Filming Boat

This is a filming - cycling - sailing - rowing - sleeping gipsy device.
For 1 person, < 3 m, <100kg, towable by bike, independent (the bike fits in the boat), 4m2 sail in 2 parts, stainless-steel structure, plywood, fiber-glass and epoxy, carbon mast, nylon rope shock absorber, inflatable rubber floater, sleeping facility, steady cam, to make crazy films ... not secure ! ... hehehe ! cesar

Step 1: Long Presentation ...

This instructable is going to be long .. in order to be instructable ...
First, the objective of this entire construction was to make this film



Watch this film in much better quality on vimeo here. 

I edited this film in 2 very different ways (very fast transparent / very quick synchopated) to study our perception of space in time, elasticity and fragmentation, emotional ways of processing information, a film of space and without hero : an imersive objective expressionist road movie.

The boat was a part of a , long process, the boat, the trip, the film and finaly an essay called " troubles in space perception " (french).

Step 2: Previous Experiments

I didn't start from scratch, to have this idea I made before :
1) in 2002, a simple trailer for bike with stainless steel frame and plywood, very handy with BMX wheels, can carry up to 200kg !!!
2) in 2003, a 2 persons 10�£, built in a day for grafitti in London. Thanks to Tom the Irish homeless who helped me collect diz industrial wastes in Hackney Wick. HACKNEY REPRAZENT

Step 3: Statement of Objectives

So i tried to combine these functions :
- bike trail
- camera tripod (i was studying animation, and this IS an animation project)
- dry compartiment for camera, computer with final cut inside, external HD, MIC, earphones)
- boat (!!! yeah !!!)
- bed, cause i wanted to leave school for as long as possible !
- tent, sometimes it's raining, like ... very often, and intimacy ... and birds shits ... and .... and ...

and i forgot on the image
- kitchen (including at least 10 liters of water !)
- bathroom dirty kit
- maps, official papers, and authorisations (so in the dry case too)
- clothes
- hostpital kit
- life vest (obligatory, takes a lot of space)
- reparation kit (glue, wood, thread, needle, screws)
- tool bag for bike, boat ...
- silent grafitti bag
- spa, librairy, my fat aunty, 200W ghettoblaster, 16/9 TV, porn tapes (travelling all by myself ooohhh!), and a sticker of instructable on the sail (next time, sponsor me pleeeeaaaaassse !!!!!)

Step 4: Frame, Soldering 20x20 Stainless Steel

- soldering flat, the upper frame
- soldering flat, the lower frame
- soldering the sides

all this, leaving ertxemities going out, we'll cut them when everything is done, leaving them helps carring, holding ...

So here, everything is square tubes, exept, the place where the mast passes and the mast fixation, the case support plates. Details of assembly later ... the second image below, shows the frame cutted.

Remark

Step 5: Carpentry

I was lucky enough to have have had built and tested before a paperboard model i tested and gave me the occasion to see in which order the wood should be applied : I put first the strongest boards of woods that have the less chance to be hit by the rock while in the water (so the belly, the ass ; the front of the boat being the more exposed), and than I use this strong support to construct the digonal sides, and finally the sides.

belly and bottom : 15mm plywood
diagonal sides and sides : 9mm plywood

All wood glued with polyurethane expansive glue (to prevent water infiltration)
The wood panels wer fixed to the frame with auto-perforating screws (make proper preparation holes, with an inferior diameter).

Step 6: Skin : Epoxy Resin, Fiberglass, Steel Re-inforcment Plates

1 - filling the holes with a mixture of epoxy resin and "white powder"
2- a global thin coating with only resin, also to prepare the surface, economic !
3 - biaxial fiberglass coating (blue) everywhere, twice the amount on angles
4 - steel plates (green) re-inforcment on exposed areas (when the boat is sitting while on earth, with total charge, and in case of falling off the wheels when on earth cycling)
4 - triaxial fiberglass (purple) coating on very exposed area (rocks in the water, car, rabbit head, policeman ...)

note : the fiberglass fabrics have to be installed the fiber not perpendicular or parralel to the boat angles and edges ; the the textile fiber need to be not aligned (45° to the fragil angle) in order to enable the fiberglass to provide rigidity and shock resistance.

