Pedal Power

[thenightowl]

This question has troubled me for some time, even more now given the pending cost of fuel! I'm not sure of rpm of prop, or the realistic gearing that could be achieved through cycle gearing, straight onto the shaft?

Cannot help thinking, if it were possible it would of been done?

Any thoughts welcome :-)

 

Peter

[Hairy-Neil]

I remember seeing a pedal powered glassfibre cruiser some years ago. It had a paddle wheel fitted across the full width of the transom stern and had seats and pedals for two persons.

[Bones]

This question has troubled me for some time, even more now given the pending cost of fuel! I'm not sure of rpm of prop, or the realistic gearing that could be achieved through cycle gearing, straight onto the shaft?

Cannot help thinking, if it were possible it would of been done?

Any thoughts welcome :-)

 

Peter

 

solar strikes me as a bit more relaxing?

[Moley]

I remember seeing a pedal powered glassfibre cruiser some years ago. It had a paddle wheel fitted across the full width of the transom stern and had seats and pedals for two persons.

 

I think it's more commonplace for the paddle wheel to be mounted amidships, directly coupled to the pedal arrangement, but would concur on the glassfibre construction and seating arrangement.

 

Personally, I've never found the method of propulsion to be particularly efficient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nigel carton]

I think its a great idea, as long as the wife doesn't use it as an excuse to get out of working the locks!

[John Orentas]

solar strikes me as a bit more relaxing?

 

 

Humans a pretty poor at this sort of thing, though it is said that a good 100 metres runner can generate 7 bhp. But not for long. We are surprisingly efficient though, there is enough energy in a small slice of cake to walk a mile.

 

Could try suffing a battenburg into your injector pump.

Edited December 11, 2006 by John Orentas

[WJM]

I seem to recall recently seeing somewhere on the southern GU mainline, a narrowboat with a giant paddle wheel assembly hung off the stern - driven by a chain presumably taking its power from the engine - what was that all about? a Slough resident who got sick of darting down the weed hatch?

[Hairy-Neil]

I seem to recall recently seeing somewhere on the southern GU mainline, a narrowboat with a giant paddle wheel assembly hung off the stern - driven by a chain presumably taking its power from the engine - what was that all about? a Slough resident who got sick of darting down the weed hatch?

 

Would that be the Jethro Tull? Its been around a while, last I knew it had been at every Waterways Festival since Noah was a lad......

[Theo]

Bow hauling would probably be more efficient but why not use a horse?

 

Nick

[carlt]

I gave two nice hippy types a tow about ten years ago who had a big wide beam ex admiralty launch (double diagonal rivetted mahogany, beautiful construction)called Geronimo. It had twin RR merlin engines when built pre war apparently but the guy who sold it to the folk I met had rigged up an exercise bike to a paddle affair and made reasonable progress, so they said. Sadly the PO insisted on keeping the mechanism in case he got another boat (hence the tow). I've not seen the boat for many years now but I heard it was sheathed in copper and sold for lots of money.

[howardang]

This is quite a nice solution to the pedal powered boat.

 

http://www.swallowboats.co.uk/content/view/94/104/

 

The designer has been developing it for a year or so. I'm not sure, however, if you could scale it up to narrow boat size.

 

Howard Anguish

[Liam]

Yes it is possible, to an extent...

 

I wouldn't want to purely rely on pedal power. Yeah, it'd be great for the energetic ones to pedal along on a nice warm summers evening for a bit of fun, but there always comes a time when you need to put the power on when it's windy, or against the current of a faster flowing river.

 

Not to mention stopping/reversing... how many of you have tried to pedal backwards.. I have and it just doesnt work.

 

Also, on a "normal" narrowboat you'd have to pedal aswell as operate the tiller... now THAT would be fun!

 

How would you go about towing?

 

If relying purely on pedal power, which you realistically couldn't, you wouldn't be able to leave the boat running in gear for any reason.

 

Think of the re-sale value!

 

If you broke your leg, you'd be stuffed.

 

Could you really pedal quick enough to drive the alternator, and to charge your batteries?

 

Where would the heat come from for your calorifier?

[anthony]

Here is a few interesting links

 

http://www.mission-base.com/pedal-power/pp_main.html

 

http://euler.sfasu.edu/Shantyboats/Miscell...s/Escargot.html

 

http://classics.nu/boat/joli.html

[carlt]

Here is a few interesting links

 

http://www.mission-base.com/pedal-power/pp_main.html

 

http://euler.sfasu.edu/Shantyboats/Miscell...s/Escargot.html

 

http://classics.nu/boat/joli.html

60 quid for a set of plans for a boat that looks like something my 5 year old knocked up out of corn flake boxes. Mind you I suppose Jon Simms has to make money somehow because he surely isn't paid for his efforts at journalism (apologies if it's a different Jon Simms to the 'contributor' of WW).

