Single Car Ferry Project

[rambat]

You don't need a college education but it helps to be able to do volume/displacement and have some feel or calc's for stability. Many explorers have used the rubber rafts either in twos or just a tube tied to each rocker panel. They can support a lot of weight but is not advised for waves, distance or trivial use. Most often steering is by paddles or pulled across by rope.

[tuanshipland]

Hi Greg,

How do you think about Quadski , view on youtube here , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCxT89ynbA >

I think it is close to your major (mechanical engineer).

Anyways, Your decision is important. If you need basic knowledge of Naval architecture, you can find "Principle of Ship Performance_EN200" , here http://www.mut-es.ac.ir/medbook/Prin...erformance.pdf
More examples for you understand about ship such as calculate the displacement of ship, stability of ship and so on.

Best wishes for you,

Whatever you need my help in Naval Architecture, you can also keep in touch via email,

Tuan Shipland

[Lurvio]

An agricultural school I studied in about ten years ago had one of their farm's pastures in an island. The island was about 40 meters away from mainland on the crossing spot so they had built a barge that could carry tractors, equipment and animals across. It was a wooden structure (2x4 lumber etc.) with 200 liter barrels (don't remember if they were plastic of metal) as flotation. A guide rope went through guides on both ends and on the length of the barge was about a meter above deck. Wooden handles with a slot for the guide rope in them were used to pull the barge across. If I remember correctly the dimension were 8-10 meters LOA, with about three meters center deck for cargo and meter wide sidedecks for controlling the barge and for crew. For what I remember the whole area below deck was covered with the barrels. I think it could take more than 5 ton (modern tractor about 100hp) load.

I think the barge had been in the water for ten years before my time at the school and I suspect it still is. On summer time it made the trip across twice every day to feed the animals, light load though, couple of people only. And this is inland waters, side branch of a small river so not much variation in water level and small current.

(the flotation could have also been 30 liter plastic AIV acid canisters alone or combined with the barrels)

Hope this helps you.
Lurvio