Propulsion ***NOTE... this entire idea has been abandoned!

Want this to be electrically driven, here are some options....

http://www.aquamot.at/en/marine/electric-propulsion/drives/flange-drive.html

or...
http://www.boatersland.com/lew591482.html

Any other ideas? need to keep in the 1000watt range.

First look at Electrical requirments

So much work to do... So many things to consider, but here is a very preliminary look at the power requirements of the boat. Consider this just a brainstorm, nothing final at all. 

Sample of the build process

Vinalester and fiberglass mat? or Epoxy and woven cloth? First I built a sample of the front of the boat from Vinalester resin, and chop mat. The strength was pitiful, and the weight was incredible. Looked cool, but will make the entire boat, 3500lbs. (just shell weight)

Vinalester + Chop mat sample...

Then I choose the shell must be built by infusing epoxy resin to fiberglass woven cloth. I have 3 layers of 32oz woven cloth, then a layer of 1/4" foam core, then 2 layers of 32oz woven cloth. This is topped off with re-enforcement layers around lifting points, and additional ribs constructed of a second layer of  1/4" foam core, topped off with 2 layers of 32oz cloth. I would bet its bulletproof! Best part, is the entire boat should be around 1800lbs now. (still to confirm that though) 

Epoxy infused sample part - (Front)...

Epoxy infused sample part - (Back)...

32oz woven fiberglass cloth, and 1/4" PVC foam core...

Photo taken during infusion...

Solar Water Heater

One thought is the simplicity of having at least warm water. Desalinated water will stay at ocean temperature while stored on the boat. The thought is to create a simple small water "warmer" and store the warmed water in a separate tank. This will be accomplished by running 40' of 1/4" hose through a solid piece of fiberglass. The top of the fiberglass will be painted black, and 4 solar cells attached to the surface. As the sun shines, and warms the block, the solar cells will produce just enough power to run a small windshield washer pump, and slowly pump the water from the warm water tank through the 40' of hose on the heater. The sun should take the chill off the water, possibly even create a warm tank of fresh water.

Uses could be...
-Warm water to start when boiling water for cooking (less energy to heat the water)
-Warm water for bathing. Must be a luxury compared to cold ocean water for bathing!

Here is the design... 

Machining the fiberglass block...

Hose installed into grooves...

Solar panels to be added to the top... (after we encapsulate the hose in fiberglass)

We'll get it all together, put it in the sun, and see if it works! Updates to follow once complete.

Solar Cells

The solar cells arrived! 200 monocrystalline 4watts per cell. this gets 800 of the 1200 watts needed. We'll get into the solar array later! put those on the shelf for now.

One of the thoughts is to keep this an entirely solar powered boat. It's un-likley we will get enough power from only solar to keep any sort of decent speed. Perhaps the solar system will become a back-up system for propulsion if the main system fails.

More thoughts on the solar array later as we progress...

Scale Models

Here are the scale models of the latest 2 designs. Boats are 1:8 scale.

Rev_05 - 1:8 scale model

Rev_06 - 1:8 scale model

3D Design

After many revisions, here is the almost final design.  (Hull is no where complete) but the top of the boat design nearing completion.

Introduction

The mission...

To design and prototype a solo or 2 person expedition boat. Capable of ocean crossings, navigating polar regions, and being equipped to be life sustaining for up to 4 months. 

The 80% complete design. 

 The dream...

To cross an ocean in a boat fully designed and built by myself. Just so I can say i did it!