In article ,
Morris Dovey wrote:
On 3/12/2010 6:28 PM, Robert Bonomi wrote:
In ,
Morris wrote:

With a platform like the Hobie, I think I can mount a tracking solar
concentrator and have 3-4 kW of input power to work with and (perhaps)
50% of that in pump power.

That'll give you a theoretical roughly 2HP. Enough to move it around,
but -not- with much speed. Think 'trolling motor'.

OTOH, if you can fit one concentrator/fluidyne, maybe you can get 2-3 of
'em on board. Now, you're approaching the capabilities of a 5HP outboard.
That should be enough to leave a wake -- at least a small one.grin

Two is a definite maybe - but from a practical standpoint, just one will
be an accomplishment, and a two-mile round trip on a calm, sunny day
should be enough to stir up a bit of interest. It might even be a good
thing to set a record that'd be easy for someone else to beat.

Would that be a 'solar-powered boat' record?

How about a _water-powered_ boat record? (*THAT* just might appeal to Guiness!


Or, if you *really* want to stir up interest, you find a way use something like
like carp, or catfish, for thermal mass. Then you lit it slip that the boat
is powered by a "fish/sun reactor" (best said when slurred a little). An
'inherently-safe, non-radioactive' device of your own design. Hang a pole
over the stern, and claim you've 'gone fission'.

If you're going to have fun with the idea, you may as well *REALLY* have fun
with it. GRIN

Heh - it just occurred to me that if I needed a horn, I could disconnect
the pump and use the engine (at say, } to warn off the jet
skiers.

That hurts just to *think* about it.

Here's a video showing a couple of very crude pipe oscillators being
driven with a small propane flame:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L5fK...eature=channel

It's an application of the gas laws that I'd never thought about, and
some really serious heat (say, about 200 suns on 8' of tube) should
produce a pretty good hoot. :-]

*LONG* time ago, there was a 'traveling science show' that went around to the
high schools. one of the things they brought was a bunch of cardboard tubes
(from mailing-tube size up to a 16' long, circa 8" ID, carpet roller). they
each had a section of metal screening in them a short distance in from one
end. Hold it carefully vertical over a high-output Bunsen burner, and let
the screen heat up, then remove it from the heat source. Fairly shortly
it would start to 'sing' -- louder, and louder, as it found it's "voice".

The carpet roller was -really- impressive; one might say profundo so.