[anthony]

How do you suggest this boat got built?

Plans drawn up by your son?

I look forward to your efforts and the boat you build from the plans your son can draw up in that case!

[carlt]

How do you suggest this boat got built?

Plans drawn up by your son?

I look forward to your efforts and the boat you build from the plans your son can draw up in that case!

 

I built my first stitch and glue dinghy 25 years ago. I have rebuilt a 1933 carvel, mahogany on oak bermudian sloop plank by plank, I have assisted in the restoration of a variety of wooden boats including over 15 narrowboats and many more sailing boats. I have worked as a professional boatfitter on modern boats including coastal, narrowbeam and dutch barges. I have owned over 20 boats all requiring extensive refitting or hull work, all of which I carried out myself. The tools of my trade are a caulking hammer and irons. I am a qualified cabinet maker and I have successfully transferred those skills to boatbuilding. I am confident about lofting the lines of any hull from the simplest single chine to the most complicated round bilge. Plank spiling is not a black art to me.

 

My autistic 5 year old son can already draw a better looking boat than me (art isn't on my list of skills) and I hope he will be interested enough for me to hand down the skills I've been lucky enough to have been taught.

 

The boat in your link has less shape than a bw river class butty. It looks less like a peniche than those pedalo swan's at billing aquadrome (I spent 4 years in France, some of it living on a peniche). The boat is as blunt at the front as the back.

 

If this is the limit of your boat building skills then go for it but I consider myself qualified to criticise and I think the boat is crap. Also, as you have offered boat plans to your 'design' for sale for £30, if it is to the same standard as 'escargot' then I hope it's drawn on soft absorbent paper.

[Liam]

The boat in your link has less shape than a bw river class butty.

 

HAHA!

 

River Class Butty, for all of those who aren't sure what one looks like...

 

[carlt]

OK so it's got a bit more shape than a river class. But only just.

[Liam]

At least a river class butty has some historical interest...

[anthony]

Art actually has very little to do with drawing skills.

 

I posted those links as ''pedal powered'' is the subject of this thread. They have nothing to do with the subject of the boats design itself.

I did not post the links to give people boat plans just infomation about pedal power but I guess you missed that.

 

However i find your comment disrespecfull towards the person who took the time and effort (no matter how basic) to do something positive (which he achieved).

You have no idea what his design brief was to even pass such a judgement.

He may of been asked to design a simple to build boat floating brick whatever.

 

The fact your son is autistic is neither here nor there.

The fact you feel the need to even use that as some kind of standard represents you poorly and extinguishes the credibility of your acheivements.

Reading your listed skills I see you are a skilled person but have from what I read designed nowt of ''your own''.

So your comments about design are unqualified but your comments about ''boat building'' obviously are.

 

 

The boat I ''designed'' and had Selway Fisher do the technical drawings for is here http://www.selway-fisher.com/New2001.htm#CANAL.

 

I wanted to design a boat that could be built cheaply and moved on a trailer and resembled a small norrow boat.

I acheived my design targets end of.

I have no consearn if you think its worthy from a boat building perspective or if your son can draw it.

 

Why oh why you had to be so negative I will never know.

[thenightowl]

Art actually has very little to do with drawing skills.

 

I posted those links as ''pedal powered'' is the subject of this thread. They have nothing to do with the subject of the boats design itself.

I did not post the links to give people boat plans just infomation about pedal power but I guess you missed that.

 

However i find your comment disrespecfull towards the person who took the time and effort (no matter how basic) to do something positive (which he achieved).

You have no idea what his design brief was to even pass such a judgement.

He may of been asked to design a simple to build boat floating brick whatever.

 

The fact your son is autistic is neither here nor there.

The fact you feel the need to even use that as some kind of standard represents you poorly and extinguishes the credibility of your acheivements.

Reading your listed skills I see you are a skilled person but have from what I read designed nowt of ''your own''.

So your comments about design are unqualified but your comments about ''boat building'' obviously are.

The boat I ''designed'' and had Selway Fisher do the technical drawings for is here http://www.selway-fisher.com/New2001.htm#CANAL.

 

I wanted to design a boat that could be built cheaply and moved on a trailer and resembled a small norrow boat.

I acheived my design targets end of.

I have no consearn if you think its worthy from a boat building perspective or if your son can draw it.

 

Why oh why you had to be so negative I will never know.

