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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Give up or not???

Well Billy Bob, there comes a time in everyones life that they got to just leave well enough alone. Ya know what I'm talk'n bout don't ya???

Well, ya see, it's like this......"that boat"!!! It damn thing sits too low in the back end....it gonna sink. Well, it might not actually sink, but there are factors that are to be considered when a boat is -||- this close to sinking. The physics of a paddle wheel is that if it sits too low in the water, all it's doing is "slap'n" water and not doing what it's designed to do.....push the boat foward at a high rate of speed. You know, enough speed for the rudders to work.

I went "engeineering" on Google, but the boat still sits too low in the water. Before someone suggests I add foam to the inside, all that will do is add a little more weight to the hull. But that idea gave me an idea. Add some flat styrofoam to the outside....now that's gonna look like hell. So....I went to the slabs trash dump ground....not maintained by the County, and pick me up some scrap styrofoam. After 3 trys....driving to the animal water hole, I was back to square one. Then I said..."what the hell, put a BIG piece on the bottom". What I cut, formed to the contours of the bottom, filed and sanded till I had a perfect fit. Fingers crossed, this will be enough flotation to raise the back end 1/2 inch. Will let ya know after one more drive to the animal water hole. "My God Billy Bob, ya ain't gonna put that big chunk of stuff on the bottom are ya"???
Any suggestions????

Ok...just got back from the animal water hole. It floats.

I think my dog has a mental disorder. Today she picked up an old bone, no tell'n where it came from, tossed it up in the air. Is she actually gonna play? It come down on top her head and she yelp'ed like she done got run'ed over or something like that. Then went and laid down.

Ok....back to that boat build'n business. That piece of styrofoam what I made yesterday bit the dust. I were gonna paint it up pretty like....you know what I mean. Ya know what happens when ya spray paint on stryofoam? It just goes away...shrivils up and it's gone. So off to the junk yard again search'n for a nice piece of stryofoam. Fount one that was perfect....but too thick. Would you beleive I cut that sucker to the exact thickness I needed with a "chain saw" (hack saw blade)?
See, I tole ya so.

Ben's statement in the comments are so true. This is a "static" model of a Mississippi riverboat. Never intended to set foot in water. Just sit on a shelf collect'n dust and cob webs. That was until old Billy Bob got hold of it. Some things are naturally intended to be changed....and this is one of them.

5 comments:

  1. That is good news, BB. Good work.

    Will it go forward at a fast enough pace to make the rudder usable? Hope so, now you can take some action videw of it going round and round that pond.

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  2. We ain't no mind readers!! We need pictures.

    And keep in mind this boat model was never intended to float, but rather sit up on the mantel and collect dust and spider webs.

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  3. Use 1/2 inch blueboard and epoxy. It isn't supposed to effect blueboard foam. sandwich two pieces toward the back and shape the leading edge so the water will flow smoothly over it. It should lift the butt end up when its moving forward.

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  4. tie a hellium ballon to the back of the boat some where, thus lifting the boat.

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  5. I vote for "Give up"!

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