Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Hydrocar-Video-On-Land-and-in-the-Water-for-the-First-Time.html

[Loren]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

I followed that project with interest...for a while. Definitely "hats-off" to the guy for some amazing talent and dedication, most people including me would be unlikely to see a project like that through as far as he did. That being said, I could not say for sure that the design showed a very deep understanding for the way cars work, or the way boats work. A curious guy.

[dieselgeek]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

I followed that project with interest...for a while. Definitely "hats-off" to the guy for some amazing talent and dedication, most people including me would be unlikely to see a project like that through as far as he did. That being said, I could not say for sure that the design showed a very deep understanding for the way cars work, or the way boats work. A curious guy.

that's about the nicest way I can think of for saying "dude, the guy taking the videos thought it was going to plane off and be as 'slippery as a raceboat' !"

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

I know jack crap about boats (some would say the same about cars ) but couldn't you add some little foils or winglet things on the sponsons to keep the front from trying to Deep Six?

The interior of the thing looks bad ass.

[dieselgeek]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

I know jack crap about boats (some would say the same about cars ) but couldn't you add some little foils or winglet things on the sponsons to keep the front from trying to Deep Six?

If they create more drag than lift, which is easy to do in water, no dice...

It looks like there is more hanging down in the water than just the sponsons, like maybe exposed drivetrain or tires? The way it noses over, even though the surface drive looks positioned properly, tells me that there's either a ton of drag or two tons of weight that cause the existing lift surfaces to cause more drag than lift.

footnote: All my boat design experience comes from building wooden MODEL picklefork racing hulls, and running them on the water. Scale models, so, not all that applicable, but a surprisingly good lesson in basic hydrodynamics when the first one on the water did the exact same thing (nose over with throttle). They can be a bitch to get the proper weight, balance, thrust centerline etc. setup dialled in!

[IRONHEAD]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

boats are fun..
but one big money pit

[Loren]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

Among other things the shaft angle required to lower that vehicle's prop in the water is so extreme, that in itself is helping push the nose over due to the thrust angle. He'd have had to use a variation of the inboard/outboard layout, with it's 90 degree gears etc., and be able to have the prop much more submerged and preferably pointing up a little.

A boat riding on plane, on that border between liquid and gas, is a balancing act not unlike with an aircraft. Two minutes playing with the trim buttons at speed will teach you if you're paying attention. Getting a boat onto plane is a climbing act, and the center of thrust needs to be well below where the friction is and pointing in the direction you want the boat to go and not downward, not so important with a light high-powered boat but...this isn't that.

[oldrustycars]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

http://www.dobbertinhydrocar.com/3cars.gif

rick may have left the garage door closed with a car running a few too many times. That silver thing was supposed to be driven around the world, and was made from a milk truck tank.

[Matt Cramer]

Re: Hydrocar Video: On Land and in the Water for the First Time

http://www.dobbertinhydrocar.com/3cars.gif

rick may have left the garage door closed with a car running a few too many times. That silver thing was supposed to be driven around the world, and was made from a milk truck tank.

I feel sorry for him on that one - it seems he and his wife got most of the way around the world, then they ran out of financial backing for the trip, and his wife decided she wanted a divorce. Guess sailing around the world in a milk truck isn't quite as romantic a vacation idea as it sounds. But that had to hurt...