[hpv-boats] Matt Johnson First Test of his V15-65

[Rick Willoughby]

Matt Johnson contacted me in August 2011 regarding a pedal boat  
design suited to his weight and power output.  He finally got it on  
the water today and posted this video:
http://youtu.be/IL5GBgJbS_4
Matt is the most powerful engine I have done a design for to date so  
it will be interesting to follow progress.  He is aiming to join Mike  
Lampi in the Sound Rowers races when his time permits.

The resulting hull design is based on my V15 series but optimised for  
110kg displacement and 300W power.  Hull ended up 6.5m long.  Matt  
chose skin on frame as his method of construction along with a  
separate tubular frame and commercial recumbent seat that mounts to  
the basic boat.  The drive is configured with side-mounted curved  
shaft spinning at 7X cadence.

I provided a hub for folding prop and the second set of moulded CF  
blades for testing.

The test was impressive but brief because the folding CF blades  
snapped when he accelerated for the second run.

Rick Willoughby
rickwill at bigpond.net.au