New Member

[john44]

Hi there paddle boaters,
 I am now the proud owner of a Glasgow Paddle boat.
 Its the first paddle boat I have ever owned, the model is well finished
but one drive motor powers both paddles,
So on the water it is not very responsive, I would like to convert to independent drive but I don,t know what is the best way to go about it.
or the motor type,speed/drive-belt/geared drive etc best to use.

I know there is a wealth of knowledge on the forum, could some kind person please help with my problem. Pictures would brilliant,

thanks

john

[Eddy Matthews]

Welcome to Paddleducks John.....

There are numerous ways to do what you want, but for a starter I'd try increasing the size of the rudder - You can experiment easily, just by using a piece of styrene sheet and attaching it to the standard rudder with a couple of pieces of bluetack. Once you have arrived at a size and shape that works, you can then make it a permanent fixture. A larger rudder is much more effective than the standard size.

A twin motor setup has been done many times on the Glasgow. It's fairly straightforward, but it costs a bit as you have to have two matched motors/gearboxes, twin speed controllers etc etc. You can either use belts or sprockets and chains for the drive. I've attached a photo of the setup Scotfriend uses in his model to give you an idea.

Regards
Eddy

[john44]

Many thanks for a speedy reply Eddy,
that is "exactly" what I was looking for. Could you please tell me the
spec of Scotfriends set up and where I can get the parts from
and what voltage he runs at. I am sorry if I sound like a pest but you
have got me exited now.

Cheers
john

PS are the gearboxes a better option than pulley reduction?

[Eddy Matthews]

Hopefully Hans (Scotfriend) will jump in over the next day or two and give you some answers John. All I know is that the alloy mounts were made specially for him. Hans works for Sauber Ferarri F1 team! But you could soon make something up yourself from some suitable alloy angle....

Hopefully Hans will give more info on the motors and pulleys etc...

Gearboxes generally give a more compact setup - To gear a typical motor that runs at say 5000rpm down to the 150-160rpm we typically use would be a bit of a pain using pulleys and belts to do it all. There are slower running motors, but they are generally difficult to obtain - Geared motors are fairly easy to get.

Eddy

[john44]

Thanks Eddy ,
The mounts will not be a problem. I just need to know what to put in them.

cheers

john

[tonyh]

Hi John,
I am following this with interest.  I would also like to carry out this same conversion.

Tony.

[scotfriend]

Hello John and Tony,

as Eddy said the mounts were machined at our CNC workshop.

First i used some motors and gears from a German company called Lemosolar , the problem was the motors didn't last very long the first set was dead after 11-12 hours and the second set last's only 3-4 hours. I was looking around and found another suitable set of geared motors at http://www.mobilemarinemodels.com/ Fortunately i could use the pulleys and belts from Lemosolar with the new set of motors this drive still works after about 15 hours and it seems it will do so for a long time.


I hope this helps, best regards Hans

[john44]

Thanks scotfriend,
just been on mobilemarinemodels web site, could not find any geared motors
on their website, or toothed belt drives.
are the motors 380/400 size?
will give them a call, see if they have any available.

thanks
john

[Eddy Matthews]

John,

Clyde Model Boats do some nice geared motors, their 300rpm motor would be ideal if you ran it on 6v-7.2v to give 150-160rpm.

The downside is that they are larger than the ones Hans used, so you would have to mount one in front of the paddleshaft and one behind, rather than side by side as Hans did.

http://www.clydemodelboats.co.uk/userimages/Motors%281940599%29.htm

Regards
Eddy

[john44]

Thanks Eddy,
I see what you mean about the size. 7.5 cm with shaft, I have been told about a company called model motors direct, I am going to get in touch to see what they do in the line of geared drive motors.

cheers

john

[Eddy Matthews]

John, just be careful with Model Motors Direct - He does indeed do some good motors, but also some absolute rubbish! And he'll swear blind that what he's selling you will be ideal for the job, even when it isn't!!

At least that's my experience with him....

Eddy

[tonyh]

Eddy/Hans (Scotfriend)
To diverse from the motors on this subject, could I ask about the controller/mixer used in this installation.
a) What type of controller/mixer has been used, and is successful for paddle and rudder control?
b) What strategy would the controller/mixer use - eg rudder hard over = one paddle wheel full speed and the other paddle wheel into reverse (1/2 speed), to give tight turning.

Thanks,
Tony.

[sandystrone]

Tony,
 in all my paddle steamers (large and small) I have used Electronize speed controllers (built fom their kits)  and have experienced good performance and absolutely no troubles, compared with The Vipers I tried.
                                                                                                                           Sandy

[tonyh]

Thanks Sandy,
This conversion is now looking a good possibility. Currently I have a steam plant in my Glasgow which I am looking to replace. I still plan the installation to be able to put the steam plant back, hence the model could be either steam or electric. I realise that it would not be a lakeside 'change'.

Thanks,
Tony.

[john44]

Hi Eddy,
I had a word with Kim at Clyde model boats and I have ordered 2 of the motors you suggested. they should just fit in.

thanks for the help

john