Off Season Projects

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Location
West Kootenays
Some of you may remember last year's offseason project was a smoker built out of an old fridge. This year's project was a little different. I needed something to add motion to our decoy spread but could not bring myself to spend the $$$ on a mechanical bird. So I made one. I originally got the idea from takeem.com but was not interested in lugging a car battery out to the lake and stringing wire across the spread. So I dropped the batteries right into the decoy along with a 12V Bilge pump. I ran the batteries in series to get 12V and installed a switch in the back. ;). I am going to teether the front and hope that it will swim in large circles and cast a small wake that will add a little action to all the rest of the decoys on calm days.

It swims very well (so far only in the bath tub:rolleyes: ), and I do not know how long the batteries will last. Maybe somebody can give me an idea for a good rechargeable batery system. I was thinking about a small motorbike battery or the rechargeable ones for kids Power Wheel toys.
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Let me know what you think.

SS
 
Don't know if you have any of these stores in your area, but they seem to be popping up a lot lately: junk stores. They sell 'overstocked' items, refurbished things and you can normally find a big crate of hobby batts for like 1$ a piece.

Very cool project btw.
 
princess auto always has tons of surplus batterys and i know theres a few that would be ideal for your application
 
zedex said:
I would think a 12v bilge would draw alot of current. I myself would get a small hobby motor and prop. Or buy a pet goose.

It does draw quite a bit of current ( close to 3 amps I think). That's why I was hoping I could get a couyple of rechargeable batteries so I could at least get through the morning shoot and then recharge them for the evening. The nice thing about the bilge pump is that it really pushes the decoy which helps in spreading a larger wake. I was thinking of putting a 12V turning signal in line. It would then start stop & start stop, but I think that may use even more current.

I thought about the solar panel, but the glare would be a problem.

SS
 
get your self a small water pump like what you get from one of those little "soothing watterfalls" things put put the in-flow at the front of the decoy and the out flow at the rear of the decoy and runa power supply to it ?
 
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