Putt Putt Boat

[H. Neary]

Now well into my dotage and needing to add to the few accomplishments I have accumulated, I have a desire to build a Putt Putt boat.

Has anyone built one?

I was thinking that a bit of microbore pipe coiled around a 10mm drill and hammered closed at the "dry" end would suffice as a propulsion unit.

I woiuld like to use a candle as an energy source.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

regards

HN

[brass monkey]

I presume that you've seen this -

interesting thing to make is a Stirling engine -

[Martin Brown]

The one I remember was a tin boat with a coil of fine bore copper tube (finer than microbore more like 4mm dia) and both ends open below the waterline at the rear of the boat. Meths in a aluminium bottle cap provided the heat. I can't recall if you had to prime the coil with water using a pippette to before lighting the flame.

I wouldn't close the other end.

Much more fun are model heat engines that will run off a candle flame or even better a cup of coffee.

[Andy Champ]

That's how I made them. and finer tubing than that - perhaps 3mm EXTERNAL diameter... needed no priming. Silent.

Andy

[Thomas Prufer]

Coil it, and leave both ends open and under water. Makes it much easier to prime it.

Don't get all fancy and build stuff and hope it works, bend a bit of microbore and hold the ends under water, heat the top with a gas blowtorch and fiddle with it to see what works best. I found tapering the ends seemed to help, as in run a dull pipecutter over the end a lot...

Thomas Prufer

[Gordon Henderson]

I've not built one, but a couple of years ago I bought one (well 3 or 4 IIRC) from the market in Totnes.. Looks like they're made in India too. I imagine imported by one of the Totnesian hippies on a pilgramage there...

2 copper pipes going into a disc shaped "boiler" with a little pan under it with a tiny bit of candle to heat it up.

I gave the others away to friends, but I did run mine a few times. Great fun!

A few images here:

pipes are about 3mm in diameter.

Gordon

[fred]

In article , H. Neary writes

Don't suppose you've been watching Studio Gibli's Ponyo with the grand-kids have you :-? Recently shown on Film 4 a few times as part of the films for life season.