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The Hacksmith: Silver Surfer Jetboard

2020-10-01 | By The Hacksmith

License: See Original Project

The Silver Surfer has an interesting character arc in the Marvel universe that takes him all across the galaxy, fighting against both heroes and villains. He is likely a mysterious character to those who aren’t frequent Marvel comic readers. However, that could change in the next few years, as the Silver Surfer is slated to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon.

The Silver Surfer’s most iconic feature is his surfboard, which can fly him through space faster than light. While Hacksmith Industries is still a way out from making a space-faring surfboard, the technology for a jet-powered surfboard has been around for a while. See how this Silver Surfer-inspired jetboard was made in the video below!

 

How Does it Work?

The first jet-propelled surfboard was created in the 1960s with a 6 horsepower gasoline motor. The body was made from marine grade aircraft alloy, weighed 85 pounds, and is currently on display at the California Surf Museum. Fortunately, both surfboard and jet engine technology have come a long way in 60 years, so the components for this jetboard are much easier to find and assemble. For this project, the Hacksmith team used parts from MHZ Watercraft to create the jetboard.

Silver%20Surfer%20Jetboard

The Silver Surfer jetboard is a reasonably standard surfboard. However, it is slightly taller than an average board to make room for the motor. The Hacksmith team wrapped the board in silver vinyl to give it the iconic Silver Surfer look. The board also had some pieces removed from the surface to help incorporate the electric jet engine, batteries, and circuitry.

Like a jet boat, the motor takes in water and shoots it out the back end to propel the board. The engine is a 22.5 KW electric motor with 30 horsepower (5 times more than the original jetboard). Two 48V Lipo batteries power the electric motor, and a wireless waterproof remote control regulates the throttle that the rider carries. The receiver for that remote is housed inside the board. The rider steers the board like a regular surfboard, so the remote must only control the throttle.

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Schematic and BOM

 

 

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