Mud and the Tender

Gosh-darned cute little critters they are!

Now I'm inspired. http://olderthanvintage.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-muddy-mudskipper-pie.html

 

And you can use a set of skis. Let's say you weigh 90kg - then a set of skis 15cm x 3m would give you 100 kilos per sq metre, not accounting for weight shift from leg to leg. You could then tow extra weight behind you on the light rowboat.

I've seen round large-diameter wheels made of wood. Space the wheels about 10cm or so apart, then use pool noodles wedged between them for tires (floatation, traction and shock absorption). With this methodology, you can make them as wide as you want, but they may get heavy (but wood floats, too!).

 

Here's some of my fun wheels things:

Wheels I used for transporting my own boat over soft, not muddy ground:

http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Made-Products-Replacement-Wheel/dp/B000MUTFQI#moreAboutThisProduct

Fun wheeled contraption:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psyl-AQ0m2A

Floating belt drive HPB:

http://www.humanpoweredboats.com/Photos/UniversityDisplacementHPBs/TUHHSnelda_2.jpg

Cheers,

Porta

 

I like that thing, somehow it reminds me of this paddlewheel car.


While I am at it here is an arm powered paddlewheel. I think both guys standing each have a lever, the other guy steers.

 

I appreciate SamSam's kind words above.

The endless belt material is already available - you obviously don't live where there are snowmobiles. Darwin Awards are given every year here to the sporting folks who try to run snowmobiles across long water stretches during the spring break up.

That being said, high speed travel across a varied viscous surface is well handled by snowmobiles (with the slight problem of sinking in fluid at slow speed). I used to have a house close to the location in the linked video.

There is probably a solution genetically close to the posted video, as long as the driver was suitably gifted in the good judgement department. Think of a lightweight RIB-enclosed snowmobile drive, keeping the ribbed steerable skis out front and you'd probably not be far off the mark.

--
CutOnce

 

Snowmoboat?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=EEMGav4pilA&NR=1

 

OK-

Thinking along the lines of these guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or9NUEroVcE&feature=related

I introduce the Mudskipper: (at least the working bit eh?)



I had thought the paddles should be on separate levers but prefer I think the ability to lay back on the bar and maybe lift the hull a bit as she shifts along.
She might need separate levers to steer though..

In normal use the paddles can be unshipped by pulling a pin and sliding off while the bar will simply ship down and out of the way when rowing:





The above shown with the drive rod outboard but a workmanlike build would have the ferrule inboard of the hull skin..


The paddle will need to flex as drawn forward to skip over the mud and grip as it scoops going aft.

 

Yes, the floating belt HPB is theoretically the most efficient hull, referenced by Rick Willoughby in the HPB section. It is clever in that it USES water friction to its advantage rather than trying to minimize surface water friction to increase efficiency. As a bonus it can go on any surface with a change in drive gearing. But there is increased complexity and losses in the drive train/gearing setup.

Side view: http://www.humanpoweredboats.com/Photos/UniversityDisplacementHPBs/TUHHsnelda.jpg

Porta

 

So, 50kg max for the boat, that leaves 100kg for beer and shotgun ammo. Cool.

Now you mention it, I have 2 lengths of black thick walled (as in, maybe 12mm thick) poly pipe approx 400mm dia in search of some useful purpose in life (it was free and too good to pass up even though I have NFI what to use it for). That would take care of the 'wheels'. The axle is no problem, a few offcuts of 40NB Sched 40 pipe, a bit of welding and a bit of machining. Need to source the belt & drive system out of whatever handy.

Sounding like a project. I'll put it on the list to start, right after I finish the Witch and its tender.

What does a snowmobile belt cost & weigh? Maybe someone could send one to Mr Watson.....

PDW

 

Very impressive, just when you think you have seen the ugliest, least appetizing fish in the world, you get to see how to catch them for food.

Spoke ay lenght with PDW today, who told me he is planning to go to northern australia in his big yacht. I reckoned that with 30 foot tidal ranges, mud capabilities would be a big bonus.

I am going to keep an eye out for some cheap conveyer belt, and see if I can make it plow over some mud under manual power on a simple sled for starters.

 

Nono, Bruny Island is the limit of travel. Maybe South Bruny for a long voyage.

Good to catch up, now I've seen that shed I'll take another look at the steel offcut collection but the 5mm plate would likely do fine.

PDW

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a spare track lying around.
Mountain sleds will have longer, wider and deeper lug tracks than other types of sled. For this application a single 174x16x2.5 track might do the trick.


http://www.tracksusa.com/

 

Thanks for that Claydog. A really good selection to choose from. I might contact them and see what the freight costs run to

 

There's a really fun book out there that involves a lot of mud walking. It is about a man and woman who take their 24 foot wooden sailboat up into the Bay of Fundy and farther up some rivers with the meanest tide bores in the world. With as much as 50 foot tides, they go aground nearly every day. Any time they wish to go ashore while grounded, it is mud, mud and more mud. They have to drag the dinghy through the mud when slogging ashore which makes it even more challenging.

The title of the book is; Sailing The Big Flush, by Eileen Beaver. ISBN 978-1-59633-785-6. The book is an account of an actual adventure, not a novel..

 

Yes, this mud thing is such a major headache for boaters, but there are no self buildable, useful tenders that can handle it elegantly, that I have found.

For some weeks I have been running the concept around in my mind, assembling this and that. I am keen to keep the solution as "open source" as possible, that can be created with basic local materials if at all possible.

The more I mull over the options, the less enthusiastic I get about heavy conveyor belts and the small fittings that will be required to interface them with the tender. The effect of it motoring and sailing with all that stuff hanging off the bottom could be problematic as well.

Just to add another layer of consideration as well, I would like the tender to be able to "lose" the mud gear, and function as usefull unit without it.

The thinking continues ....