4th of July Tube V3
Wooden frame pedal boat. Integrated a bike chain drive shaft to a propeller.
Overview
This year, as the 4th of July was getting closer, I thought of how I could improve the tube. Two things immediately came to mind: first, my arms got tired from paddling the previous year, so building a pedal boat would make moving much easier. Second, the PVC cube actually started to fall apart near the end of the day, so I wanted a structure I could trust more. A sturdier structure was also needed to support the added weight of the new pedal system.
Key Upgrades
- Improved Structure Half wood, half pvc cube
- Cooler for Drinks Ice cold drinks all day
- Snack Box Built-in storage for snacks
- Pedal Power Powered with legs using a cut up bike, driveshaft, and propeller
Bevel Gear
The hardest part of this project was figuring out how to take the power from pedaling and turn it 90 degrees to push the propeller. I ended up using two bike wheels to create a custom bevel gear.
Propeller
The bevel gear would spin a PVC driveshaft that reached the back of the boat, where the propeller was attached.
It Floats!
A lot of people were skeptical that this would even float, so that alone was a win in my book. Unfortunately, the driveshaft did end up having problems and broke early in the day. However, I was still able to float with my drinks and snacks while staying shaded all day.
Additional Media
