seataxi

[lucdekeyser]

in the newspaper today: a seataxi built around a 1948 Mercury was intercepted 40 miles off the coast of Florida with Cuban refugees...

Interesting exercise. What would have been the easiest conversion, technically speaking?

Luc

[kmorin]

In the 40's the metal of a car frame and body was sufficiently thicker than today's automobiles that a gas welded 'hull' could have been created by joining the body panels to one another and the wheel well liners to that body. All of this could be gas welded and sealed underneath because of the thickness of the original construction.

A bow has been added and its not all that poorly laid out- in fact the entire project is very comely in my eyes.

By sealing the car up to the window line the entire vehicle could become a short term hull. It wouldn't last, but if they could get an overnight use they'd have justified the effort as near as I understand.
By creating a seal aound the engine compartment they'd have been able to run the engine unless the swells were too high for the bow to rise over- like a breaking sea.

I remain highly impressed with the ingenuity and industry required to seal this car into a powered raft! Not only is the bow nicely formed but these folks showed some extreme 'stones' crossing 90 miles or more of open ocean in a sheet metal box!

If they get 'landed' and want a job; I'm interested.

Cheers,
kmorin