Valhalla’s Tow Boogie & eBuild

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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Sounds like I’d better make some solid padding for my battery pack, so it doesn’t bounce around in the pelican case. It looks like it’s going to get a hard time jumping over swell :grin:. This thing is gonna be fun

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Picked up an axis mast and manta prop. What length would you suggest cutting it down to?

I do mine to where the midline of the prop is about 8 inches from the bottom of the board

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Where did you get that? Did you buy it or build it?

OK, it’s time to check in with my progress in copying this build. For me, this is a great intermediate step towards building my efoil.

By the 6th session tuning the tow boogie and after several iterations adjusting the battery box location, adjusting the tow rope anchor mount location on the board, the tow boogie began performing as desired.

On my first day out I made friends with a drone pilot who volunteered to record the experience. Here is the introductory video including the first sessions using the Skydito 2 drone:

From my GoPro mount after all the fine tuning:

First impressions:
It works. Yeeeew!
Once the foil board lifts out of the water, the tow boogie accelerates quickly
Yep, confirmed. The slingshot effect is a blast!

Initial mistakes made:

  • Critical finding: I learned to hold the tow rope from the nose of the board, or along the centerline of the board. It took me a few sessions to realize this simple adjustment would improve the tow’s straight-line performance dramatically
  • Did not wet the box mount straps before use (the straps will stretch once wet)
  • Must anchor the tow rope from the lowest, rear-most point on the board. After adjusting the mount location, the tow boogie was no longer lifting out of the water

What I’ve done right:

  • Box is watertight and seals are holding
  • Box mounts are holding firm, and are correctly located
  • Boogie board has good rocker in the nose
  • Good VESC connection from within the aluminum box
  • Mast is anchored well on the board
  • Motor mount is firm
  • No prop or pin issues
  • No tangle issues with the tow rope
  • After following the Maytec remote waterproofing steps in the forum, the remote functions without issues. Also successfully added the overvoltage chip to the remote. However, I don’t have enough experience with the remote to know if this mod will extend it’s life.
  • Motor isn’t leaking (after opening and filling with Corrosion X)

TBD:

  • Mast mount is approximately in the center of the board. I believe this the optimal location, but not sure.
  • I have not yet been out in choppy conditions. What little chop I have experienced has been difficult to manage steady acceleration without amplified bouncing of the tow boogie and loss of control

My hydrofoil setup is a 5’ JP Austrailia prone board:

Gong Surf Foil Allvator V2 Curve Alu Carbon:

Thanks @Valhalla for the instruction and tips!

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Congratulations Brandon! Definitely inspiring!

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What I’ve learned with weight placement is majority of the mass should be on the widest part of the board. Mass of batteries should be as midline as possible. Use the trim tab to compensate for that torque twist. Treat it as a thrust vector.

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In which orientation are you printing the mast clamps?
It looks in the picture in March that the blue mast clamp was printed with the nose in a vertical direction on the print bed, which would be relying on the layer adhesion to prevent cracking where the bolts apply pressure. I wonder if it would be stronger if the layers are printed front to back on the mast clamp, so that the layer lines run in the vertical orientation? It’s a lot of filament to print those clamps, over 500g, and have them crack.

I’m considering using a metal clamp for strength, and printing a cover for it.

Good tip on the weight placement. Would it be reasonable to run the pelican box across the boogie board, rather than lengthwise?

I’ve printed mine with the nose cone up. So far no issues with cracking so far.

I wouldn’t see an issue having it run across as long as weight placement is correct. For me it’s just ever so slightly offset.

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Valhalla, when you have a moment, any chance you could update thingiverse with your redesigned motor mount from March 22?
Edit: All good, I’ve designed a completely different approach to the mount.

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Any pict ? (pict pict 20 char)

Thanks so much for the help with my build.
I am at the battery cable soldering stage on my Trampa 75/300 VESC. Just wanted to double check to see if I use the same triangle configuration that you recommended for soldering the phase wires or is there a connector used?

Also, is there anything under the VESC when you put it in the aluminum case with Corrosion X?

Sorry one more,
Are you using a marine silicone sealant for the cable glands?

Cheers!

I recommend using the solder method for the wires. I’ve also stopped using corrosion x in the vesc box due to some discussions on the board. I use thermal paste for the vesc and aluminum box. Also silicone for the cable glands. I have since moved my cable glands down and away from the top for better cable management and less interference with my leg when carrying the whole apparatus

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