 

Anthony,

I would just like to say, thank you very much for the information! It was gratefully recieved, as have many other posts on the subject. Regards

Peter

[carlt]

Art actually has very little to do with drawing skills.

 

I posted those links as ''pedal powered'' is the subject of this thread. They have nothing to do with the subject of the boats design itself.

I did not post the links to give people boat plans just infomation about pedal power but I guess you missed that.

 

However i find your comment disrespecfull towards the person who took the time and effort (no matter how basic) to do something positive (which he achieved).

You have no idea what his design brief was to even pass such a judgement.

He may of been asked to design a simple to build boat floating brick whatever.

 

The fact your son is autistic is neither here nor there.

The fact you feel the need to even use that as some kind of standard represents you poorly and extinguishes the credibility of your acheivements.

Reading your listed skills I see you are a skilled person but have from what I read designed nowt of ''your own''.

So your comments about design are unqualified but your comments about ''boat building'' obviously are.

The boat I ''designed'' and had Selway Fisher do the technical drawings for is here http://www.selway-fisher.com/New2001.htm#CANAL.

 

I wanted to design a boat that could be built cheaply and moved on a trailer and resembled a small norrow boat.

I acheived my design targets end of.

I have no consearn if you think its worthy from a boat building perspective or if your son can draw it.

 

Why oh why you had to be so negative I will never know.

Anthony

A boat's design has everything to do with the motive force used to push it along, pedal, wind or rocket power. The boat in question's 'lines' make no effort whatsoever to ease the passage through water. A quality I'd be keen on if I was the pedaller. The topic is whether pedal power is possible with a narrowboat. My opinion (which I am fully entitled to) is that if as little thought is put into the hull design as with the boat in question then no it is not.

 

I mentioned my son's autism purely because his drawing skills far exceeds that of a 'standard model' 5 year old (and mine). It is suggested that this is due to his gift, I do not regard it as a handicap.

 

The first boat I built was my own design (I couldn't afford any plans) I learnt quickly the value of a keel if you want to fix a mast.

I have designed boats subsequently and am constantly tinkering with the final design of my 'retirement yacht'. It won't be a Camper & Nicholson but it will be something I will be proud to sail into any harbour.

 

I know you are not interested in my opinion of your boat design but I had a look anyway. It looks well thought out and far better than the one you are defending (and better than those sea otter things as well) Now you just need to get over peoples mistrust of wood as a boatbuiding material.

[DHutch]

The topic is whether pedal power is possible with a narrowboat. My opinion is that if as little thought is put into the hull design as with the boat in question then no it is not.

Yeah, i would deffonatly go along with that.

- Its certainly going to be possable to pedal a craft along the canals, infact, only last year while on the thames we were passed by a pedelo swan pedeled be to chaps raising money for charity.

- However, as to whether you could realisticaly pedal a boat that was large enought to live in (thinking very small grp/ply cruiser) is a diffrent matter indeed, and it would certainly depend a lot on the hull shape/deisgn being good.

- If your sticking a 45bhp diesal lump in it , it almost doesnt matter what shape it is, fuel is tbh relativly cheap, and theres certainly not much phyiscal effort involved in just moving the throtall up a bit. But if your actaully pedeling it, even a very small extra load would be greatly noticeable.

 

 

Daniel

[anthony]

Ok Carl no worries matey I just rose to your initial comments as I was having a bad day and felt you was having a go at me purely for posting the link

 

It always amazes me why people are so against wood though.

Many many decent boats have been built from wood.

I mentioned the design as someone mentioned grp boats not being enviromentally good so I though about wood.

 

I would of thought a stong double skinned wooded boat which was then covered in epoxy resin then some heavy fiberglass cloth would be stronger than a plastic boat and able to have more ''canal boat character'' so to say.

Although still not fantastically green.

Plus the wood costs would be around two and a half grand.

How much you put into the interior is down to choice.

Got to be a desire there for some surely?

Plus the boat is designed to be taken out of the water so it can be checked more regular.

Edited December 14, 2006 by anthony

[davem399]

Wearing my cyclists hat (or should it be helmet?), I don't think that pedal power would be very effective unless you are able to harness the power of a dozen or more fit cyclists. A few years ago, I did some power tests on my bike in the Sports Science lab of the local university. At the time I was fairly fit and my max power was only 330 watts ie 0.33kW and this was achieved just as I "blew up"

A more sustainable power output would have been in the order of 200 watts. If my conversion into old imperial units is correct, 200 watts is about 0.27hp. Probably not enough to move our 58 footer very far, and I certainly wouldn't be able to maintain that for 8 hours a day for a fortnight!

 

Dave