Hey, I'm Ritvik, I'm 18 years old and a student at Ohio State University. So for the big and small contest I have decided to make a miniature boat that is remote controlled.

Supplies

Fusion 360
Thin strips of wood to laser cut
Laser cutter
Broken remote control parts
Foam- packaging foam (usually found in the box the RC toy came in itself)
Pocket knife
Glue

Step 1: Sketch Boat Parts on Fusion 360

My plan is to create a sketch of parts that I can laser cut. I am designing these parts so that they fit into each other. I started off by sketching out a basic boat design on Fusion 360. This sketch is fairly easy and all you would need to know is the basics of fusion 360 to complete this step.

Step 2: Laser Cutting the Sketch Above

To Laser cut, you usually need a DXF file. Autodesk Fusion360 has an amazing feature that lets you save all the sketches as a DXF file which you can import into your laser rendering software. I have access to a laser cutter in my school I used the school laser cutter to cut out the boat images as shown above. If you do not have access to a laser cutter you can 3D print these pieces or send the DXF to companies that deliver the cut product via mail. I designed all these parts to fit the gears I already have from a broken toy. I have started selling these parts on amazon as a kit so you can buy them ready to go from there as well.

Step 3: Extruding the Sktech

After completing the sketch I extruded the parts. The wooden pieces are 2 mm in height and the foam is 15 mm.

Step 4: Adding Joints and Seeing What the Boat Would Look Like

This step is important if you are planning on resizing the pieces. This step ensures that all the pieces you cut are the right size. Adding joints might be a little hard in Fusion 360 at first but once you get a hang of it, it gets really easy.

Step 5: Appearance

I recently learned about a feature where you can change the appearance of parts in fusion 360. I learned about this from another competition on Instructables called the TinkerCAD to Fusion360 challenge.

Step 6: Video of an Animation on Fusion 360

Fusion 360 has an amazing animation tool that lets me show you how the parts fit into each other. Click on the video below

Autodesk Fusion 360 (Expiring in 8 days) 2022-08-15 14-21-04.mp4
Download

Step 7: Propeller

To start making the propeller take the following laser-cut pieces. Each piece is different so it shouldn't be difficult to find the pieces in the picture above. It should be fairly easy to find the gears in a broken toy. Adjust the size of the wooden pieces based on the size of the gears you find.

Step 8: Attach the Receiving Board to the Boat Body

It should be fairly easy to find the receiving board from a broken remote-control toy. Attach an antenna if you have an older model RC toy. If the toy doesn't have an antenna you don't need to add one. Attach part 3 as shown on both sides of the boat body.

Step 9: Attaching Axel to Propeller

It shouldn't be too hard to find an axel. The hole size should be adjusted based on the axel you find. If you do not find an axel you can use toothpicks or small wooden rods. Follow the steps shown above to make the propeller and axel and then attach it to the main boat body.

Step 10: Setting Up the Motor

Start by attaching the laser-cut pieces as shown in the picture above. Then connect the green wire to the black wire from the motor and the yellow wire to the red wire from the motor. If you don't have the same color wires on ur control don't remove the motor from the receiver. The toy should have the receiver board connected to the motor/motors.

Step 11: Setting Up the Battery Caase

Set up the battery case as shown above. Usually, you do not need to attach or disconnect any wires all you have to do is unscrew the toy's plastic cover and base.

Step 12: Setting Up the Remote Control

Connect the battery case to the remote control board. TinkerCAD has a nice feature where they let you code an Arduino so if you have access to an Arduino you can use that also. I got the controller and all the parts from the broken toy. You don't need to disable any of the parts of the remote controller. I did this as the remote controller of the toy I had was slightly damaged.

Step 13: Foam

I had foam lying around my house in packing boxes. All I had to do was cut one of them up and use tape to attach it to the base of the boat.

Step 14: Test It Out and Enjoy

You can use this in a

Sink
Bathtub
Lake
Pool

Make sure you test out the range before. It is a fun toy for kids and adults to work on and play with. You can add tape to make it water resistant. Here is a video of the propeller spinning in the pool and on top of a box. You can use 2 motors to turn the boat or if you prefer to keep it simple use only one motor. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like links. Fusion 360 and TinkerCAD also have a cool circuit feature that lets you design remote-control receivers and transmitter boards. Have fun and enjoy!