Add a Drone and Go Surf . . A Foil Would Help Even More

[PonoBill]

New Atlas (formerly Gizmag) has a new, longer dronesurfing video this morning:

Also,  the drone is identified as an Alta 8. The battery pack is indeed 6s, but the amperage isn't specified. Motors are 350 watt so 2800 watts total = 3.7 horsepower. About double what i thought it would take.

[andygere]

I don't care if it's really practical to do this today.  I dig the fact that somebody thought of it and made it work.  Purpose-built machines will follow, as will automated guidance so you can self-pilot.

[RATbeachrider]

Based on the battery specs, it appears this drone is using two 25,000mAh (at least) 6S li-po batteries in parallel.  That's about $1,200 for battery alone.  No wonder the price for this drone is $17,500 on BnH.  I'm guessing about 10 mins. max, but more likely 6-8 mins. on the safe side, pulling a skier/boarder due to max payload of 20 lbs.

[Weasels wake]

I think it has great potential as being an artificial kite for kite boarding.
I hope it becomes very popular, making the price come down, so most kiters can get one and enjoy it when there is not enough wind for their kites.
Then when the wind comes up, the kiters will be all tuckered out and no longer interested.
Then us windsurfers can have the area more to ourselves. 
I'm loving this artificial kite, I hope it succeeds. 

[yugi]

Do you realize that it doesn't have the power to get a rider out of the water? Rider needs to self start and then it can sustain the ride. That's why the guy stays near shore. Also uses a very big board.

[PonoBill]

A typical kite develops about 5-6 horsepower, which is a lot to duplicate with a multicopter. The motors I have could do the job, but based on the comments about the run time for this 2HP example, with such a multi at full throttle the battery life for anything but the very latest batteries in a heavy pack would a few minutes. I need to find some efficiency figures for multicopters. The number I come up with that disregard efficiency are wrong.

I just built a 13s13p battery for my fatbike that would fit the bill, but it's heavy. All could be done, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to come to your local store. A 5hp multicopter would be a dangerous thing.

[Weasels wake]

All that is understood, but a guy can pipe dream can't he, that's how things get done.
For starters, the battery wouldn't have to be on the drone, today's technology can be so limiting sometimes.
But I realize, probably not in my lifetime, or at least my sports time,,,,,,,,,,, maybe?

[PonoBill]

If it happens at all it would happen in the next few years. Otherwise people will be off chasing something else.

[blueplanetsurf]

Looks like things are progressing quickly, this takes it to the next level

[PonoBill]

There you go, there's some horsepower. One thing people don't think of much when they contemplate electric anything is that the limits of power for size and weight are actually much higher than internal combustion. The inexorable Carnot limits make the value of more fuel a declining percentage while the value of more electricity is nearly 95 percent.

[PonoBill]

There you go, there's some horsepower. One thing people don't think of much when they contemplate electric anything is that the limits of power for size and weight are actually much higher than internal combustion. The inexorable Carnot limits make the value of more fuel a declining percentage while the value of more electricity is nearly 95 percent.