Summary
This page contains information on how I built the propeller powered skateboard. It took approximately four hours of building time to complete the build spread over four days as I gathered parts and finalized the design between steps. The build was straightforward and mostly consisted of strapping an overpowered model airplane engine onto a plank and attaching skateboard wheels. Bill of Materials
DesignEngine PositionI had a hard time deciding whether to put the engine on the front or back of the board. Most, if not all, model airplane engines can only rotate in one direction. If you were to point the typical airplane engine setup backwards, it would pull the board backwards not forwards. If you want the engine to pull the other direction it is not possible to simply turn the propeller around to change the direction of pull, but instead you must get a "Pusher" prop - the opposite being a "Tractor" prop. Most model airplanes have the engine on the front of the plane, which means that there is a much wider selection of tractor props. In the end I decided it was worthwhile to me to put the engine in the rear, facing toward the rear, to keep the exhaust out of the way and to get the propeller as far away as possible. And I think it looks better that way too. I had to make sure that I could still tilt the skateboard back to hit the flints on the ground and make sparks with the fan cage attached, while at the same time I wanted the motor as close to the ground as possible. This, along with the decision to have the engine in the rear of the board, solidified the engine's position. Construction StepsHere is the design I used:
1.) Sketch Board Design
The inspiration for the board design came from some old skool cartoons with rocketships. I thought this would be a good design for a board, and am surprised that I haven't seen any with this shape before as it works pretty well as a longboard. If you make skateboards and think we could sell a special edition board, hit me up! :-) Then, I sketched the bolt pattern for mounting the skateboard trucks. I did this quickly by using my original skateboard deck as a template and marking each hole with a sharpie. 2.) Drill it, Cut it OutI took a jigsaw and cut out the rocketship pattern, then drilled out the skateboard truck mounting holes. 
I got some grip tape from a local skateboard shop, Beacon Hill Skate Shop. The grip tape I got was self-adhesive, pretty much like a big sticker, so it was rather easy to apply but took time to get the design to match on the interface between the yellow and black grip tape. 4.) Engine MountIt took a good deal of thought to get to the final design, which consists of two 1" vertical planks, screwed into the board from the bottom through the skateboard deck by a lot of screws. I added an electronics compartment between the uprights which kept the electronics out of the way and helped reinforce the engine mount. I spaced the uprights just far enough apart to allow the engine to sit perfectly in between. I decided to add grip tape to the uprights as well, for extra style points. 5.) The RestFrom there, it was mostly screwing or bolting everything onto the board, including the skateboard trucks, fan cage, engine, electronics (including throttle servo), gas tank (which I attached with a hose clamp), and tail devil sparking flints.
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Copyright 2007-2008 Crazy Builders
Disclaimer: Everyone makes mistakes; we try not to, but we probably do. Crazy Builders cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information presented here. Crazy Builders does not make assertations to the legality of the things shown on the Crazy Builders webpages and videos. The safety precations have not been outlined, and thus we must request that any attempt to recreate the things shown on these pages or videos is done at the doer's own risk.
