Rubber power

[David MeierParticipant @davidmeier28154]

That is stretching it a bit!!!

David.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Thinking outside the box, works for me !!   Ashley

[PierreParticipant @pierre]

rubber powered boats???  Are we still in the  twenties?  my first thoughts when I read this post>  After a bit of  mature reflection I thought that this could actually be a great way to get club members together _ our club has been gradually  suffering a decline in membership _ this might be a way of regenerating interest!
anyway< whoever takes up this chalenge< good luck!
cheers _ pierre

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Good one, Pierre`s post is very telling. He has , at first, instantly dismissed the subject of Rubber band boats as not being very interesting/old hat/whatever….but has had a second thought and made a post with a view. I can understand that Pierre may not be particularly interested in this subject, but he has posted and thats great.  It may be that our perception of forum members is one of “should be more vocal” however I am not sure that is the actual case here. A lot of poeple are only interested in a particular aspect of any subject and have no interest in  anything else. And  I can understand that. But, having taken the time to log on and look at the forum, it is disappointing that  more people dont post. After all , it doesnt take that long  eh??  

personally, I find Rubber band boats are an interesting subject from a number of aspects, not least, and perhaps the most suprising, the technical viewpoint, .    Ashley

  ( subjects of interest,, warships old, warships new, hovercraft, rubber band boats, motorising plastic kids toy boats, making things quickly and easily, flying boats, things to interest small boys, paddle boats, other peoples technical challenges, a nice bit of shiny varnished deck, unusual propulsion methods, unusual craft, anything unusual, really… lifeboats, sailing boats in rough weather, seeing name in print in national mags (!), rubbishing other bods builds at the pond side (in a friendly manner), icebreakers, finding out what boats are best to play with in the bath……

 

 

 

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hear Hear Ashley!

 

I look forward to all the replies that appear in the threads I`ve posted in……. and do my best to make some sort of reply……………….then await the next reply…………………..it`s a sort of  E-mail type gossipping?

 

Would like to see a piccy of your Fantome and the rubber boat, actually sailing please?

 

What about putting brushless motors in Fantome?……………..any idea how it would behave?………………….I`ve been trying to get Ducky to put two in his Broom, but we don`t know the effect they will have.

 

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Piccies will be forthcoming have no doubt (sooner if I can manage it) what with the WEATHER and all that. Brushless, yes i dare say they would make the think fly, but I rather like the endurance so far shown. A picture will probly show you how well it goes, or not, according toyour bow-wave meter. Actually I have not had the Fantome in company yet to judge the relative speed.? Will get the old AB2 out to see if its rubber hasnt perished yet! this Sunday, for a larf (and a bit of excercise)  Ashley

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

Hi Guys,

I have been keeping my head down,frustrated with the alterations to the Forum,Now that things are sorting themselves out I will be up and running again.

I like the idea of rubber powered straight runner competition.

Never having made a rubber motor I will want some inside information please ( Ashley take note )and another nice articule on the Bi Plane in the Mag.

My claim to fame is my Airboat on the front page of the Forum (if its still there ).

 

Len. 

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Hi All,

In the other post ‘Ashleys Rubber Boats’ the Bowman range of rubber powered boats from the 1920’s and 1930’s was touched upon.

If anyone is interested I have found this information:-

http://www.bowmancircle.co.uk/index.html

look under section 06 Archives at the end is the rubber powered ‘Aeroboat 1’, 

‘Aeroboat 11’ and ‘Greyhound Junior’.

Also extremely interesting is the clockwork powered ‘Tiger’ and ‘Panther’, in the 

frame above. Ashley – would you like another project?

Tony 

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Tony. If I am not mistaken there is, in the current issue (march) of our BESTEST magazine, a readers model paddle steamer…tucked away, and this has a clockwork motor from a Gramophone installed!!!  Have you seen the size of a Gramophone clock spring??  its `normous. I like the idea of a clockwork boat, but mechanisms are hard to come by, or at least, you are stuck with Hornby train ones, or meccano ones perhaps, and generally they dont come cheap….although perhaps, after you have shelled out on a 600 motor and batteries, the price comparison is more favourable. Trouble is, you cant make a clockwork motor very easily, unless you are a wizz on the old lathe etc ??  think someone should do some research and see how big a pop-pop engine can be made…thats my sort of steam plant…nice and easy and maintenance free. Ashley 

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

I have made 2 Pop Pop engines and neither worked. I thought they were simple to make and work.

 

Len.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Just goes to prove my previous post regarding the easiest things on paper are usually the most difficult to realise….  ps,,,perhaps using 15mm copper tube wasnt such a good idea after alllllll   Ashley

[Dr John BoothParticipant @drjohnbooth43899]

Ashley 

In response to your request for information relating to a put put engine 

Theoretically a simple expansion engine such as the “put put” could be built to any size as the design is a simple matter of increase in scale however one major problem would be the size and energy consumption of the heat source. 

The optimum size for such an engine would propel a model boat of 1.4m in length and the maximum practical size of engine could be used in a boat of 6m in length. 

Given that you have a need for speed that is greater than Paul’s then perhaps you might like to consider using a pulse jet engine to power one of your models or even a solid fuel rocket motor.

John

 

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

John

 

A pulse jet? Difficult engineering for us mere mortals but I do like the sound of the rocket motors.

 

Paul

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul. If you thought you were having difficulties in getting insurance for a petrol boat…imagine trying for a JET propelled Bluebird or something !! There are jet engines out there of course, but I must say I have never seen a small pulse enginge (V1-style). There was a good scrapheap challenge on a while ago where they had to make jety powered drafsters, and a pulse jet was made, using a bent pipe affair rather than the shutter arrangement of a V1, and they used I think propane rather than petrol, for H&s reasons. Its a thought, If you like living dangerously !!!.  A pop-pop for a 1.4m boat sounds good though, what sort of size pipe would be needed? and I suppose it would be of the flat clack-clak type expansion chamber rather than the simple coiled design?  Ashley   (will have a surf later)

[Dr John BoothParticipant @drjohnbooth43899]

Ashley

 

The pop pop would have to be the flat “clack clack” type in order to create the required volume of pressure to push the boat.

 

John

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