Volitan- solar sailboat

[8 perf]

Anybody else seen or heard of this? Its in this months popular science. I am seriously going to have to start thinking about building a model of this truly unique sailboat.
It kind of looks like an x-wing for the water. Its two vertical sails are loaded with solar cells and track the sun for optimal power generation to the electric motors on the lower wings.
Check this youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjJYzJLmU1A&feature=related

 

[altername]

Oooooh :eek

 

[anubispro]

Aaaaaah. :love

 

[8 perf]

Don't know how far I will ever get on the real model, but figured I'd start rendering it in 3D for sectioning purposes later on. I'm using sketchup to do the 3D construction. Ill slice up the hull into sections and make them for real out of styrene or bass wood in order to make the mold plug.

 

[8 perf]

progress goes on with the 3d render. Almost got the rest figured out in my head. Just gotta translate it to paper for patterning.

 

[Nwerke]

Wow. It's a really pretty design exercise, but is it actually going to be built in RL? I'd hesitate before investing.

I mean, I'm no expert, but it seems like it has some issues. Firstly, a hell of a lot of gadgetry - all expected to work in the toughest environment and a lot of it seemingly important to the boat's stability and seaworthiness, let alone power. Secondly, no exterior deck areas at all - er, what? It's gonna need railings and access of some sort to the prow for practical reasons, and a sun deck, fishing area or just some way of boarding would be nice too.

Very Shirow-esque, though!

 

[8 perf]

I don't know about access to the bow area, but the rear glass section has a door in it to get out on the fantail area as well as steps up either side to get up on the top section.
As for investing, I'm not. I am gonna try to build a 1/48 or maybe a 1/32 scale model of it though. Somewhere between 2 and 3 feet long when done.

 

[8 perf]

A bit more progress on the 3D model.

 

[selimurguplu]

Anybody else seen or heard of this? Its in this months popular science. I am seriously going to have to start thinking about building a model of this truly unique sailboat.
It kind of looks like an x-wing for the water. Its two vertical sails are loaded with solar cells and track the sun for optimal power generation to the electric motors on the lower wings.
Check this youtube video.

Volitan - YouTube

This is a solar sailing boat designed by Prof Hakan Gursu (a Prof in the ODTU (Middle Eastern Technical University) in Ankara Turkey. The design won many awards world wide. The boat is still not produced up to this point. I am a small boat producer and also interested in building it but a smaller version. Will try to get in contact with Prof Hakan Gursu next week and get his views. Did you make the model? Did you get any where with it?

 

[8 perf]

The 3D model is onthe back burner at the moment. Realization of a scale model is no longer in the plan at this point, but that could change someday.

 

[Ruddigger]

That's pretty cool, but I was hoping for the solar sailboat from Deep Space Nine.