Step 7: Floor, Wheels, Boat Direction, Rabbit-earsn Rowing Forks, Mast Void

_ The floor (blue) is 15mm plywood, divided into 4 removable parts (ropes make is easy to take off) re-inforced with aluminium underneath structure. The entire floor is suspended on aluminium V profiles screwed to the sides, and the junction between each part of the floor and the sides aremade with caoutchouc 2mm leafs (to make it more waterproof in order not to collect to much water when it's raining. The front triangular flooring part is not removable unless you dismount the upper case (yellow)

_ The upper case (yellow) is made of 9mm plywood and has a big hole in the middle for the mast.
The case is divided in 2 main parts :
- Left for clothes, sleeping bag, maps and papers, computer, tripod, ext HD, camera tapes.
- Right for kitchen, tools, water tanks, gas bottle.
- Under the case, directly on the floor is where i put my compas, light and candles, the life vest, whistle, fireworks (obligatory when sailing), anchor, ropes in bags.
- Under the floor is where I put the inflatable bags, mast, sail, tent, paddles, pumps, extra water bags the 2 keels // or the bike folded (i will explain later how to use these elements, how to balance the ensemble when sailing // cycling)

_ The boat direction (fluo blue) is made of a
- Rudder plywood 15mm
- Stainless steel support that lets the rudder articulated on a 14 mm screwable steel axe

_ There is four pairs of rigs (purple) for the paddles, but also as tent structures holes (later)

_ Many ropes are here for when the canoe has to attached to the border, dragged from the border or big a bigger boat, or lifted out of the water when you have to pass over a canal lock.

_ The BMX super strong wheels (you have been waiting for that part !!!) fixed on the sides by only 2 big 14mm screws up there and by a nylon rope underneath, we'll see in a more detailled view how the shock absorbing system works...

Step 8: Mast Detail

The mast fixation detail :
- blue = steel
- beige = felt of wool and cotton
- brown = carbon mast
- red screwable half circles steel "U" with big-ears-bolts (notice that there is many holes for many size"U", so many different types of mast can be fixed, if i brake my carbon mast i still will be able to cut a tree (it happened to me) and continue sailing)

The felt is the most original part of this thing : instead of having a rigid fixation i think it is always better to have flexibility, so the mast won't break, the wool felt will bend. Plus, it's a bit tricky but when the weather is bad and it rains and there is a lot of wind : the felt get wet and so tighter with humidity but remains elastic. When sun is shining and it's dry, felt is dry and looser and sailing is more flexible : more accurate to wind small changes and so more responsive and faster on the water. But it's true that you can have dry and lot of wind, and wet and no wind, I'm talking of "in general" ... So in use I would have a plastic bag on the mast passage so I can control the humidity of the felt myself.

Step 9: Sail

The sail is made of a main sail (yellow) and a front sail (light blue), the front sail being actually bigger.

_ The mast comes in 2 pieces (so it can fit inside the boat when cycling) as it is a second hand wind surf mast re-inforced with epoxy and fiberglass at the exposed parts (described preiously).

_ The main sail (yellow) is on the mast like a sock in the maneer of a windsurf sail, same with the boom that is a aluminium small tube with an inserted rowing rig as a fixation on the mast. Both the mast and the boom have plenty of space to move inside the "sock" that is the main sail (my english is so bad when it has to be technical ... excusez-moi messieurs dames ...)

_ The front sail (blue) is sewed directly with the forestay-fore halyard (nylon 200kg rope). If I don't want to sail with the front sail, i just roll it around the forestay with many knots.

The sails are reinforced (darker colors) eveverywhere there is more tension or knots to be attached, or where there is friction with the mast.

_ The forestay is also the fore halyard (red). The main halyard that are attached to the sides of the of the boat is slightly going backward : there is 2 of them back the mast so they balance the fact that there is no backstay. These two main not-on-the-side halyard remain problematic when you are navigating with full wind from behind ...

_ The mainsheet (green) is equiped with an upper lock attached to the boom and a lower lock attached to the frame of boat. The frontsheet is directly connected to wedge screwed on the frame. When changing direction, there is two frontsheets, one attached to each side of the frame on wedges so the changing of side is semi-automatic : just unlocking one side when the boat is turning, the other wedge being alrady prepared. This is very important when navigating alone, especially if you are rowing-sailing, we'll se this later in the navigation part ...

Step 10: Inflatable Black Natural Rubber Sausage

The inflatable suite is optionally used : when extreme stability is required, the small boat is transformed into a "giant" (hehehe) trimaran.

