Solar-powered, self-steering, satellite-connected. A tiered control system keeps it sailing even when the AI sleeps. Built with wood, 3D-printed parts, and software.
Simple objective, hard execution.
A small autonomous boat that sails across the world's oceans using wind power. No crew, no remote control — just wind, sun, and code.
Once a day, the boat sends its position via Iridium satellite. You see it on a map from anywhere on earth. 340 bytes is enough.
Wind moves the boat. Sun powers the electronics. A wing sail replaces ropes and rigging — one servo controls everything.
A Jetson runs Gemma 2B for route planning — picking waypoints, avoiding storms. It sleeps 22 hours a day to save power.
1.5m catamaran with a wing sail. Wood hull, 3D-printed parts, solar deck.
Catamaran form — two thin hulls with a flat bridge deck between. Cedar strip or 4mm marine plywood with epoxy and fiberglass. 1.5m long, 0.6m beam. Stable platform, low drag, plenty of deck space for solar.
Solid vertical airfoil on a rotating base. NACA 0018 profile, 1.2m tall. 3D-printed PETG ribs on an aluminum spar, covered with heat-shrink film. One servo controls the angle. No ropes, no rigging, no tangles.
Single stern rudder on the port hull. 3D-printed NACA 0012 blade on a 6mm stainless shaft through a brass stuffing tube. Grease-packed seal. Driven by a 20kg waterproof servo.
IP68 waterproof case on the bridge deck. ESP32 always on, Jetson on switched power, GPS, compass, Iridium modem, battery, BMS. Every cable through IP68 glands. Conformal-coated PCBs. Desiccant inside.
The most novel part of the build — a 3D-printable autonomous wing.
Three tiers. If any higher tier fails, the boat keeps sailing.
Wind-angle sailing, tacking, heaving-to, waypoint following. Always on, 0.5W.
Weather analysis, route optimization, waypoint selection. Wakes up, decides, sleeps.
Daily GPS ping to shore. Receive new waypoints. Health status.
35 Wh/day consumption. 50W solar panel. 64Wh battery buffer.
| Component | Power | Duty Cycle | Daily Wh |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32-S3 | 0.5W | 100% | 12.0 |
| GPS (NEO-M9N) | 0.07W | 100% | 1.7 |
| Compass (BNO085) | 0.01W | 100% | 0.2 |
| Sensors (wind) | 0.01W | 100% | 0.2 |
| Sail servo | 2W | 5% | 2.4 |
| Rudder servo | 2W | 5% | 2.4 |
| Jetson Orin Nano | 7W avg | 2h/day | 14.0 |
| Iridium RockBLOCK | 0.4W | 5 min | 0.2 |
| Losses / overhead | — | — | 2.0 |
| Total daily consumption | ~35 Wh | ||
Every part with its role in the project and where to buy it.
Full cost breakdown. AliExpress prices typically 30-50% lower than listed.
| Category | Items | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | ESP32, Jetson, GPS, compass, servos, sensors, case | ~$650 |
| Mechanical / Hull | Wood, epoxy, fiberglass, spar, bearings, filament | ~$300 |
| Satellite comms | RockBLOCK 9603 + airtime | ~$85 |
| Total (full build with Jetson) | ~$950 | |
| Total (ESP32-only V1) | ~$700 | |
Four phases. Start small, test on a lake, then go to sea.
Wire up ESP32 + sensors + servos on a breadboard. Write and test the sailing state machine. Send a test Iridium message from your desk. Build the shore station receiver. Prove the control system works before building a boat.
Build a small 60cm catamaran. Tupperware electronics box. Small sail. Deploy on a calm lake. Test autonomous tacking, waypoint following, GPS logging, and Iridium daily pings. Tune the trim table. Pick it up at the end of the day.
Build the real hull. Install the wing sail, rudder, solar, waterproof case. Sea trials in protected coastal water — calm, then 10kt, 15kt, 20kt. Verify 24h self-sufficiency. Confirm Iridium pings from offshore. Install Jetson + Gemma.
Launch from a coast with favorable currents. Monitor daily pings. Send waypoint corrections. Accept that the first boat may be lost — this is R&D. Learn from what breaks. Build V2.
Last known position and full journey history.
The ocean doesn't care about your code.
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water ingress | High | Fatal | IP68 glands, pressure test, conformal coat |
| Biofouling | High | Medium | Copper antifouling paint, smooth hull |
| Servo failure | Medium | High | Wing sail passively feathers in neutral |
| Capsize | Medium | Fatal | Low CG, heave-to early, sealed buoyancy |
| Solar insufficiency | Medium | Medium | 3-day battery buffer, shed Jetson load first |
| Salt corrosion | High | Medium | Stainless hardware, grease, conformal coat |
| Jetson failure | Low | Low | Tier 0 continues without it |
| Iridium failure | Low | High | Boat sails on last known waypoint |
| Collision | Low | Fatal | No mitigation at this scale — accept the risk |