[hpv-boats] V15 Tested

[Rick Willoughby]

A few questions if you dont mind.
What is the weight of the boat?  I have not weighed it in final  
form.  The bits totaled just under 20kg. When not on it it needed to  
be pointed into the wind to prevent it getting blown away.
What does the gear box look like up close?  There is an image here:
http://marcopoloboats.com/MitrpakDrive.html
Although it shows the standard box; not the one with the square taper  
to suit cranks.
What CAD program did you use to do the 3D modeling?  Delftship Pro.   
You can get a reasonable free version of with no strings attached.   
It has slightly less functionality than the Pro version.
What weight driver is the boat optimized for? The boat is optimised  
for a 60kg person but will also perform well with a heavier person at  
high power.It only takes 300W to do 15kph with a 70kg rider.  That is  
about the limit of the little gearbox.  You need a larger box if you  
want to use more power.
Can you show how low in the water the boat is when the driver is  
mounted? This image shows the waterline with total of 90kg:
http://www.rickwill.bigpondhosting.com/V15_5m_Linesplan.png
Is there any lift or rise out of the water at all while underway?   
The boat starts bow up at about 7kph with net sinkage up to 13kph and  
then begins to lift.  It is not planing but the wave pressure causes  
it to lift.
It looks very nice. Thank you - I hope my sister likes it!! I am  
thinking about modifying V14 to use some of these new ideas.

Thanks

Rick