[hpv-boats] Pedal Thruster

[Rick Willoughby]

We did some testing of the pedal thrusters I made for the sailing  
catamaran today.

Here is a video of one in operation:
http://www.rickwill.bigpondhosting.com/pedal_power.wmv
I was pedalling as well while videoing hence the camera movement.  We  
were able to sustain 2kts into a mild headwind.  In calm conditions  
we got to 2.3kts at sustainable power.  Sprint speed was 3kts.  Not  
very impressive speed but the boat weighs 8 tonne.

The thrusters fold up when not in use:
http://www.rickwill.bigpondhosting.com/folded_pedal_thruster.jpg
Each unit has two Mitrpak gearboxes.  The top box with the cranks has  
a 1:2 ratio.  The bottom box is 1:1.  Prop is 30X20 model aircraft.   
Each unit weighs 11kg.

Rick Willoughby