Looking for underwater miniature thruster

[Barton]

Hi,

I'm designing a kind of AUV and need two under water thrusters.

I found the Tecnadyne Model 250 but it seems like this thruster is way
too powerfull. 0,5 hp is too much for a little boat of max 10 kg (22
lbs) weight that needs to move at 3 knots forward.

So, I need to go for another miniature thruster, but can't find any...
Any suggestions?

Greetz,

Barton

[Eric Ferguson]

Every once in awhile the Dollar Store gets these little boats that have
little underwater motors that run on a AA battery that fits inside. Also has
a little rudder. They appear sporadically. Usually there are two to three of
these motors per package. Looks almost like a little torpedo. Hope this
helps even a little. Eric

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

Have a look at these

M-2335 Graupner Schottel Unit £62.50
M-1775 steerable Prop Unit £47.50
M-1775/1 Thruster Adaptor for M-1775 £24.99
The schottel unit was developed for working ships whose duties require very high manoeuvrability, such as Harbour Tugs and Ferries. The model unit adopts the same working principles. Used in conjunction with the powerful SPEED 900 BB motor (M-6373), the units integral 3:1 reduction gearbox and specially matched 65mm dia propeller produce considerable propulsion, making the system suitable for use in large heavy model boats.

http://www.alansmodels.com/engines/images/gpn_drives1.jpg

I don't know if they are still available, but Graupner just re-released their "Voith Schneder" drive last year. These schottel drive would seem more popular.

[George Pfeifer]

You may want to try a small submersible pump that is used to bail boats. They operate off of 12 volts and will produce a fair amount of thrust for the size. I have seen them as small as about 3 inch by 3 inch by 3 inch.
Go to www.subron6.com click on fleet, and select Tim Smalley, then select ROV-er. Tim built this underwater camera platform using 6 small bilge pumps for power/direction. Tim wouold be more than happy to answer some of your questions and can probably point you to some good vendors.