sci-fi catamaran design help

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by arkanoid, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. daiquiri
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    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    From a practical point of view, which includes engineering, hydrodynamics, manufacturing, maintainance, economy, and handling issues, that boat is a complete nonsense. Sorry.
    Military vessels are designed for functionality, visual fireworks like this one are generally not part of design goals. Simplicity should be the guideline for design.

    But if your goal is to create a 3D model of some alien vessel for a video game or a sci-fi movie, (or just to appear in the said gizmag.com) then it is a very interesting industrial-design exercise.
     
  2. Chris Ostlind

    Chris Ostlind Previous Member


    That first paragraph would mostly apply to real world vessels.

    The drawings, as presented, are for a fictional world application as far as I can tell. It looks to me like a cross between a military-style of boat, with a flashy modernistic ski cat. If Wally chose to produce a speedy, military style patrol craft for some ritzy resort, I'd expect them to come up with a boat that would fit this style.

    The really cool thing about fiction apps, is that you can concoct anything you want, so your second paragraph is spot-on, D.

    Very interesting effort, Arkanoid. I'd like to see how you develop the design.
     
  3. Alik
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    Alik Senior Member

    Military boats (and some police craft) are usually fitted with bullet protection. Bullet protection comes in plates; so there is a trend to have flat hull/deck surfaces.

    I wonder how those plates can be installed on Your craft, with such wrinkled surfaces?

    Besides that, I see few advantages on Your craft:
    - camouflage - painted in dark grey, it looks like a rock :)
    - it gives clear mark on radar; cover it with foil for better reflectivity :)

    Other than that, this creation is not usable as real boat.
     
  4. arkanoid
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    arkanoid Junior Member

    Ok people, let's recap what is this project and why I decided to write here.
    I'm working on this boat as an exercise in my spare time, because I want to produce a visually pleasing image that has a central interest in some sort of mecanical device. Initially I was pending between a tank, an amphibious and a ski cat (right spot Chris!). I then decided for a boat; since I always admired catamaran shape as the best I've gone for this. All these choices have came during the actual creation in Maya.
    That is not the reccomended method to work, but I wanted to take a chance on that and just enjoy the creation. BUT, there's a big limit on this method: it doesn't produce a very believable results.
    The proper method to produce space ships, or other tech-fantasy stuff is to start with a couple different real projects, mix it a little, modify with some fancy detail, deform with unusual (and futile) shapes.
    I worked in reverse: I started modeling "something"; then I looked at interesting shapes in sites like gizmag. In my mind I have also all the classic Appleseed and Ghost in the Shell stuff. So I mixed up. Then I looked around another time. I just worked this way until I felt my "creature" was going too far. Then I thought I could write some question here, just to modify what I've done so far with some good advice from the experts (that are you). That's all!
    So, if you guys have some critique on the boat I would appreciate very much.
    I don't want to completely change it like trasforming it in a F1 motorboat or in an aircraft carrier. I just want to "adjust" it so it could be a bit less "fake".
    Of course this thing is not going to born in reality, but since I think it's too fantasy as it is now, I'd like to give it some more guided hammered in the right places and promote my boat to a semi-real state of being. :)
    I hope you can help me.
     
  5. arkanoid
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    arkanoid Junior Member

    Alik you don't know but you're giving me the best advices so far :p
    Ok I'm thinking a solution for the anti-bullet plates. Why does it give clear mark on randar?

    Thanks Chris for appreciation, do you recieved my mail? And who's Wally?
     
  6. Chris Ostlind

    Chris Ostlind Previous Member

    Yes, I got your message. I'll respond to same in short order.

    The RADAR "signature" of any object is determined by how many of the RADAR waves are directed back at the receiving device. An object with a lot of angled surfaces that direct those waves into completely different directions will appear smaller to the receiving antenna. The same is true for other, less optimal surfaces when they are coated with RADAR absorbing material.

    Since this boat is of a fictional environment, your bullet-proof shields could also be totally clear, much like the shields that are present on Star-Trek vessels. I suspect that some sort of electro-magnetic wall could be generated for all the surfaces and be especially strong where the wide open areas are located, protecting the crew member from any projectiles short of a Photon Torpedo... ;-)
     
  7. arkanoid
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    arkanoid Junior Member

    Little update. I'm trying to get some deck space and I have longed the hulls. Now it seems more like a boat isn't it?
    But it's defenitely another type of sharky thing. Not bad to me. I Will see if I keep this version and to streighten up some of the funkiest lines from side view.
    Thanks Chris, I'll comment tomorrow I have to go now.
    [​IMG]
     
  8. daiquiri
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    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    Hmmmmm... I'm starting to see a potential in this design. But not for the military use, of course. Make it a leisure powercat and work to give it more interior space. Connect the hulls aft and create a deck. Think about the forward visibility form helmstation. Keep working on it, something innovative could come out of it. ;)
     
  9. Alik
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    Alik Senior Member

    I Your design pieces of those plates will be too small, it will be a nightmare to adjust and install them to get bullet proof contour.
     
