Author Topic: Personal tow in  (Read 10475 times)

flkiter

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Personal tow in
« on: December 07, 2020, 10:06:25 AM »
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIeQFXsjc1c/?igshid=u27p6wl5r1o7

Looks way easier to build than e foil and more fun

Dontsink

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2020, 12:11:50 PM »
I want one!!!

surfcowboy

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2020, 08:32:12 PM »
The first one of these was made by a guy we call Boogie Mike here in LA. It's really cool. I'm helping design and build a body/hull for them. Keep an eye on the efoil forums for more info  I(This guy's build is there)  think these things are going to be the next DIY projects. Less work and super fun. 

jondrums

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2020, 09:49:08 PM »
gotta get the controls on the handle - that would make a huge difference

With drone technology the way it is these days, it's probably possible to put a GPS on there and make it "hold position" when the handle is dropped.  Or maybe an autonomous "come to me" remote after you get off the wave for a ride back out...

Wetstuff

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #4 on: December 08, 2020, 06:22:20 AM »
Excellent...  I almost bought a guy's Whaler this year ...'till I realized I need a driver and an observer.  (Who wants to sit and watch some azzhole having all the fun?! ...and, who wants to 'share'!).   I'd guess you would only need thrust already established for stand-ons.  Keep us posted CB.

Jim
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PonoBill

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2020, 07:47:28 AM »
Damn, that's great. Doesn't really need a steering system, that short section of pipe acting like a tiller looks like enough, or perhaps a two-line harness. I could easily add this capability to the eFoil I just got. There's not really a need for GPS locking, a simple dead man switch is probably enough. That design is really a lot more practical. An eFoil has an obvious limit in battery size--you need to lift it with the foil. The takuma I got is too heavy to get used a lot, this makes more sense from a fundamental design standpoint. The eFoil "looks" like a better solution but the weight changes the way the foil works.

I could add a park and summon capability to use it for tow-in if I added steering, that's not hard to do at all given current tech and the modules readily available. Mostly a matter of optimizing the way it works. I've been thinking about hacking the Bluetooth controller my efoil has anyway, I don't really like the interface. It should be gesture-controlled, not a fiddly little knob and a finger trigger.

If you wanted it to be faster and more efficient it wouldn't be too hard to add surface piercing foils in front and a little wing under the motor. Again, easy to do to existing eFoils, you'd just need a short mast and simple foils. They could be dinky, only lifting 60-70 pounds.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2020, 08:14:55 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Tom

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #6 on: December 08, 2020, 08:00:41 AM »
I don't know if it's been figured out how to handle a dropped tow line. I'd suggest using use geo-fencing technology. The rider could carry some type of transmitter and when he is more than a certain distance from the tow device, it shuts down or circles. For example, if the rope tow was 15 feet, you could shut off the motor when it's 20 or 25 feet away.

surfcowboy

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #7 on: December 08, 2020, 08:12:32 AM »
Yes, these ideas are all being heavily discussed.

A joystick remote to pick you up is one idea. Handle controls are my vote with a wired remote til the long range and autonomy get done.

Lots of issues with remote range, wireless under water, hydrodynamics etc. Those topics are all part of efoils. Dive in! The discussion is pretty amazing. There are two that I know of with two on the way. And yes, many issues that this resolves with being towed.

PonoBill

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #8 on: December 08, 2020, 08:25:18 AM »
I'm kicking myself for not having thought of this. I could build this with stuff that's sitting around in my shop. I literally have everything I need to make one including batteries, motor, prop, controllers, and electronics.

The efoils suffer from a power/weight/drag spiral that's hard to optimize. Off the top of my head, I don't see why an efficient version of this could be done with about 3000 watts instead of the 5000 watts most of the efoils have settled on. I guess I'm going to have to spend some time on that DIY forum. It can replace the time I've been spending watching the Great British Baking Show.

Damn.

Project #1532. I'm actually going to count them all up and start getting serious about finishing some things.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Califoilia

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #9 on: December 08, 2020, 10:31:27 AM »
Spoiled-By-The-Foil guys were doing eFoil tow-ins yesterday at SanO. Looked promising, but the foiler definitely had to know what s/he were doing, as there's not a whole lot of bottom end torque in the eFoils. That was even more compromised by the weight and water resistance drag of the prone foilers they were towing being completely submerged...so it's not going to be something to really learn to foil off of....yet. Maybe SUP foilers already out of the water for the most part might be a tad easier, but still it's a lot to ask an eFoil to start dragging them out of a dead stop, unless they had some previous experience of getting the board up off of the water at a relatively low speed.

Fun to watch...especially when the guys they were towing in were Slingshot team rider (Jame Jenkins, who would end his foil rides with a stylistic backflip for good measure), and several time skimboard champion Austin Keen. Throw in two-time RS:X Olympic gold medalist Dorian van Rijsselberghe out there with them, and it was a pumping and speed fest to say the least. Even in the "1-2' and firing" mini waves we had down there yesterday....just amazing what these guys can do nowadays. :o 8)
« Last Edit: December 08, 2020, 10:33:20 AM by SanoSlatchSup »
Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

PonoBill

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #10 on: December 08, 2020, 12:48:28 PM »
I guess it depends on the eFoil. The Takuma has bags of low end--almost too much. 5000 watts is almost 7 horsepower, 3000 is 4 hp. But yes, pulling up a prone surfer would take a lot more power than a SUP foiler. Build this thing as something boatlike and there would be plenty of room for gear reduction.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

flkiter

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #11 on: December 08, 2020, 02:51:37 PM »
I'm thinking of building one with a little bit of fin in the nose at slight angle so at slow speed, it'll turn in one direction. Then high speed the fin will be out of water so it'll go strait. Also spring loaded fin will do this. Then I can steer it back to me. Also the rope will connect higher up a tad so with load, the turning fin will not be able to engage so it'll run strait with load. Floating rope and handle for sure with maybe bungie to shorten if needed to keep from running it over.

PonoBill

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #12 on: December 08, 2020, 09:34:44 PM »
If you're going to go to that trouble, put a servo on it and steer it. I'm excited about this, I'm working on code for a gesture controller--easy to waterproof. The outline is simple. tilt forward once to arm, tilt the second time to accelerate at the degree of tilt. Once armed differential right/left tilt turns, and random motions (you fell) turns off the motor. Tilt the controller back twice and the tow returns to you. GPS in the controller and the tow. Not super complicated, it doesn't have to steer around anything.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

ninja tuna

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2020, 02:34:35 AM »

Wetstuff

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Re: Personal tow in
« Reply #14 on: December 09, 2020, 05:33:46 AM »
150hp and 600lbs...   You'd really have to hate people to spend that much to play by yourself. 

Jim
Atlantis Mistress .. Blue Planet MultiTasker ..   Atlantis Venom

 


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