For the RoboBoat 2021 competition, our team was essentially completely virtual. However, we tried our best to make the most of it. During this project, I experimented with two things:
- Liquid rubber as a waterproof coating for a foamboard hull
- Bilge pump motors
The foamboard hull was rather limited in displacement, but it got the job done. The liquid rubber held up for the most part, but it did not adhere well to packing tape and would peel easily on the sharp folded corners of the foamboard hull.
The bilge pump motors also worked well, but the H-bridge driver was overheating during tests. I suspect this was due to the driver not being rated for the provided current.
Arduino sketches are available here. Technical design report available here.