skywizard
14th March 2014, 19:08
One heck of a project!
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/dnews-files-2014-03-tsunami-proof-ark-670-jpg.jpg
Designer Chris Robinson has never sailed a boat before, but he’s spent the past two years
working on a wooden tsunami-proof boat in his backyard.
After a tsunami hit Japan in early 2011, Robinson began wondering how he and his family in Palo Alto, California, might survive such a brutal event. What began as a playful conversation about personal jetpacks and balloon houses turned into a real project called Tsunamiball, Robinson explained.
The designer sketched his ideas with Adobe Illustrator and asked engineers for help with the calculations. A submarine-shaped boat made from wood sounds absurd, but Robinson insists he considered all materials first.
The outer hull will be two-and-a-half inches of marine-grade plywood covered in xyletol and epoxy, he explained on. “Xyletol is a very abrasion resistant polyester material. When combined with epoxy it is very similar to Kevlar.” The framing and initial layers of the exterior hull are done. Once he completes the outer shell, he plans to test the Tsunamiball in a pool and then in the ocean.
His plan might be bonkers, but Robinson isn’t a survivalist. He’s even said he thinks a tsunami is unlikely to hit California. “The project is about building this awesome and unique thing and not about any end of the world,” he wrote. And if the water tests don’t pan out, he’ll have one heck of a guest house.
Source: http://news.discovery.com/tech/tsunami-proof-ark-floats-our-boat-140314.htm
peace...
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/blogs/dnews-files-2014-03-tsunami-proof-ark-670-jpg.jpg
Designer Chris Robinson has never sailed a boat before, but he’s spent the past two years
working on a wooden tsunami-proof boat in his backyard.
After a tsunami hit Japan in early 2011, Robinson began wondering how he and his family in Palo Alto, California, might survive such a brutal event. What began as a playful conversation about personal jetpacks and balloon houses turned into a real project called Tsunamiball, Robinson explained.
The designer sketched his ideas with Adobe Illustrator and asked engineers for help with the calculations. A submarine-shaped boat made from wood sounds absurd, but Robinson insists he considered all materials first.
The outer hull will be two-and-a-half inches of marine-grade plywood covered in xyletol and epoxy, he explained on. “Xyletol is a very abrasion resistant polyester material. When combined with epoxy it is very similar to Kevlar.” The framing and initial layers of the exterior hull are done. Once he completes the outer shell, he plans to test the Tsunamiball in a pool and then in the ocean.
His plan might be bonkers, but Robinson isn’t a survivalist. He’s even said he thinks a tsunami is unlikely to hit California. “The project is about building this awesome and unique thing and not about any end of the world,” he wrote. And if the water tests don’t pan out, he’ll have one heck of a guest house.
Source: http://news.discovery.com/tech/tsunami-proof-ark-floats-our-boat-140314.htm
peace...