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
I presume that you've seen this -
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.
That's how I made them. and finer tubing than that - perhaps 3mm EXTERNAL diameter... needed no priming. Silent.
Andy
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
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:
Gordon
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.
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