Human powered cargo boat - what's possible?

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Humanpower, Jun 24, 2012.

  1. Submarine Tom

    Submarine Tom Previous Member

    Geez, and I thought I had it hard making a living...
     
  2. mydauphin
    Joined: Apr 2007
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    mydauphin Senior Member

    Your being sexist, I vote for naked women.They eat less than men too.
     
  3. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Location: Belgium ⇄ The Netherlands

    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Like said and linked at the bottom of post #14 . . ;)

    They're not that good . . . :p

    See my remark about that in post #23, but for you here is one . . . :p

    View attachment 71925
    - click pic to enlarge

    ‘‘ Woman boat tracker on Yangtze River. In order to make a living, she went half naked like man and work just as hard. Beauty? Dignity? Not something she can consider. ’’​

    Cheers,
    Angel
     
  4. hoytedow
    Joined: Sep 2009
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Maybe the children can help tow since they seem to have a lot of energy. :rolleyes:
     
  5. Angélique
    Joined: Feb 2009
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    Location: Belgium ⇄ The Netherlands

    Angélique aka Angel (only by name)

    Yep, right Hoyt . . . . (and also the right emoticon which explains your meaning [​IMG])

    Cheers,
    Angel
     
  6. taniwha
    Joined: Sep 2003
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    Location: Pattaya, Thailand

    taniwha Senior Member

    we just delivered a Torqeedo motor with solar panel to the Congo to be used on cargo carrying boats on the Congo river, will post pics as soon as I got some.
    Peter
     
  7. DStaal
    Joined: Apr 2012
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    Location: East Coast

    DStaal Junior Member

    If you are looking for a cheap, low-tech way to carry cargo, I think you are starting in the wrong place. I'd start with looking at other similar rivers, and see what cargo craft were traveling on them before steam took over. Most of those designs will have had at least a thousand years of people working out the kinks and smoothing them over. See what people were doing on the Nile, the Yangtze, the Danube, etc.

    I also strongly suspect that - even if you find that human power is your best choice - standard rowing is not your best choice. It's decently efficient in short bursts, but it tires people quickly, and takes the most valuable cargo space in the ship. Those pullers above? That's easier than rowing. (And therefore cheaper.) What's the max depth you need to work with? Could poling work? Or you could take a look at some of the Chinese designs for sculled cargo boats - I've seen images of Junks set up for a single sculled oar, to be operated by a team.

    On some of the designs, especially if you can get it down so you only need a crew of 1-3, it might be worth looking at selling them on a long-term-lease system: Sell them the boat, on the condition that they take X number of cargos from you a year, at say 50% of the normal rate, for 10 years or so. If you pick the numbers right, you should be able to build wealth in the area, and won't have to worry about people quitting or stealing - It's their boat, so they'd be stealing from themselves.
     
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  8. mydauphin
    Joined: Apr 2007
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    mydauphin Senior Member

    There are place on world where people still carry stuff distances and even by rowing, but it is very inefficient. A 5 HP outboard does the work of 20 men, and doesn't get tired. So unless it has go upriver with a 1 foot depth an outboard is better. And more efficient all around.
     
  9. kvsgkvng
    Joined: Jan 2012
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    kvsgkvng Senior Member

    бурлаки на волге

    Here is another shot of the concept - it did work for sometimes untill revolution started.
     

    Attached Files:


  10. hoytedow
    Joined: Sep 2009
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    Some musical accompaniment for the image by Leonid Kharitonov & Russian Red Army Choir:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WD0WVL-HjE

    :)
     
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