Thread of Boredom

Since there are a few folks here who suffer occassional bouts of boredom, let me throw a weird project out on the table for comments, suggestions, and general kibitzing. I won't be able to move on any of the suggestions for awhile, since the hull is 3500 miles away, but the conversation should be interesting. Well, to me, anyway.

My Project: Existing one-person hull, to be modified to pedal-power, maybe with arm assist. I selected the hull the same way I selected my woman - based strictly on appearance.

Was originally electric-powered, with two rear-mounted batteries and a trolling motor.

Target cadence is cruising at about 40 strokes a minute. S'ok - anything is possible with gears and sprockets.

Intended Use: Ponds and maybe saltwater rivers. (Although on the west coast we call something that size a creek.)

My Goal: Getting it on plane. Just because.

My Qualifications: Fiberglass skills - pretty hot stuff. Welding - not so much. Engineering - I can't understand the formulas, nor many of the really big words.












It's about 7-1/2 feet long by 4 feet at the widest point. I'm thinking that the seating compartment needs to be moved to the rear. And if I'm moving fiberglass around, would it be a good idea to drop the seat three inches so it's sitting on the bottom? Good for center of gravity, right? (I love boats, but detest water. Too many stories about sea and lake monsters, and giant steelhead in the Columbia River near me. Gotta stay IN the boat.)

I haven't a clue about the appropriate prop, but in Solomon Gundy's thread it was suggested by some that large slow props are good, despite the skinny props you see on the lightweight human-powered record holders. I have a few different props I'll be testing, from model airplane props to an 18x18 brass sucker that I got on eBay and weighs a ton, but might make a good plug.

My thinking is that if a slower-rotating prop can propel the boat as fast as a skinny, fast-rotating prop, then there's room for acceleration if the need arises by pedaling a bit faster. (See sea monsters, above.)

Dual props might be cool, although I understand you lose a bit of efficiency with them.

A big prop would hang below the boat, but a tunnel in the hull would provide some "ground clearance". Would there be any benefit to adapting a NACA profile to a tunnel?

If the prop is shrouded to protect it, I may as well create an airfoil shape inside the shroud, right? And maybe add a couple small fins on the outside of the shroud to help point the nose skyward?

Now, the cockpit is kind of skinny. This is a good thing:



(Derriere portion of the cockpit is outside the picture, to the right.)

Instead of the around-around motion of a bike crank - and its limit of about 4-1/2 inches of leverage - hanging pedals with greater leverage could be used, making it easier to swing a larger prop. Hanging pedals would also allow application of power through a larger portion of the stroke than cyclical pedals, no? And if arm-assist was adapted (like you see on some excercise equipment) SOME power could be applied by each side of the body through the whole stroke. Seems to me that the proper application of leverage and gearing could turn me into the equivalent of a V8 mounted in a speedboat.

So whatya think?

 

Hi tinhorn,
That will only get on the plane if you can generate 5 to 10 hp - Hi God? - - - Have a good look at Rick Willoughby and his efforts/images. He plays with both battery and man powered designs and human powered boats.... he knows lots on the special aspects of this type of design....

 

Well that's disappointing as hell.

Yes, I've read all his posts that I could find, and checked out his cool boats. I wanted a style different than his, though - more like a "real" boat.

Heck, even if I can't plane it, it'll be fun.

 

Remember, to push it easily, - - beam is bad - - length, (up to a point), is good, - - weight, (displacement) is bad, . . . . So long as you accept these "truths" the rest is FUN, and FUN is always good.... Have fun and be adaptable (think of installing a waterjet and motorbike engine and GO LIKE YOU ARE POSSESSED?

 

Tinhorn, got any waterfalls in your area? go over one o' they you'd get the speed up! Trouble is you'd have a pile of plastic at the end. Now rapids!!! provided you steer round the rocks..................OK I know stupid idea, but hell why not?

 

well, being unemployed, boredom is unfortunately a daily part of life, so heres my two cents, How fast could it go with an electric motor? From there you would know about the rpm of that size prop and somewhere in here someone might have the knowledge of how to judge rpm and speed with different sized one. That would give you a target speed.

As far as using both hands and feet, a set up like a crankshaft, using a push and then pull, getting the most out of the entire stroke would make sense to me, not sure how to set that up..but as far as that goes, I know more about a wind up rubber band airplane..now theres an idea..lol. Of course, you could reinvent the wheel, combination electric, human power, using that motion to "generate" the power to run a trolling motor. It would technically be a human powered boat, but a battery sitting for backup if you get tired would be handy.

 

don't they normally do that in a barrell?..lol

 

Why am I not excited by all the intellectual discourse permeating the regions commonly known as the dungeons? - Ahhhhhhhhh the "Thread of Boredom" has permeated the region with its infectious virus of apathy........

Avast ye swabs, stand by for boarding.... Now where be those laughing wenches and the ale of heartiness, a good feed and then the nectar of love..... Oh to be a Wombat - - eats, roots shoots and leaves................

 

Transplanting jet ski guts occurred to me, of course. (It seems the normal thing to do. I once stuffed a straight six and 5-speed from a 240Z into a '65 Datsun pickup. Yeah, one of those tiny trucks.) But I don't get nearly enough exercise, and at my age, peace and quiet appeal to me. And making noise burning fossil fuels seems so politically incorrect. Ha! Joke! No, environmental responsibility seems in order.

No nasty rivers or waterfalls for me, thank you. I'm hoping to end up in a place on a pond, and the region I'm looking at has many ponds prohibiting gas engines. So pedals seem like a fun option.

Intriguing, that idea of using my energy to spin a generator. Those huge engines pulling trains use deisel powered generators, with electric motors turning the wheels. You wouldn't think railroads would do something stupid, so there's got to be some advantage to that, but man - electricity and water sure seem like a bad combo.

No worries about HOW to set up cranks and gears and connecting shafts and stuff. I have books with lots of pictures.

Unfortunately, I know nothing about the performance of the boat, and even less about hull design and performance in general. The guy I bought it from had taken it in lieu of money owed, and the guy who came up with (or hired out) the original design didn't sell any boats, so I understand. I have yet to see this beauty on the water.

Alas, my laughing wench be across the continent. Lacking ale, I've found generous quantities of wine to be an excellent accompaniment to your online comaraderie. (I'll check my spelling and syntax in the morning.)

 

The tin man has spoken and I have laughed - - therefore points - and bonuses?.............

 

virtual only I'm afraid - have given several so my allocation for the month has been used!!

 

Tinman, google "ramphos" and you will find a delta winged (it is a horizontal sail afterall) aeroplane that has a small boat underneath - you have the bottom part, buy a wing kit and mount a pusher prop on a lightweight (70kg or less) engine producing in excess of 70kw and "walla" - a boat that really flies......

Go man go!!!

 

Haha! I've seen that! A very lo-tech amphibious. What some guys won't do for fun, eh? I'm not sure it would be suited to pedal power. What if I got tired?

 

Fire up the "eco-friendly 1400cc Mercedes diesel engine" (6 litres/hour fuel burn, 60 litre tank) and "GO MAN GO" you or someone did suggest putting power in it - this is just slightly different..... and an amphibian too (don't try to go the jackpos - never was keen on submarines, but one that could also go on land and fly is just tooooo much...

 

Couple of pounds of PE works well, goes like a "bomb"....................oh! it is!