Voyager 3.0 Emerges

Voyager 3.0 Design Goals

Voyager 3.0 is next in the series of the Voyager sailing drones.

The main aim for Voyager 3.0 is to be able to operate at sea for about 14 days or longer.

Voyager 2.0 can only operate for about 4 days on battery. Voyager 3.0 will include solar charging with the aim of allowing continuous operation. An endurance of 14 days at sea should allow for a rounding of King Island from the Victorian coast and back.

Tests of solar charging rigs have suggested that around 20 solar cells as a minimum are needed for reasonable charging levels for a 2S battery powering Voyager.

The dimensions of Voyager 3.0 have been entirely dictated by the compromise of minimum size for ease of handling, versus adequate deck space to accommodate enough half-size solar cells to support reasonable charging levels.

Overall dimensions of 1800mm length and 350mm beam were chosen to allow possibly up to 23 half-size solar cells to be accommodated.

Proposed Deck Layout with 23 Cells 

Proposed Layout for Voyager 3.0 along side Voyager 2.0 for comparison

Commence Construction of Voyager 3.0 with the Stringer, shown partially completed here

Preparing to glue the first foam sheet on the stringer.

Part way through cutting the foam sheets using a hotwire cutter.

Commence shaping the laminated foam hull.

Part way through shaping of the foam core hull

Voyager 3.0 with glassing finished, ready for fit-out, along side Voyager 2.0

Note: This is part of the ongoing development of a low cost autonomous oceangoing sailing drones, utilising a self-trimming wingsail. This is the Voyager series of sailing drones.