The inflatable sausages are made of black natural rubber, shinny 3mm thick sheet. I recommend to draw everything before cutting with white corrector.

1 _ polishing everywhere the neoprene glue will be involved : ON BOTH SIDES ! I started with sand paper but, seriously, if your rubber sheet is thick enough, use a machine (+ glasses + dust mask, this black dust can be terribly hot and sticky!)

2_Cut the hole where the cap will be placed. You can buy the screw-down system in a boat shop, i wouldn't try building one myself, it realy has to be tightly closed. Don't put glue there, it won't enhance contact, leave it simple.

3_ In my case I realy needed strong handles to keep the sausages in the right place. I recommend to put many of them, because while there high pressure in it, it remains in position with some ropes, but if it starts to be too soft and fluffy, than it's difficult to handle it, you could even loose it ... I use heavy-duty nylon strap, to put at the extremities and to surround the body of the sausage.
Stick an intermediary layer to re-inforce the attach between the strap and the sausage, sew the 3 layers together whith a big leather needle. DON'T FORGET THE 4th LAYER, from the inside of the sausage, stick a thin sheet of rubber. I insit the inner surface must be polished carefully and a generous amount of neoprene glue must be included there.

4_ Position the sheet in order to glue all the polished surfaces, draw continuous lines of glue in the long direction, they will have to stop inner pressure. Shape the ensemble. Between the moment you have placed the glue on opposite sides and the moment you actually stick them together, time passes super quickly ... the more synchronised the 2 opposite sides are, the best (working with a friend makes this part a lot easier).

5_ Position the fitting flat to pressure it. This 5 step drawing indicates I have inserted a separation plastic PVC sheet inside the open tube to prevent the glue sticking un-desired surfaces. Although unpolished surface will hardly stick, preventing this case is faster than reparing, separating the sheets stuck together.

6_ Neoprene glue is very dependent on pressure, I use a long wood board to pressure the flat fitting homogeneously.
The neoprene technical handbook always pretend it dries quick, don't trust it, go to bed and work on it the next day if you can. Don't forget to leave the cap open, it will dramatically accelerate the drying process inside ! If you can roll the extremities and pressure them in a clamp, good.

7_ Pump !

note :
-Neoprene glue is very good, but I have noticed while navigating that when getting warm (and it happens fast with this big black exposed thing) my neoprene glue dilates and moves apart. The best solution I found was to stick-sew-stick but it's very long to build.
Sunhit increases the temperature in the sausage and the air (so the inner volume of air and pressure increases) : don't inflate your sausage too much : sunshine will do the work. I didn't use a unidirectional valve at the cap to prevent explosion.
-Natural black rubber is a very versatile material, easy to repair, easy to find, but it's very heavy and quite expensive. This boat pair of sausages weights about 25kg ! . If you have budget, don't dream about hypalon, buy it (with the reparation kit) super expen$ive but super nice (hypalon dreammmmms).
- This is my first rubber sausage, I'm sure there's better way to do it, let me know ! And have a look at this.

Step 11: Direction Flexible

The direction module is flexible :
_ the rudder and the 2 side keels are mounted on fixed axes but loosely : when they should be having a big shock with hidden rocks under the surface of water, they will just rotate instead of breaking.

2 lateral keel are slowing the ship, when the direction of the wind and he currents allow it, it is possible and recommanded to take one off.

This flexible direction system is absolutely delicious when you arrive of earth : you don't even need to think about it, just go fast to reach the sand beach and here you are !!!! The rudder and the keels are up ! Easy !

Step 12: Wheels, Shock Absorbing System

The wheels are attached each by only two big loose axes to the vertical sides of the boats. The holes in the sides of the boat are re-inforced by steel plates as the sides ae only 9mm plywood. The holes are as close as possible to the horizontal main frame, but not too close, just enough so you are able to screw-unscrew the big-ears-bolts from the inside of the boat.

But now, let's look at it closer : the wheels are not vertical to the road, they are at about 5° to the sides :
1 - this provide stability, the gravity center of the boat is much hiher than the contact to the floor, stability is necessary. Handycaped wheeling chairs use this system as well. The only defect to this system is that no rubbze wheel exist with a smooth band out of the center but slightly on the side, so you have to make sure you buy all-smooth tyre, or make sure you invert your tyres sometimes.

