Comments on: Jet-boat vs. Pedal Boat

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:44:39 +0000

I saw the inside of WIthin and agree with Warren who stated something about a 3 point seat belt. In rough seas or even worse, a cyclone, you don't want your head raking across those window hinges. Also, do you plan on deploying some kind of drag anchor while you sleep so you wont get blown off course or turned over as much? Another thing Im thinking of is some kind of a chord or tether in case you need to go outside to do some repairs. Don't want to get separated. Are you sure the windows can withstand the pressures of cyclone swells? I really admire what youre going to do and I think it will work. The only thing Id be really worried about is approaching land. Big waves, coral reefs and huge rocks. I hope you have some kind of redundant system or air tight compartments that won't fail. Do you have a drysuit too? Make sure you keep the GPS locator beacon on you and not the boat. Good luck to you bro and godspeed.

By: David Tangye

David Tangye — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:05:00 +0000

OK, I see the pics of the inside float strut housing. Nice job. Ordinary clam or cam cleats will not fail. For added safety, just tie off the tail of the retrieval line, which could be kevlar cored so it cant break.

I would still be concerned with a float rotating when deployed in light sloppy seas. There is a lot of angular force potential between the front and rear of a float.

By: David Tangye

David Tangye — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 02:49:00 +0000

Hi Greg,
Those stabiliser floats look exactly as I envisaged them in my earlier post. I shoulda read more before I posted . Are they not swung out, but pushed out? The struts look a bit flimsy for offshore. You will have to be really careful they don't bend in bumpy seas when deployed, as then one might be stuck in the out position, and you will really be 'up the creek' .

Windscreen wipers wont work offshore for any period of time. It would be a really tedious expenditure of energy. Better go for diver's goggle clear, and ventilation, as suggested by others, and a super-absorbent cloth.

Best of luck.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:57:00 +0000

Hi Greg,

Do you have a seatbelt? I think you will need a 3 point harness to keep you in your seat during rough seas. Nothing heavy duty, just something to keep your head from bashing all the protruding bits within.

Also, I recommend that you spend 24 hours in the boat, even if it's in your workshop, to give yourself a better idea of how to handle the rigours of eating, sleeping, and eliminating in such a tight space.

One more thing - how easy is it to access that front storage area? Are you goind to be able to fill it with supplies and still be able to access them? Looks pretty tight!

Looks great so far!

-Warren.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:30:00 +0000

I'd recommend RainX as mentioned above. When the wipers went phut on my Mini Cooper I managed to drive 80+ miles in pouring rain and the view out was fine. Not quite as good as with wipers but plenty clear enough.

They also make an anti-fog for the inside which works a treat too.

Potential sponsors even?

By: roa6528pl-google

roa6528pl-google — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:52:00 +0000

When I looked at your within
I thought about wipers on windshield.
You probably fought about it. anyway looking good on calm sea/lake

By: Stefan

Stefan — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:46:00 +0000

Or you could save yourself the hassle and use some dishsoap in some water and rub it on the inside of your window.

Do it like the paintballers.

By: charlitosway

charlitosway — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Hey Greg:
Man i was at work when i saw the video and i was jumping in my seat. It was really amazing to see WITHIN perform and she was faster than i expected. You can expect 3 to 5 foot waves offshore in the Atlantic in a normal day, i know because i live in Puerto Rico. Its going to be a bumpy ride. You said you need to have a camera to see 360 degrees. Iwould suggest a diving camera or a water tight casing for a less expensive one.As for the foggy windshield i believe that more ventilation or a fan blowing against it would solve the problem. You can even use a liquid that is used to defog diving masks available at your nearest dive shop.

By: Epco

Epco — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:00:00 +0000

Hello Greg,
It´s interesting and fun to read about your this experience. I saw the video about the sight insight out and I thought you have a very limited view of the outside and what´s going on there.You must certainly have thought to build a transparant perspex (or a better material)cockpit to have a much better (360°) view and probaly more save. However I didn´t find thoughts about this option.
How are you protected against a Japanese whalehunter who might think you are a (little) whale (or compareble situations)?

I´m a velomobile driver myself and interested about all kinds of HPV activities. Its great to read about you!

A lot of greetings from Holland,

Epco B.

By: fruey

fruey — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:14:00 +0000

Greg

I believe the kind of products marketed by Rainx might help : http://www.rainx.com/

I remember seeing demos, they're not a replacement for wiper blades if visibility has to be perfect, but they're pretty good to repel rain and stop windows fogging up.

-Fruey (www.caperet.com)