Propeller Powered Skateboard

Skateboarding gets more exciting as I strap a model airplane engine to the end of a skateboard.

I had a great time with this project. It was rather easy to put together and a whole lot of fun to test. I look forward to playing with it more and may update the video with more antics in the future.

For more pics and videos check out crazybuilders.com

Step 1 Building the Skateboard, Mounting the Engine

This section describes how I constructed the skateboard and mounted the model airplane engine to the skateboard.

Summary

This page contains information on how I built the propeller powered skateboard. It took approximately four hours of building time to complete the build spread over four days as I gathered parts and finalized the design between steps. The build was straightforward and mostly consisted of strapping an overpowered model airplane engine onto a plank and attaching skateboard wheels.

Bill of Materials

What	Details	What For	Where From
Frame
Wood	1x10	Skateboard and Motor Mount	Home Depot
Bolts	#8 x 1.5	Mounting Trucks to Deck	Home Depot
Fan Cage		Prevent Major Injury
Skateboard Supplies
Skateboard Trucks	Cruiser with Risers	Smooth Ridin	Skate Shop
Grip Tape	Self-Adhesive	Looks/Traction	Skate Shop
R/C Gear
Transmitter	HiTec Laser 6 Ch. FM	Transmits Signal	Tower Hobbies
Receiver		Receives Signal, Powers Servos	Bundled w/ Transmitter
Servo		Engine Throttle	Bundled w/ Transmitter
Battery	4-Cell 4.8V 600mAh NiCd	Power Receiver/Servos	Tower Hobbies
Model Airplane Gear
Engine	OS 1.60 FX	Powerplant	Tower Hobbies
Gas Tank	950cc	Holds Fuel	Tower Hobbies
Fuel		Fuel For Engine	Local Hobby Store
Glow Starter	Standard w/ Meter	Starting Engine	Tower Hobbies
Starter Motor	TorqMaster 180 Heavy Duty 12 V	Starting Engine	Tower Hobbies
Propeller	16x10 3-Blade Pusher	Transmit Force	Tower Hobbies
Accessories
Flints	Tail Devil	Making Sparks	Amazon

Design

Engine Position

I had a hard time deciding whether to put the engine on the front or back of the board. Most, if not all, model airplane engines can only rotate in one direction. If you were to point the typical airplane engine setup backwards, it would pull the board backwards not forwards. If you want the engine to pull the other direction it is not possible to simply turn the propeller around to change the direction of pull, but instead you must get a "Pusher" prop - the opposite being a "Tractor" prop. Most model airplanes have the engine on the front of the plane, which means that there is a much wider selection of tractor props. In the end I decided it was worthwhile to me to put the engine in the rear, facing toward the rear, to keep the exhaust out of the way and to get the propeller as far away as possible. And I think it looks better that way too.
I had to make sure that I could still tilt the skateboard back to hit the flints on the ground and make sparks with the fan cage attached, while at the same time I wanted the motor as close to the ground as possible. This, along with the decision to have the engine in the rear of the board, solidified the engine's position.

Construction Steps

1.) Sketch Board Design

The inspiration for the board design came from some old skool cartoons with rocketships. I thought this would be a good design for a board, and am surprised that I haven't seen any with this shape before as it works pretty well as a longboard. If you make skateboards and think we could sell a special edition board, hit me up! :-)
Then, I sketched the bolt pattern for mounting the skateboard trucks. I did this quickly by using my original skateboard deck as a template and marking each hole with a sharpie.

2.) Drill it, Cut it Out

I took a jigsaw and cut out the rocketship pattern, then drilled out the skateboard truck mounting holes.

3.) Grip Tape

I got some grip tape from a local skateboard shop, Beacon Hill Skate Shop. The grip tape I got was self-adhesive, pretty much like a big sticker, so it was rather easy to apply but took time to get the design to match on the interface between the yellow and black grip tape.

4.) Engine Mount

It took a good deal of thought to get to the final design, which consists of two 1" vertical planks, screwed into the board from the bottom through the skateboard deck by a lot of screws. I added an electronics compartment between the uprights which kept the electronics out of the way and helped reinforce the engine mount. I spaced the uprights just far enough apart to allow the engine to sit perfectly in between. I decided to add grip tape to the uprights as well, for extra style points.

5.) The Rest

From there, it was mostly screwing or bolting everything onto the board, including the skateboard trucks, fan cage, engine, electronics (including throttle servo), gas tank (which I attached with a hose clamp), and tail devil sparking flints.