2 - THE FABULOUS LATERAL AMAZING SHOCK ABSORBTION SYSTEM !!!!!!!!!! TATATATANNN !!!!
Traditional suspension systems are aligned in the direction of the road, this one is lateral, and incredibly cheap, fast and adjustable ! Yes, it's realy fantastic, it really works ! The conditions : have loose fixed axes at the top, so the wheel entire fork can bend inside the axes. The rope (red) is a nylon rope, a thin one (50kg), that passes many many time from a wheel to the other wheel on the other side. The longer and looser the rope is, the more flexible !

Step 13: Inflating Suite, Adjustable Width - Steady-cam !

The boat is equiped with 2 inflatable "sausages". The sausages come stick to the sides of the boat under steel tubes that pass though the boat. This version of the boat make them appearant, you can manipulate them and their mettalic locking pins from the inside of the boat easily, BUT, if I was to make a version 2 i will definitely make it pass though the boat but out of reach, inside big tubes : no enty for the water either !!!! The water line is very low on this boat, the boat always remains high on the water as it is "fat" (hihihihihi), so no danger ... + these 2 massive air sausage would keep this boat out of the water even if it was filled with water or even sand ...

Another magic trick of this boat is that : it's width is ADJUSTABLE !!!! . There is 3 symetrical positions for the sausages : narrow, medium, large, corresponding to different navigation styles : little/strong wond, big/ small waves, paddling/sailing, paddling + sailin, steady/mobile mouvement and this for the camera purpose.

Image 2 :
I also adapted a very simple steady camera system for cycling : the tripod sits on 3 big sponges, the tripod is pulled to the floor with a rubber dead bike tyre. I can control the rigidity of the steady with water on the sponge and with the tension on the tyre.

Step 14: Rowing + Sailing and ... Sleeping ! and Some Laundry Idea ... Straight From Kosovo !

You might be wondering why there is 4 rigs for rowing paddles : because these very basic rigs are made of 2 pieces : a vertical hole in which a 2 fingers fork comes to hold the paddle and rotate.
On the frs image I use the rig the "right" way, to handle the paddles

On the second image : i use the same holes for inserting the tent structure, which are simple plastic plumbery pipes on which the tent is mounted. The tent is a multi-layered sewed composite of PVC construction film and polyester surviving film (quite cheap to my surprise in second hand military surplus). When I am sleeping i pull the tentall around, also when i keep some food in there ... Having such a close atmosphere is good for keeping warmth but be carefull : a human being needs to breath !
I use the surviving on the silver side out, to reflect the hit/cold outside and it works very well : if closed, this atmosphere remains very stable.

The Plastic pipe structure i what I also use to dry my laundry when I am cycling : it work super good, I usually got my clothes dried in half a day ! The other thing I that I get controlled by the police three times more often, with my big beard they really think I am a gipsy or a Kosovo refugee HAHAHAHA !!!

Step 15: Balance, Emmergency Case, Life Raft ...

To my point of view, the main issue with this fiming boat is the balance" because it is so small to the human body scale : you need to be always carefull and make sure you are at the right place, to the wind, the waves ... , your smallest mouvement completely changes the boat balance, almost like a surf board ! And there is so much luggages to take in, and the center of gravity if very high, so unstable quite, fortunately the sausages are here hehehe !!

IMAGE 2 :
In the case of THE catastrophy, the sausages are here + the uppercase (that contains computer, HD, camera, official papers) can be release and assembled together to form a life raft, and also data raft to be more precise.

In the case of complete shipwreck (upside down) I have not experienced if it is hard to or not to turn it downside up ... fortunately ...

Step 16: Travelling !!!!

Make sure you got this reflective stickers all over, safety first, safety first ? HAHAHAAH !! NO WAY ! KIDS FIRST !!!

So, now, it's time to go ... bye bye !

song 1 :
Debra Keeze and The Black Five :
TRAVELLING TO RASTAFARIIIIIIIII !

song 2 :
Dona Edith Do prato, Vozes do Puricacao, Marinhero So !

and if you want to see the film that was made with this boat, it's here.

Thanks for following through ! Have a nice trip and send me a postcard sometime !
cheers !

cesar

Step 17: Travel Notebook

here are all the pictures from the trip, and here is the film (17 minutes).



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Merci a nasser qui m'a aide pour la soudure inox à l'ENSCI ! BIG UP INSTRUCTABLES !!