I’ll admit I haven’t been too thrilled with the performance of my homemade boat. On a positive note it doesn’t leak any water and it’s stable, especially when you consider it’s small size at just 2.1 meters at the waterline. Today I’d adjusted the angle at which the fishtail which propels the boat pushes on … Continue reading Testing the boat again.
After my last test I thought I was on the right track with the boat. My problems had been that it wasn’t nearly fast enough and that it bobbed up and down as it went along. There was a danger that water could have spilled over the side but also that I want to move … Continue reading Third homemade boat test.
Great Hill might seem like a misnomer for a mound rising to just 1,250 feet above sea level but from some viewpoints it looks quite big. Also I was beginning my mountain bike ride from home at under 300 feet, dropping lower early in the ride. I’ve replaced the front mech. cable on the Trek … Continue reading The full Great Hill experience.
I tested my human powered boat 6 days ago. It’s powered by treadles oscillating a fishtail. Well, why be conventional? It was dismally slow but on a positive note it didn’t leak at all. As a Consequence of this I’ve done some modifications. I increased the size of the fishtail by about 350% to get … Continue reading Second test of my homemade boat.
I’ve mentioned before that I have been building a boat. As a mountain biker I wanted it to be pedal powered so I designed a treadle system to transfer leg power to the water. Treadles seemed better than rotating pedals in a boat because my legs would stay lower, aiding stability. Yesterday I finished working … Continue reading Launching my home made boat.
Did you leave school and think you'd never need mathematics again? I didn't. I've been doing various engineering projects over the years including 5 self designed, self built sportscars, one of which was battery powered. I built a suspension fork for my Proflex mountain bike around 18 months ago. I built a timber framed extension … Continue reading The mathematics of a boat.
I don't really know why I feel I must build a boat. I had a dinghy when I was a kid and my son, Dylan, and I briefly had a dinghy when he was younger. My boat will be pedal powered from a recumbent seating position, so it will give me similar exercise to cycling. … Continue reading Boat building. Part 1.
