The entire group made a run to Home Depot on Sunday, August 29th. We purchased the following:
- Aqua Epoxy (for waterproofing)
- 4" diameter 10' length PVC pipe (boat pontoons)
- 4 4" diameter removable cover fittings (caps for pontoons)
- Wooden platform
- Assorted nuts, washers, and bolts
Using these supplies we will be able to build a simple boat body for initial testing of components.
Before selecting the PVC pipe length and diameter we did a few simple load calculations. The max load for a length of PVC pipe is given by this equation:
maxLoad = pi * radius^2 * length * (mass of water per unit volume)
This equation basically states that the maximum load of the pipe is equal to the mass of water being displaced by the pipe while fully submerged.
The PVC pipe we purchased can hold a maximum load of about 54 pounds (22 pounds if we use only half of the pipe).
After purchasing these supplies we did an initial flotation test in a pool, as can be seen in the embedded video below. This test was successful.
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