Comments

[jimmytvf]

what about a chainsaw? you control the throttle with the servo as well, attach the chain to a sprocket and there you go! you get more power, is kinda lightweight and the gas is also cheaper lol

[ElvenChild]

On the "Who are the MythBusters" segment on the latest episode "Square Wheels" you see Tory riding something that looks suspiciously similar, at least in concept.

Sorry the photo is blurry, I have no excuse for taking a blurry screenshot.

[freeza36]

That is actually on an episode. the "can you blow your own sail" one

[bavetta]

Ha, nice! Thanks for the screen-grab

[Clayton H.]

How about strapin one of these baby's on

[sanagol]

wy not do a drive by with this baby.if you want to buil this go to www.instructables.com/id/gun-setprops

[Bongmaster]

woh the raw power :3

[crazybuilders]

awesome looking motor

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

much cheaper too

[rancidbry]

awesome skateboard!! but yeah, why not use an electric airplane motor instead of an electric fan motor or gas engine? The batteries would add extra weight, but the silence would be great!

[crazybuilders]

I think it would actually be more expensive and heavier when you add up the motor, speed controller and batteries. You're right though, it'd be a lot quieter!

[rancidbry]

What was your total cost for everything involved in creating this masterpiece?

[Kaos7125]

You should totally do this on a bike! I'd go for it in a heartbeat if it was on a bike

[yardkarter]

I already did!

[Madrias357]

Working on that! Got me a plan for it.

[sebberdreng]

Can i get the link to the plan?

[Madrias357]

Can you download a notebook? I'm sorry, my plans are to stay in notebooks. Anyway, I have limited supplies and was thinking of using the box-fan-on-power inverter to turn the wheel instead of trying to push 240 pounds of me and the bike around. Worst thing that could happen? I smoke up an old box-fan motor and have a smoker-unit for a mile or so. Or I get shocked. That's what electrical tape is for.

[bylerfamily]

Ah,that remind me of someone I know who fastened a chainsaw motor to his bike...

[Madrias357]

Except I don't like gas. It's loud, smelly, and it explodes.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

but thats what makes gas so cool!!!

[Raydoom]

will try attemp this exept ill use a 32cc leafblower engine on my longboard

[gonzowizard]

If you want to get more boost from propeller, you should construct an airfoil around the blades. It will focus more power from the propellers that without it would be wasted. Try a round airduct tube that has just enough room inside it to allow the blades to spin freely.

[Yerboogieman]

This is sure to get the ladies. BTW, you should try a Model airplane Rotary engine. Handles more neglection, smoother ride, and better ride.

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

were do u get the money for all this stuff?

[ravingking2008]

great idea !! didnt think it would work that good, it looks a bit wobbly at the beginning though. a GYROSCOPE would be a good idea on this I RECKON

[a918bmxr]

this is cool ...but...
you could also just take a brake lever from a bike and run a cable to the throttle
and make life easier instead of spending all of that money on servos and controllers an whatnot...
just sayin

[drhoff]

this is the best rc stuff explanation i have ever seen! thanks for doing this!

[woutie]

where did you get that propeller??

[DJ_JS9]

well if you need 10,000 rpm couldent you use a wd raptor hdd motor and a 12v battery??

[crazybuilders]

Interesting idea, but I don't think that motor would have the torque required to turn the propeller over that fast. Motor power is a combination of speed and torque (Power = rotational velocity * Torque). Good idea though!

[LetsExplodeSomething]

Good idea but hdd motors only take 5v and if you were to use it with a fan blade it would probably work those things just don't have torque to be wheels or something encounters lots of resistance. i might try it

[AspireBlack]

Well done. I'm a PhD Physics student, and this has been the most interesting and well put together instructable I have ever seen. Very knowledgeable, my friend. Superb work!

[Jackp5]

build a car type one that uses like x3 of the materials but i dont think ur that loaded

[harvey639]

i would build one but i can't skateboard

[mohnish]

u like pac man b coz i can see the poster on which pacman is writtn

[jonathonbryce]

I WANT ONE!!!!!! Time to build it, it seems that it would be a cheaper way to work to.

[lil jon168]

u need to put a weedeater engine on there

[caseygibs]

hey, i like rc things because of the possibilities but dont know crap about them lol your videos taught me a great amount about servos and i actaully understood them thank you! so fricken sweet

[schweinhund227]

Pretty Kewl Idea !!!! but I would Switch the Remote for a Spring loaded Hand Throttle !!! if you fall ! the Board won't go Berserk on ya! If only I had one of those.... when I was a Kid !!! LOL Great Thinking !!! I am sure you Turned a lot of Heads Careening down the Streets.... LOL Way to go !!!

[Plasmana]

That is so cool!! BTW, why is the video so jiggly?