Human Powered Boat

All is crap...

Hello...

I bought a brand new HP (Hewlett Packard) - to run Rhino 3 - and you know - the hard drive crapped out (Maxtor 6B200MO) - I just popped in the warranteed unit - I have to give koodos and all three thumbs up on their fantastic 2 day turnover via over the phone HP customer service - just my luck I guess...

I must sing their praise - my MB can push another Megabite of RAM...

So how have things been with your project...

SH.

 

It goes...

Sean,
As fisherman, I don't buy HP. Their stuff works fine, but their politics would cost guys like me their livelyhood so I buy Cannon or Fujitsu...
I'm kind of in an HPV limbo right now... I still owe Bill for the modeling and my clients have ordered up a bunch of changes to the radar arch I designed and am building for them, adding about 10 days to the project...and my payday. I expect to be all caught up in supporting my food and rent habit by late Feb., in the meantime I'm still gathering parts for the driveline mock up.
High on the list of things to do next is get rid of all my boat and kayack jigs from my shop. 3 total. I'll throw up some "for sale" flyers at the boatschool here, the boatyard and maybe Seattle CC...but my BMW has been for sale for almost 2 months and I've only had 3 nibbles so it might be until March or April before I'll have the funds to construct the hull. I'm going to owe Bill a bonus for his patience...

Basicly, I'm taking the steps necessary to lighten my load in life so it will be easier for me to get out of Dodge when the time comes. Hopefully within the next year.

When I moved to Port Townsend about 8 years ago, I had a pack, a bike and a seabag. Now I have 3 cars, 3 boats, a Van, a shop full of tools, and all the extraneous bs that goes with sedintary life.
Believe me, there will be one big garage sale when I head out. No need to take the welder and plasma cutter with me right?

Thanks again for all that you have contributed to this project so far. My appreciation is offered in abundance...

SG

 

Speaking Bee...

Hello...

I like Rhino3D - it soothes my instant gratification personality that so many psychologist would like to pick the bugs from for more money than I can afford to pay them just now - so 'I RHINO' - and the money I could spend on this crack head therapy with some **** silver spooner who likes to dust off his books on Saturday mornings while drinking a mug of green tea can carry on doing so without me - and I can continue to spend same money on good whiskey and carry on banging out dusty headed doodles of boats that I might build when my wife learns that a DeWalt gift certificate is the best way for her to express her admiration and love for me - I remain a man of pride and predjudice - to hell with all the Woody Allen wanna bees...

Trouble is forcing yourself to go through the lessons 123 and not jump ahead and bash about hitting buttons at random...

So - your HPV is simmering is it - well that is OK too - my little trimaran is awaiting the sale of my Oday 22 and the revitalization of my VISA account...

Should sell quick - it is clean and ready to go - they give me money - they go sailing when the cheque clears - no RE/RE...

I have decided that computers are far to generic as a tool - while you are banging out lines for a main hull or AKA your mind can so easily wander into the nether worlds of women beyond your means - and same would likely not hold your interest in a conversation for more seconds than your already pretty sexy wife does... - you feel a fool and go pretend to be a boat designer again - YUP - until your buddy Emails you into the world of bionic dolphins or all the various web cams and crap - high bandwidth leads to another will power arguement against yourself - that is for sure - just now I SHOULD be working on the rig for the above...

SERIOUS - go image Google 'BIONIC DOLPHIN' - that guy showed up at the Vancouver boat show 15 years ago and everyone thought he was a **** - now his 'thingee' has been used in Austin Powers Goldfinger - not that that is anything to put on your resume - but the DAMNED THING WORKS...

YUP...

But I just might have to pour another drink and go Google Jennifer Tilly again...

'Cause I can...

All the best in this damned year...

SH.

 

I think you have forgotten the main problem - a Human Powered Boat.

 

Would you like to see my idea Fishes and dolphins are powerful propellers
http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8191. Ask any question please.

