The Elipse - A Proposal

Discussion in 'Projects & Proposals' started by venomousbird, Jul 8, 2007.

  1. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    Preamble (an appeal to those with open minds):

    I require a good boat for purposes of liberation. I am not a prisoner in the ordinary sense, I am free to roam about as I please, I live in Canada, a wealthy, apparently free nation.

    However, I feel that I am a prisoner of mediocrity. Some might call it a flaw, but I have an unpacifiable inner urge to go beyond and be more than I am currently. I do not see this characteristic as being manifest in most of my countrymates, and perhaps in most people globally, who are content to abide by the status quo, living from paycheque to paycheque, and indulging heavily in abuse of alcohol and other worldly aversions. I have patience, but only so long as I feel that I am working towards my goal, which is to eventually (and hopefully soon) have a craft of some kind that will be explained as follows, that will enable me to travel afar over water and land, and bring me to a place of fertile ground on which to drop and cultivate my seeds and thrive.

    The Current Idea:

    This is a design I have been turning over in my head over the years, and I am now sufficiently motivated (alarmed?) to make an attempt to bring this concept to fruition, hopefully with your help.

    I want a boat that can potentially be completely sealed up in order to weather the worst storms the ocean can throw at me. Some boats accomplish this with sheer bulk, but my hope is to rather use innovative design to overcome this obstacle. The name Elipse is derived from my inspiration as to the shape of such a vessel. I am thinking something along the lines of a torpedo shape, somewhat similar to a kayak, approximately twenty feet in length, and six feet at the beam. I want the boat to be fully enclosed.

    Envision if you will, a watercraft similar in some respects to a jet fighter. I want to cover the exterior in solar panels, and have a small trolling motor attached. I would also like to have footpedals in the cockpit for auxilary power. It should not require much thrust to push a boat with such an aerodynamic design, and as such, rigidity, strength, and a light overall weight will be considered paramount in my design. Comfort is of little importance. After all, the Viking longboat was perhaps the most advanced ship design of its day and it didn't even have any sort of enclosed shelter. If I have room to lay down in it and stay dry, I will be more than content. The design must be self-righting. I essentially want to have an aerodynamic cork that can take a severe thrashing on high seas without falling apart. I think that carbon fiber would be the ideal hull material for a boat such as this, as it is light enough to be pushed without much power, but strong enough to take a beating.

    I need help regarding overall design and frame materials. Thanks!
     
  2. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    [​IMG]

    Is this possible?

    The 'wing' is to be on both sides, to be used for aerodynamic stability and power in times of high winds, surface covered in solar panels to be lowered in times of low wind and sun for additional power output.
     
  3. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    Could a wing be raised and lowered, to be dipped into the water to prevent rolling? Has this ever been tried?
     
  4. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    new power component design

    many of you have probably seen the flashlights that can be powered by shaking? a magnet slides back and forth inside of a tube that is wrapped in magnet wire, and the motion of the magnet produces an electrical charge

    banks of light, thin plastic tubes, with an interior coated in teflon, wrapped in thin copper magnet wire could have a cylindrical neodymium magnet inside that would move back and forth through the tube in the rocking action of waves

    this would produce an electrical current that could be used to help power a boat, and would make use of the movement that is normally wasted
     
  5. kengrome
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    kengrome Senior Member

    If the storm beats or fatigues you to death all you'll end up with is a floating coffin. Is that what you want, a one-of-a-kind floating coffin?

    Where did you get these numbers?

    I thought you wanted a boat, now you're talking about making it look like an airplane. What's the point?

    Sorry but it seems like you're pretty unfocused or confused between what you want and what is practical. Maybe you should post your priority list of features and a clear description of the functions and your intended use for this boat, so people will understand what you're trying to accomplish ...
     
  6. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    an interior of foam padding would prevent being beaten to death, along with a good 5 point seatbelt for the worst rides

    the numbers are meant only as rough figures to explain that I want something larger than a kayak, but smaller than a traditional cruising vessel

    I don't know much about proper proportions yet, it's something I need to research. . . I just started working on 3D renderings yesterday and I'm making some good progress, as well as researching new fabrications methods that haven't been implemented on a wide scale at all as of yet

    the point of making it like an airplane is that it would be self-contained

    what I'm really trying to accomplish is to make a pod that can go anywhere in the world and carry a passenger through, alive, despite almost anything that is thrown at it, and run on improvised power from a broad range of sources

    basically the nautical equivelant of a bunker
     
  7. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    btw, the boat on your homepage is beautiful
     
  8. kengrome
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    kengrome Senior Member

    I guess I have to ask specific questions:

    where will it be used
    how will it get there
    how long will you spend in the boat each time you use it
    how far (in miles) you plan to go in the boat on non-human power
    will it be trailered
    will it have any electronics in it, and if so what
    what is your design displacement
    how is the wing going to provide power
     
  9. Guest625101138

    Guest625101138 Previous Member

    I agree that there are many areas to explore with the development of boating. I have some reservations about the practicality of what you propose.

    I get the impression that you have not spent a lot of time at sea. Please advise if this is not the case. So to help you better understand the challenges of making the escape to life at sea, I suggest you spend a week or so in a small boat in rough weather.

