RC Tugboat with functional Azimuth Pod Thrusters

Description

A fully 3D printed RC harbour tug with a working azimuth stern drive. The two pods rotate 360°, giving it the same rudderless maneuverability as a real ASD tug — spinning on the spot, crabbing sideways, and full thrust in any direction.

Control is managed by a custom ESP32 set up - one at each end with NRF24L01 radio modules for communication and rotarty encoders on the controller to set the pod angles.

The vessel design is based on a real ASD tug based at Port Otago called 'Arihi'. Check out my build video below for more info.

Download Links

STL Print Files

ESP32 Code

Parts List

Anything you need that isn't 3D printed like electronics, bearings and bolts etc.

Electronics for Custom RC

1x ESP32 Dev Board (expansion board recommended)
1x NRF24L01+ Radio Module with expansion board
2x 28BYJ-48 Stepper Motors with ULN2003 Driver Boards
2x JGA20-130 Brushed Motors (or similar)
1x 5V Power Supply (USB or battery)
1x 12v Battery and Dual ESC for DC Motors
2x Rotary Encoders (5 pin) for Controller
1x 0.91" OLED Screen for Controller (optional)

Standard Hardware

2x 150mm x 3mm steal rods for drive shafts (cut to length)
2x 3mm to 3mm shaft couplers for DC motors
8x bearings - 4 for each side (8mm/3mm/4mm)
2x bearings - 1 for each side (6mm/3mm/2.5mm)
2x 608 bearings for mounting azimuth pods
4x M4 10mm bolts for joining deck sections
8x M3 10mm bolts for motor mounts and brace

Other Stuff

Glue for joining hull sections (I used Selleys super glue)
Vaseline for waterproofing around the pods/shafts and greasing gears
(Optional) 4x 0.8M 15T Bevel Gears - These are printable but metal ones usually work better