Maker Raft Race - August 5th 2017

#21

Giving this a bump to see if there’s anyone else who’d like to meet up this week and see if we can make a plan! Please vote in the poll a couple of posts previous…

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#22

Great to see some more people keen for rafting. Miraculously, we’re all available on Friday evening - though I have the caveat that I’m coming from Oxford…
So, shall we say a ‘slightly later than advertised’ 7.30pm this Friday to kick off?
If my travel is delayed, then start without me and I’ll catch up.
And provisionally 11am on Sunday onwards for possibly starting to build/acquire materials…
Shout if you have objections or suggestions!

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#23

Please do bare storage in mind. Very little room at the Space!

#24

Very good point. Of course, this might also be an opportunity to use and then dispose of some materials.
Definitely some key logistics to be discussed…

  • what materials do we need?
  • where are we going to get them?
  • how will we transport? Acquisition/to and from canal/for disposal
  • where will we store materials/raft-in-progress
  • when/where will we do the building?
    That’s a start to the agenda for Friday…
#25

Carpentry Club have started

#26

Pallets are free, easy to get hold of and work with, and a classic raft component.

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#27

I’ll be there fri!

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#28

Just a reminder that there’s a meeting at 7.30pm tonight about the raft race!
@Esther_Gladstone, I think your pallet skills might be much in demand…

#29

I’ll keep my crowbar to hand…

#30

People often say that just before a meeting with me…

#31

Thanks to @Esther_Gladstone, @Damian, @tobyspark, @lewisss , @Edd and @joeatkin2 for contributions to raft discussions. This is a wiki, so please feel free to edit and add your conclusions!

  • What we did:

  • Raided the snug for possible materials

  • Scribbled, sketched and discussed

  • Spent half an hour climbing in and out of wheelie bins

  • Googled/youtubed various ideas

  • Our three current proposals:

  1. Wheelie bin
    • Wheelie bin, usual way up, equipped with outriggers and a rear fin. 2 people stand inside, one paddles on each side
    • PRO: Fairly simple construction, easy to transport (it has wheels!), comedy value, potential to use existing bin in fetching Makerspace red
    • CON: Poor hydro-dynamic qualities, large draft, quite likely to capsize, possibly a bit cosy
  2. Bottles/tubing
    • Acquire large number of (say) 2 litre plastic bottles with caps, add vinegar and baking soda and quickly seal (higher pressure = more rigidity), lash together in some sort of framework, put a platform on top. 2 people rowing. Alternatively, replace bottles with large plastic drainage tubes/ducting, etc.
    • PRO: Small draft, tried and tested idea, some potential materials identified in the snug
    • CON: Where to get all the bottles in time?, Many small components = bigger risk of falliing apart
  3. Bath tubs
    • Two second hand fibreglass bath tubs, seal up plug and overflow holes, lash together, as many people as can fit paddle furiously
    • PRO: comedy value, bathtub is (very) roughly boat shaped
    • CON: need to find bathtubs and get rid of them afterwards

  • Key considerations:

    • Are we trying to build serious raft, or comedy vessel?
    • What materials are needed, and how to acquire cheaply and quickly?
    • Who is able to give what time to the project?

  • Definite to-do points:

    • Make paddles (suggest short armed with T-grip, for double handed use)
    • Find 2 metre pole, and attach some sort of flag…

  • Buoyancy calculations…

    • 1 litre of water displaced by air = 1 kg mass that can be supported
    • 2/3 submersion of craft suggested as likely to ensure buoyancy and minimise capsizing risk
    • 12 stone = c.75kg. So assume 2 people, plus 50kg of raft = c.200kg total weight
    • Therefore, target of 300 litres of water displacement… maybe less for lighter materials and crew

  • Other points to mention:

    • Mark has 4 x 25 Litre plastic jerry cans he is happy to lend
    • 1 wooden door, and a number of planks in the snug thought to be fair game (TBC)
    • Several lengths of pare plastic piping in the rafters thought to be fair game (TBC)

CONCLUSION:

  • Tom thinks option 2 is the best, suggest using door from snug (possibly covered in fake turf), attach 2 jerry cans to the underside at each end, fill gap between with as many plastic bottles as can be found, attach plank at 90 degrees at each end to form outrigger (attach more plastic bottles). Minimal prep, structure could be flatpacked for transit and reassembled with a few hand tools. attach bottles with a lot of gaffer tape? Maybe an @ members to collect bottles in a couple of clearly labelled bags in the space, and then build structure in a couple of evenings the week of the race.
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#32

Canopy throws out large air filled bottles all the time that would work well.

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#33

Great! Thanks Tom - good spot. Do we know if these are definitely waste, or might they be reused by a supply company? Any idea what they are? They look like props from a Luc Besson film.
Ever noticed a schedule as to when they appear outside?

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#34

KeyKegs - External polycarbonate shell with an internal bladder.

They fill the bladder with beer. Pressurise the annulus to dispense the beer, so you don’t taint the beer with CO2 . Neat!.

Sizes 20 or 30l. Original cost about 12-14 euro. They are disposable

3 Likes
#35

Anything brewing related from Canopy wins in the specific-to-us stakes, and has a beery bonus. If there is a palette of those keykeg things lying around inside, then let’s run with that.

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#36

Oh - and I can pledge to make the flag.

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#37

Ask them but they throw them in the biffa bin. You need them before they let the gas out.

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#38

Thanks Frank. What a great idea!

#39

Thanks Toby!

#40

Good to hear - and that’s a good point about the gas.