We are two students from the Technical University of Eindhoven and we are currently working on Protei, an open-source initiative to develop sailing drones to clean the oceans.
We designed and built a sailboat that could be easily adapted to different designs, we also took into account to built it using accessible materials and tools.
We hope that we can contribute to the Protei project by designing a platform that enables people to explore different sailboat designs and sailing principles.
We think that one of the major advantages of open-source is the ability of having a large audience during the development of the project. This is the reason why we are making an Instructable, we are hoping that you will help us in developing an autonomous oil-collecting sailing drone by contributing in one way or another.
Check out the Protei group here: http://www.instructables.com/group/protei/
We made a short video of the sailboat in action:
And the Protei video:
We hope that you will have as much joy reading this Instructable as we had building our Protei boats.
We designed and built a sailboat that could be easily adapted to different designs, we also took into account to built it using accessible materials and tools.
We hope that we can contribute to the Protei project by designing a platform that enables people to explore different sailboat designs and sailing principles.
We think that one of the major advantages of open-source is the ability of having a large audience during the development of the project. This is the reason why we are making an Instructable, we are hoping that you will help us in developing an autonomous oil-collecting sailing drone by contributing in one way or another.
Check out the Protei group here: http://www.instructables.com/group/protei/
We made a short video of the sailboat in action:
And the Protei video:
We hope that you will have as much joy reading this Instructable as we had building our Protei boats.
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Signing UpStep 1: Constructing the hull
Tools
Heat-gun
Hand-saw
Sand-paper
Materials
PVC tube (540 mm in length, 70 mm diameter)
PVC glue
Instructions
We use PVC piping since it is a very common material at most of the hardware shops in the world. The kind of PVC pipe that we are using is the kind that is used to collect rainwater. Another reason to use PVC has to do with the big collection of different couplings available. Using PVC glue it is very easy to experiment with different shapes and sizes.
To transform the PVC tube into a sleek and hydrodynamic sailboat hull we deform the tube by using a heating-gun (used to burn of paint and to isolate electric connections).
Apply the heat evenly on the tube and use some scrap wood to squeeze the soft PVC into such a shape so that the hull cuts through the water. Make sure that the hull is more or less symetrical to make sure that the ship goes in a straight line.
Watch out, the PVC it hot! Don't burn you're hands!
When the sides of tube are more or less touching use a hand-saw to make a diagonal cut (see pictures) to get a nice shape.
Use hot glue or even better; PVC-cement to fill any holes that the bow might have. Fill the other side of the tube with water to check for any leaks. We used hot-glue and got a small leak ;(. To finish the bow, sand any imperfections.
Use a PVC end cap for the stern (back of the boat), don't glue it yet!
Alternative: If you do not have a heat-gun just get a 45 degree coupling and an extra end-cap to make the bow of your sailing boat!
Heat-gun
Hand-saw
Sand-paper
Materials
PVC tube (540 mm in length, 70 mm diameter)
PVC glue
Instructions
We use PVC piping since it is a very common material at most of the hardware shops in the world. The kind of PVC pipe that we are using is the kind that is used to collect rainwater. Another reason to use PVC has to do with the big collection of different couplings available. Using PVC glue it is very easy to experiment with different shapes and sizes.
To transform the PVC tube into a sleek and hydrodynamic sailboat hull we deform the tube by using a heating-gun (used to burn of paint and to isolate electric connections).
Apply the heat evenly on the tube and use some scrap wood to squeeze the soft PVC into such a shape so that the hull cuts through the water. Make sure that the hull is more or less symetrical to make sure that the ship goes in a straight line.
Watch out, the PVC it hot! Don't burn you're hands!
When the sides of tube are more or less touching use a hand-saw to make a diagonal cut (see pictures) to get a nice shape.
Use hot glue or even better; PVC-cement to fill any holes that the bow might have. Fill the other side of the tube with water to check for any leaks. We used hot-glue and got a small leak ;(. To finish the bow, sand any imperfections.
Use a PVC end cap for the stern (back of the boat), don't glue it yet!
Alternative: If you do not have a heat-gun just get a 45 degree coupling and an extra end-cap to make the bow of your sailing boat!
![Quick, Easy and Cheap sail [Protei]](http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FLY/V42L/GZQR3U48/FLYV42LGZQR3U48.SQUARE.jpg)
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I like the idea sailing on beam reaches going upwind. It would take a long time, but you would have maximum power throughout.
Comparing the rotor to the sail, you need to calculate the power need to drive the motor and determine how you are going to create that power (solar or batteries). The advantage of the rotor is that it is less sensitive to changes in the apparent wind direction. All that happens is your heeling force and driving forces change. Also the rotor is easy to stop when the wind picks up unexpectedly. All that you are left with is the drag of a large cylinder rather than an out of control sail. Of course you may need to find a way to stow it for really heavy winds or for unattended mooring.
A motor and propeller will always be easier because all you need to control it is speed, direction and a rudder but you need much more power.
The rotor may not be the best choice but is worth a look if you are trying to use wind power to move a boat without a human crew.
However, when comparing a motor attached to a screw propeller with the same motor attached to a rotor to propel a vessel we get more efficiency and are not dependent on the wind.
Maybe the rotor can be driven by wind? Or is then becoming a kind of sail?
You might be interested in this compact control box to manipulate the sails and the shape of the hull I just made :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldworldworld/6918300063/sizes/l/in/photostream/
original 3d files are here :
http://protei.org/download/20120221motorblock/
keep going !!!
MODELISMO NAVAL DE RECICLADO:http://mx.groups.yahoo.com/group/ppnautica
PVC would not be my preferred ecological choice material
many less polluting materials are nowadays available, including all appendages
I wonder why people keep choosing for PVC, I suppose only because it is convenient
now go for designing a catamaran, even better a trimaran, which are much lighter, much more stable, develop more power, especially at angles less close to the wind, etc... up to you to find extra advantages
by the way: some 40 odd years ago I started studying shipbuilding at Delft University, staying at "the Bolk". Though I didn't finish, I am still proud of that
Frank
It's an interesting dilemma; should we use 'dirty' materials to clean the oceans but making the construction of Protei simpler to reach a wide audience?
Or should we use the 'clean' materials to construct the Protei but making the construction less accessible for the public?
Let me hear what you think!
Maybe you could build some kind of mesh mouth on the sailboat that eats all the flies?
cheers mates....
I am very interested in your version, please share some photo's when your done. And have a lot of fun.
cheers,
Aryan
I give you an idea, without charging you anything: if you add subtitles (specially second video), you will gain a lot of people like me, that can understand English when reading it, but not when hearing it. I can assure you that we are millions! Around all the world.
I'm wondering why you seem to have settled on a fairly conventional lay out, with a sail above and a keel below. It seems to me that a sail type device under the water would make better use of the flow of water around the vessel more efficiently.