 

Sharpening a lead...

Hello...

If I have missed the point than it must be do to something being a bit dull...

In the 1800's Dullards used to blot out the sun because they were so numerous in their flocks - or at least thats what I remember...

BURP...

Shame we cannot shoot Dullards anymore - really...

SH.

 

It is really very interesting...

 

Where is everyone...

Hello....

See http://members.tripod.com/hpvegypt/vd.htm ...

SH

 

human power

I think what you are trying to do is great, I agree with sharpii2, you do need a flywheel, fairly large in diameter and in weight. It could also help as a gyroscope effect if needed. a heavy flywheel will take a little energy to get going , but will hard to slow down once it gets started. a free-wheel design will also help with muscle fatique. if you are also attempting log distances, you may also want a dual action propulsion system, utilizing both leg/foot powered, and hand/arm powered.

 

Human powered craft...

I love this one...
http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showpost.php?p=76401&postcount=116

 

Didn't somebody once invent something called a oar, seemed to work quite well I believe - all thes people trying to reinvent the wheel?

 

Didn't somebody once invent something called a oar, seemed to work quite well I believe.

Yep, it was the Chinese that invented the Yula (SP?)a really efficent single oar that a light underfed fellow could use to move a 60ton junk at a knot or more.

FAST FRED

 

Right o' old boy. But if nothing new was ever tried, we'd still be getting around in oxcarts. And the only flying we would do would be with 'magic dust'.

The oar is great, but a well immersed propeller of just the right proportions stands the chance of being much better. Especially in this planned application.

No having to aim it with every stroke, as you would an oar in any kind of seaway. Theoretically, it could make for far less labor per given amount of propulsion.

If oars were so great, we would have them on our oil tankers driven by hydraulic pistons.

Bob

 

HPV update

Once again, after a brief period of underemployment, I'm back to working on the HPV. I finally got around to paying the designer for his work thus far and oddly enough he's as enthused as I am about continuing on I've almost got the shop cleared out but I just put my thunderbird jig on the market & I have one more ss tube project to do before my shop has space enough to start the hull.
Carl reminded me that much of the refinement of the hull remaining has to do with "The Numbers" we dont have accurate figures for, namely shaft horsepower and actual loaded disp.
To that end, I'm putting the powerline mock-up in high gear and should have the actual bevel gears inhand tomorrow. The idea will be to put a load on the shaft (mock-up) to aproximate the load (resistance) of the fully loaded boat underway. Then I could measure the output energy at the shaft & also the input energy in calories needed to sustain said output.
As far as the actual prop goes...that has allways been a big issue to me because as we all know, efficiency is key here. So I'm going to start with a wooden prop from a small ultra-light (yes, the airplane kind) which I will destroy by sawing the blades off at the shaft, then Steve the expert glasser is going to make several (4 or 5) different props using different pitches on the same blade and both 2 & 3 blades out of carbon fiber when we get to the one that works best, we'll make a few. I'm even going to try to fab a prop out of aluminum to see if the differences between props is significant enough to consider seriously. But a fraction of a knot difference between props would probably be significant enough for me.

So if there are any mathematicians reading this thread, I'd be curious to find out what kind of considerations need to be considered when calculating the energy needed to drive this hull at a given speed through salt water...the ones I can think of are water density, perhaps some friction coefficient, the hullshape (wettted surface area) and...? It seem like I'm missing something...

Also, if you aren't a mathematician, but still wanna help. E-mail (no posting please on this one) what you would take, be realistic, on a 20' aluminum boat across 2500-3000 nm of ocean. I got my list. I'd like to see yours.

Thanks for all the input to those who've helped so much.
Thanks All.

 

Btw...

Sean, as usual you give great & usefull links. I'm coming up with a paint scheme also...so's a local graphic designer friend of mine. I'll post it & we can have a poll.
Thanks again & keep it coming.
SG