Following from the human powered vehicle chassis project, we were called back to complete the fabrication and welding of a human powered boat chassis with space for four riders and one driver.
The chassis had to very light weight whilst also rigid, this called for a lighter extrusion profile. Following a similar design strategy to the previous project, a double deck space frame chassis was designed and fabricated as a proof of concept. The vessel employed two polystyrene core fibreglass resin shelled pontoons as floatation devices and a retractable propeller and rudder assemblies allowing for beach landing and launches.
The design of this project was delivered in broad strokes and was very much a problem solve as you go affair requiring some creative thinking to develop reliable solutions to the engineering problems presented.
A total of two chassis prototypes were produced with multiple test runs on closed waterways and lakes. The second prototype was taken to Southern Spain by the owner for testing on the beach.
Materials Used:
6082-T6 Aluminum Extrusion & Plate
TIG Welded
