Hello,
For use cases involving payloads heavier than 33 lbs, any recommendations for adding buoyancy to the vehicle?
Some ideas I had were using additional BlueBoat hull pieces and attaching them, or getting some buoyancy foam and attaching those at the bottom of the boat (janky).
Thanks.
Hi @epark_triton - welcome to the forums!
Certainly the easiest option you mention would be adding buoyancy foam to the keels of the boat, perhaps by passing a bolt through it and the mounting holes. You could sand the foam to a hydrodynamic shape with smooth transitions.
(12x6x1" pictured)
While easy to work with, subsea foam like this may be overkill, as it is rated for depths the BlueBoat (should) never reach! Something lighter duty may provide more buoyancy.
It would be very cool to 3D print a mold, and over-mold 2-part expanding urethane foam to add buoyancy without using fasteners! Scuffing up the hull for a good bond, and using lots of mold relief on the faces of the mold is a good thing not to miss.
I’ve also thought about kayak outrigger pontoons fitted under the main cross-bars.
Combining multiple BlueBoat hulls is an interesting idea! It would be interesting to make a boat with 4 hulls, with connecting crossbars holding them in a large square or rectangle. Or towing a BB with no motors behind a normal unit?
Hello @epark_triton !
For my part i added two halfs of buoys used on fishing longlines.
It allows me to have a maximum payload of 35kg for now.
I attached the buoys on the BlueBoat payload bracket.
Really cheap, easy to install and super efficient.
Have a good day
Thanks Tony and Mravitch for the ideas!
Hi Tony, I purchased a Blue Boat later last year and was only able to do some testing in a small river before the ice came. Everything worked perfectly but I noticed something critical to me and not sure if I’m right or wrong. I noticed a slight loss in buoyancy from the time I put the boat in the water to when the boat finished its short mission (15 min or so), there were no leaks at all. Is this normal? I was thinking maybe the water cooled the air in the hulls and resulted in a loss of buoyancy? I noticed the water level to change what seemed a couple of inches. Will do more testing, just curious if this is a known change in the boat, I have very limited knowledge on buoyancy or boats in general. Thank you for you time,
Hi @Mark_C -
From a physics standpoint, if no leaks were present, and no mass added to the vehicle, the buoyancy and water line would have to remain constant! Water cooling the air in the hulls would make it more dense, but this air is sealed in an air-tight space!
Additionally the weight difference between hot and cold air in the hulls is minuscule, and not able to change the water-level a perceivable amount.
Could ice have formed on the hulls? Or any foreign objects hitched a ride?
I’ve not observed any change in buoyancy during usage before… a couple inches would be a significant change! Please document this if it happens again!
Thank you Tony for your quick response. I will communicate any worthwhile observations in the spring.
Thank you @Mravitch for the tip !
Do you know what are the buoys made of ?
It seems like they are made of urethane inside, is it solid urethane foam or just urethane coated foam ? I am curious if you have seen them become waterlogged where you cut them up and made a bolt hole. It seems like this would result in foam cells being exposed and absorbing water over time ?
Have you had to reseal those areas to maintain waterproofing with epoxy resin or polyurethane sealant ?
@tony-white you suggested using lighter duty foam rollers/pool noodle type floats in polypropylene for instance, I would be very hesitant to trust these as any impact with something in the water or on the shore might cause them to tear from the bolts and detach. This could quite easily sink the BB…
Thanks for your help !
