable it is when it’s towing through swell, has it flipped over? I was considering using one to tow out about 2km to a break, and anchoring it there while I prone foil.
So my friend and I have used it to tow ourselves, a sup, two surfboards and a surf foil to a break before. We could have driven but we were lazy. We used an anchor on the sup to keep everything from drifting.
I have taken it out on big days but the thing is when it’s big there’s people. I’ve gotten lucky where it was just me on those days. The key is launch yourself just before the bring and pump your way in. It has flipped over and you have to self right it. You have to be hyper aware of the tow boogie and the relation of the tow rope to the prop at all times. If it gets sucked up there’s a good chance you gotta paddle in. It’s not an easy fix with water and waves breaking on you.
Also yes I just paddle myself back to it. I just want to make it a point to NEVER do it near any other water users.
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Update on version 3. Testing begins tomorrow. Too windy today to get a baseline in. New way to mount the batteries to reduce stress on the motor mount block.
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Having a kort nozzle might help to keep the tow rope out of the prop.
How thick are the Manta propellor blades compared to the FR prop, and could that contribute to increased power usage, but maybe a bit safer for toes that bump the moving prop?
Is fine control of the throttle critical on tow boogie? Considering the vx3 remote for possibly better waterproofing, but it seems to have less throttle resolution than maytech.
I blades are about the same thickness as the flying rodeo. The area of blade looking from the back is more than the flying rodeo.
Smooth throttle control definitely helps as any hard increases in throttle is translated to your hand holding the rope. Yes you can hold on to it during that burst in power but it’s uncomfortable.
Once I get more time I’d like to play around with nozzles and prop guard’s. Even just thicken the portion of the rope closest to the tow boogie so it has resistance to flex.
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So cool!
Do you use a parallel battery connector for the Lipos? Also, for your first build you mentioned a white plug that the power cord can pass through. Are these things I need to add to my list of things to buy?
Thanks so much!
Perhaps less flexible and also more buoyant? I have used pieces of pool noodle before on the rope when doing sketchy towing things with small outboard motors. I wonder if this is the same material as the pool noodle foam?
Ok, so you’ll want a series connection if you decide to use a 120kv motor. A series connection will make your 2x 6s 20A batteries into a 12s 20A battery. A parallel connection would make your 2x 6s 20A batteries into a 6s 40A battery. You want to go with the former. You can make the adapter your self.
Also I looked backed at my posts. That white cable gland I used is NOT necessary on the batteries. It was my attempt to introduce more water proof measures for the batteries. In summary it does nothing as the plastic is not nearly as heavy duty as it implies.
You would still need cable glands (the PG9 for 8 awg wire) for the outter plastic housing.
For that tow rope, that rubber is quite pricey! I think maybe pipe insulation is more than sufficient. I will play around with those ideas another time. The windy season is upon us and kiteboarding takes priority.
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Also I had questions on how to wire up the vesc 75300.
I think the pictures are very straightforward. I should have made the phase wires a bit longer but it’s fine.
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Love what you’re doing! …been collecting components to do my own efoil build. In the meantime, I want to get on the water. I’m convinced the tow boogie is the way.
So, I’ve been provided wires with the Maytec remote. One side mates with the receiver, but the other doesn’t connect with the vesc without modification.
Did you clip the vesc end of the wires and add the white two and three pin female pin head connectors?
Yes, that’s what I did.
Stripping them is tricky bc they are so thin so be careful.
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I’ve been wondering the same thing. Is this related to what FlightJunkie posted when he first got his Trampa VESC? Do you need to switch out and the solder JST ph 2.0 connectors on the VESC side for the Maytech remote wires?
Ah that is what I forgot to put in my google doc for completion items. This is what I used.
750 Pcs 2.0mm JST-PHR Connector Kit with 2.0mm Female Pin Header and 2/3/4 Pin Housing Connector Adapter Plug (JST Connector Kit) Amazon.com
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Is 3d printing the whole mast/plate/motor mount a good option (strong enough), or would you recommend getting an axis mast+plate? What length mast have you settled on?
I’ve ordered a maytech esk8 remote, because I thought I might be able to use the extra function/switch as a clunky way to steer it back to me (when no one else is around, and I’ve just ridden some ocean swell). You could add a steering flap that drops down and turns the boogie one way when the transistor/relay switch is activated on the remote.
It’ll probably need a long receiver aerial on a flag pole so that the range is reasonable, I’m not sure how far you can get out of the maytech setup.
The rope getting caught in the prop was a concern of mine today when trying out Valhalla’s setup. Especially if you have to pull the boogie back and redirect it when learning. Last thing we want is rope in prop. I think it might be worth it to spend a bit more to get a floating rope. I’m trying to find a cheap wakeboard floating rope. It seems many of them are coated and float.
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I wonder if the Manta prop would be closer to the FR in efficiency with a collar to fit the smaller diameter hub? Yasef was seeing fairly close consumption on his remote, but without accurate vesc logging.
So I’ve tried 3D printing the assembly but it broke. Again there are a lot of forces acting on it and it’s best to have something solid. I’ve designed another mount that hasn’t had any issues with spider cracks and can be adjusted for most masts fairly quickly. I’ll release it in the future once I get more time. The biggest forces on mine is the constant slamming up and down off sets. Sometimes it comes down from quite high up and slaps itself on the water. Currently the mast portion is solid but I need to rework the arm for my own personal one. The one I made for my friend is a beast. I definitely got up to some speeds on it that made me squirm. Handing that one off to him on Saturday.
Regarding the new motor hub for the manta I did try it and I think efficiency did go up. I’ll get some log data once I find time. I’m too busy riding than recording. I do recommend the manta overall because of its price and it’s performance matches well with the tow boogie. In my opinion anyway.
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