Has anybody got a zerotow V3 yet?
Its got a bigger motor and a new steering system but there are no photos up on the website yet.
Can anyone post pics of the v3?
I do…
The main change in the V3 is that the steering system is now built inside the control case instead of using an external actuator.
This switch brings a few practical improvements:
• The Boogie packs down a bit smaller.
• There’s no external actuator, so the PVC is less likely to get damaged.
• Accessing the internals is much easier — four screws instead of the mixture of 14 screws and fasteners used on V1 and V2.
• Steering throw has increased by about 10° each way, which helps with tighter turns at low speeds.
Other updates
• A zinc anode has been added to the aluminium motor mount for corrosion protection.
• An EVA pad under the battery helps stop it from sliding.
• Zip has been improved.
• The motor is slightly larger and more efficient, giving more power and better runtime.
• Handles have been added to the front and back.
• The tow rope has been upgraded.
• The hull and rocker design has been adjusted to reduce nose-diving. A few users doing long downwind runs (25 km+)
• The Boogie can run dual batteries (with a kit). With two batteries, flat-water towing range can reach around 50 km depending on rider weight and foil setup (I’m 95 kg on a 680 foil and can achieve this).
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lmao!
Thanks for the reply Mark. Looks really clean!
Is a V2 to V3 steering upgrade possible or are they too different?
Any photos of the new motor?
Hulls are interchangeable between all version, a few people have upgraded just the hull, but to upgrade the steering requires quite a few new parts and a lot of work and wouldn’t really be worth it.
The motor is custom with extra screws around the front perimeter for durability, as well as a vent hole so that the inside of the motor is always pressurised from the top shell of the Boogie. This should help with water ingress as the motor will never go under vacuum when it cools down.
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Thats interesting! I think I lost the motor air pressure thought the phase cables when I added mineral oil.
My boogie holds the pressure i leave in it overnight+ now. Mineral oil in the cables has air locked i think.
I reakon I could retrofit that to the V2, but maybe at bearing time.
Did you put the anode on the bottom where the motor rests on the ground?
Thanks for the update, appreciate it.
You do get a little bit of air though the phase cables, but it depends on my crimp and heat shrink connections, and I don’t think the flow is fast enough for vacuum during cooling. The tube could be retrofitted, but I don’t think it would be worth the hassle to remove the motor from the mount. I wouldn’t expect any air leakage down the via the motor, not noticeable on the shell anyway.
Anode is hidden on top of the motor mount, accessible if you drop the motor + mount. Could be retrofitted up there with a mill.
A servo isn’t strong enough for the steering - there is a huge amount of force on the motor due to prop torque and plowing through rough conditions. V3 uses a semi custom 2000:1 reduction gear box and a driven by a 36mm motor.
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I’m surprised it even fits in the enclosure. Must of been tight for space.
2000:1, Is that a typo? Wow!
Already broke two “380kg” servos on my boat despite extra 1/2 reduction by gears, so I get what you say about the torque needs 
That’s about right, 8000rpm of the dc steering motor down to about 4 rpm at the motor pod. That’s a 2000:1 ratio!
Are you using a rotalink or something? Very few gearboxes that I know of in the 2000:1 range.
Similar to those, It’s a 24V DC 50:1 gear box with encoder, then the output of the gear box goes though 2 more reducers (standard gears) to further increase the torque, overall strength and shock loading of the system.
Ever looked at a gimbal motor through reducer?
I looked at all sorts of different reducing options. A Capstan drive was high on the list that uses Dyneema cord to help make a back lash free drive.
In the end didn’t need super high accuracy or speed which a pancake motor + harmonic / Capstan drive would give. Also didn’t need it to be back drivable, so ended up going with a simple right angled reducing gear box. I tried lots of different iterations.
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Did the linear actuator have any advantages?
For the Zerotow it had some disadvantages, but do you think its a better option for a diy boogie
builders here?
The biggest advantage of the linear actuator was that it was an off the shelf, proven design that was available and not too expensive. Initially I did a few designs of internal steering but it would have slowed down development and shipping too much.
The project was self funded (a loan against our house) so was pretty critical to get the design locked in and parts made and shipped as fast as possible. Was around 10 months from the first inflatable prototype to delivering the first production Boogie.
The actuator isn’t waterproof so only works when it is fully sealed in an enclosure, difficult for DIY. Some listings will say they are ip67 but they are definitely not for salt water submersion.
Has the new steering changed its behaviour much. I saw you saying its got tighter low speed turning. Is that on the same firmware as v2?
They run the same firmware, but we detect and adjust parameters for V3. It just works a bit better with more steering throw.
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I just love seeing how this project evolves! So much hard work, effort and dedication.