3D printed steamboat with solar panels cruises like mickey mouse’s willie vessel

Recycled plastic to create 3D printed steamboat willie

David Florian, or Dr. D-Flo as his following knows him, creates his own 10-foot-long, 3D printed Steamboat Willie-like vessel from scratch using his own printer and recycled thermoplastic polyester, or PETG. It’s powered by the two lithium batteries and by the sun through the solar panels on its roof.

The setup helps provide the vessel with an extra 25 percent of range every four hours in the sun. With all that covered, perhaps it’s the style of the steamboat that can draw viewers in because it captures the one that Mickey Mouse is on during his 1928 animated short film, Steamboat Willie.

all video stills courtesy of Dr. D-Flo, via Youtube

DIY boat that viewers can produce

Dr. D-Flo chooses recycled PETG for the hull of his DIY 3D printed steamboat, which viewers can produce if they’re interested. He says that it’s more flexible and water-resistant than typical plastic, so it’s more suitable for watercraft since it doesn’t emit harmful fumes during printing.

But because it’s ‘flexible,’ it needs thicker walls to make the vessel’s hull stiff enough; that’s why he designs it with lattice infill, which he also produces using the large-format printer he himself built. It’s a partially hollow pattern to make the boat robust enough to carry weight on water without adding excessive load.

rear view of the boat

aluminum extrusions to strengthen the cabin frame

Even the cabin needs to be both light and strong enough: the first to avoid raising the boat’s center of mass, which can make it unstable, while the second to allow the vessel to withstand the winds. In this case, using only recycled PETG might not cut it, so the creator uses aluminum extrusions to strengthen the cabin frame.

For the exterior, he adds a plastic veneer to mimic the look of the Mickey Mouse boat. After constructing the cabin, Dr. D-Flo and his team plant solar panels on the roof to provide power (and because it’s been taking some them some time finishing the roof cover).

Dr. D-Flo creates his own 3D printed Steamboat Willie-like vessel using recycled plastic and his own printer

For the propulsion, the creator selects an electric trolling motor instead of gas because it’s more affordable and requires less maintenance. But 12 volts is quite low to propel the 3D printed steamboat, so the design team adds the lithium batteries installed under the seat of the captain for additional power.

The solar panels on the roof take care of the extra range so that the vessel can run over long periods on water. The boat also has a steel steering wheel connected to a microcontroller, the latter translating the wheel movement into motor rotation to control the vessel.

there’s space in the rear for storage or seating for a passenger

Dr. D-Flo remembers the safety features equipment, too. The design team installs navigation lights, a horn, fenders, and cleats to tie the boat to a dock. To complete the setup, they even add an anchor with a power winch for easy deployment and retrieval.

There’s even steam pumping out of the 3D printed smoketack, and the steamboat can accommodate up to two people, with the captain included. The rear part also serves as the storage section, and if the captain brings a cooler, that can double as the seat of the passenger.

view of the 3D printer Dr. D-Flo uses