  10. erik818
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    erik818 Senior Member

    I've never understood the need to armour all of the boat. Just protect the personnel and essential technical systems, which should be located in a minimized volume. Most of the hull is only there to provide lift. It's not easy to score a hit just below the waterline because rounds will bounce off the surface when the angle is small. Also, this is Sci-Fi and making the hull self-healing is only marginally Sci Fi.

    Erik
     
  11. LyndonJ
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    LyndonJ Senior Member

    I don't agree with that.

    You always shoot at the waterline

    A few groups of machine gun fire at the waterline will sink most smaller boats quite effectively. Even hand held, one clip from an AK47 could chew a large hole in most boat materials ( except metal boats )

    Also consider that in anything other than calm water the boat rolls alternatively exposing and submerging quite a bit of its hull.
     
  12. arkanoid
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    arkanoid Junior Member

    thanks Daiquiri for support. I'm going to stick to the military patrol idea though, because all the design is made around this concept. I'm thinking about the helmstation. I've added the aft deck but now I have a problem: the two deks don't match no more, because I made the aft deck lower then the fore deck. I assume I should make a gradual slope between the two.. right? Does it have to be a continuous surface or more curved in some special point?
    Alik, I decided to do some retractable armor plates to protect soldiers. The plates will be in a open semiround placement that reprouce the shape of the cabin (that is basically round). These plates have three positions: one off, one for shooting and one to close completely the apertures for areodinamical improvement; the latter case is used for fast rides. I assume the weight of the plates material is convenient in relation to the speed (could be some smart layered antibullet material that I've seen, or ceramic, whatever).
    @ erik818 and LyndonJ - I noticed that small patrol boats like this usually don't have much protections. There's a clear leap between patrols and PT (patrol torpedos): the first usally don't have any protections. The only one I found to have some personnel protections is this river patrol:

    http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Military_patrol_boat.jpg

    Those used in Vietnam or regular modern police/army patrols are completely open. If you have some example I'd like to see it.
    Also even the smaller PTs are much bigger then my boat and are metallic.

    http://www.dockstavarvet.se/Files/Press/Press_photos/CB90H/CB90H_Brazil_01.jpg

    erik818 about a self-healing nanotech hulls: do you think it's going to be implemented in the near future (max 30-40 years)? I don't want a far future rapresented here, so I'll assume it will not for now. So my boat have to be constructed with a tough armored material. I can only hope the near future could give us a usable material that is lighter then metal.
    Other ideas that I want to implement: soldiers can go from inside the cabin to the foredeck and use the hulls as protection and shoot from under these. I will add handle rails in the right places.
    Some questions: must hulls stay empty? Can use the space inside for some rooms or to place the engines? Does the hulls to be thinner in the front and thicker on the back?
    Ok good. Good Easter everybody and thank you all very much for your interest and kind advices. :)
     
  13. erik818
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    erik818 Senior Member

    arkanoid,
    I don't have any idea how to make a self-healing hull. One solution could be to fill the volumes needed for boyancy with foam; a few holes shouldn't be an immideate problem then. As LyndonJ points out, this doesn't help if you subject the hull to enough violence so the hull brakes up.

    If there's a military need for self-healing properties the budget will be there and the problem can surely be solved.

    Erik
     
  14. Chris Ostlind

    Chris Ostlind Previous Member

    For healing hulls, all you have to do is remember that this is a science FICTION craft. While it is based in something we know, it does not have to adhere to anthing in that realm. I'm guessing that this boat can cross-over from fiction to fantasy at will, should the designer so choose, but I could be wrong. Arka will let us know about the boundaries.

    Until then, it's all about pure fun.
     

  15. arkanoid
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    arkanoid Junior Member

    So you think it's already possible now? If so I can do my hull in non-metal.

    I'm sorry but I have to dissent here. Fantasy have to be designed carefully. It must have some inner rules that defines what differ that world with ours. It's fun, but only if you take it very seriously ;)
    Moreover this particular fantasy is not so fantastic. It's our world in 2050-60, so it must be pretty similar to present.
     
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