    After you have that experience, set about making a specification for a boat:- Where you want to travel, how fast you want to travel, what luxuries you want, what is the target displacement, what is the budget etc. I find it difficult to come up with a design that can provide extended safe ocean cruising and displaces less than 1 tonne.

    You will not get much out of this size boat with human power. Even with solar power it will be a slug - remember there is no sun at night. Wind and solar might be more practical. Using construction such as modern composites I expect you would need a budget of at least USD50k if you have the requisite skills to design and build it.

    Rick W,
     
  10. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    I certainly agree that a boat like this would cost a great deal, would definately require a great deal of electronic equipment, and would not be easy to build. I see it as a definate challenge and one that if successful would definately be worthwhile. Here is a rendering of an 'artists conception' I made tonight. It isn't fully to scale, but it's a rough idea of what I've been thinking of. My 3D skills are improving pretty rapidly!

    BTW, I grew up on a small island in Lake Erie, so I know what happens to shallow water when a major storm hits. I've always lived near a major body of water, be it the great lakes or the ocean, so it feels natural for me to want to explore the world by sea. I agree about the pedal power, I've scaled up the design somewhat. I'm thinking more so now that I would try power generation from solar, wind, the rocking motion of the boat, and a small diesel/biodiesel generator hybrid system. My idea would not to go fast unless it was suddenly necessary but rather to travel consistantly.

    Sails and wings actually operate on the same principle of pressure differences. When a wing is turned into the wind at an appropriate angle, wind will flow more rapidly over one side, which is straight, and more slowly over another side, which is curved. This difference in pressure is what keeps planes in the air, and would also work to move a boat through the water.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  11. PI Design
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    PI Design Senior Member

    Where's the picture? From your description, I'm imaging a cross between a submarine and a pedaloe!
     
  12. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    sorry, I guess the images I tried to link from that I posted before weren't working. . . most webhosts don't want people linking to their photos on other sites, I hope this will work:

    http://wildedibleplants.angelfire.com/

    The images are all up on the main page, I haven't put anything about wild plants yet. I suspect if I actually build this thing, and I want to, the number of nessie sightings are going to increase dramatically. . .
     
  13. longliner45
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    longliner45 Senior Member

    venomousbird look in your backyard ,,you will find some really great sailboat designs in your area,,I read your thread ,,you are a sailor at heart,,,,we all always dream,,its the ones who make it happen that are different,,,it is always good to dream,longliner
     
  14. venomousbird
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    venomousbird Junior Member

    I thought I should mention, even if the pedal power would not amount to anything very significant, a few hundred watts at most, I was thinking of its benefits as a means of exercise while at sea, and as such, it makes sense to at least derive a little bit of power from it.

    It wouldn't be all that much compared to the yield from a good sail, but it would be something. I like the idea of solar panels and pedal power to push me out of the doldrums if I'm ever out of fuel and get stuck. Even if I can only push at an average speed of a few knots on that auxilary power, that's enough to get out of a slack area much faster than just sitting there.

    I suspect that in good sunny conditions though, a good solar array on the topside of a boat would be able to push you along pretty fast. I looked at a thread that showed a catamaran that crossed the atlantic with solar power, and could keep roughly the speed of a traditional sailing vessel, of course the design was a little bit scary. . . I wouldn't venture onto the open seas in something like this:

    [​IMG]

    I think hybrid power systems are the best way to go, but most current designs are focussed to lean most heavily on only one, like a traditional sailboat, powercruiser, etc. That is the primary motivation for my design efforts. I think the ideal boat is one that is strong enough to withstand storms, but also able to make use of a variety of power sources to keep moving regardless of what conditions manifest. Also, on a boat with multiple renewable power sources, you have the advantage of an immediate power source when you get somewhere that you would like to stay for a while. For example, solar panels that could power an electric chainsaw for building a cabin or something.
     

  15. charmc
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    charmc Senior Member

    OK, so you're a dreamer with little knowledge of boat design. No crime in that, and this is a good place to begin to learn. There are well established techniques for building exceptionally strong hulls with lightweight materials like carbon fiber; search the forum and you'll find good discussions as well as links to other sites. Ken's list of questions is a good way to break down your dream into specifics; once you have those, you can begin to prioritize them. Knowing specifically what you want is essential to achieving it.

    Rick's suggestion about spending a week or so far out at sea in a small boat in rough weather is excellent. Watching storms, even being in them in coastal waters is one thing; experiencing a storm far from land, with huge waves every few seconds, continuing for days without end, is another thing altogether. The experience will help you decide if a bare bones capsule is really what you want.

    If you plan to be mostly in tropic waters, sail and solar propulsion makes sense. Rowing or pedaling can always be a good backup, as well as a way to stay fit. Your thoughts about wings instead of sails are sound; there are some good articles about rigid sail (rigid sail = wing) propulsion. Most of the development work has had speed as the goal, but efficiency at lower speeds should be possible.

    It might be a good idea to study sailboat design thoroughly. Even though you want to be innovative, knowing the fundamentals of current design is important, if only from the point of view of safety.

    Working toward a dream is as good as it gets.
     
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