A new project that we are implementing beginning this summer is solar boats.
Solar Boat Directions
Your solar boat kit comes with:
- 3 pieces of Styrofoam. (see “Solar Boat Diagrams”)
- One is larger and has 5 sides. This is the main body of your boat.
- The other piece is a smaller triangle that will be used to anchor the motor and propeller shaft.
- The last piece is a rectangle on which you can perch your solar panel to keep it away from the water.
- A piece of sandpaper to shape your boat
- A shaft with a small propeller attached
- A small piece of flexible yellow tubing
- A short straw
- A solar panel and motor soldered together
- A longer, larger nail to be used for poking
Steps for Assembly
- Draw a line on your boat 1 inch from the back (the pointed part is the front).
- Place the triangle on your boat so Side 3 is resting on the boat, with Side 1 facing the back of your boat. The edge of your triangle should be along the line you drew in Step 1.
- Lay your poking nail against Side 1 (the longest side) of your triangle and press it through your boat at the same angle as Side 1 of your triangle, creating the hole your propeller shaft will go through.
- Pull your poking nail out of your boat and set it and your triangle aside.
- Put your straw through your hole so some of it is showing on both top and bottom of your boat.
- Hot glue your straw in place, being careful not to get any hot glue inside the straw!
- Trim your straw so there is very little of it showing outside your boat. This is to reduce friction so your propeller shaft can spin as fast as possible.
- Slide the end of your propeller shaft up through your straw so that the non-propeller end pokes out the top and the propeller is on the bottom of your boat.
- Put one end of the yellow tubing on the end of your propeller shaft. Put the other end of your yellow tubing on the motor shaft. Make sure there is a little distance in the tubing between the two shafts (that the two are not touching inside there).
- Put your triangle back on your boat where it was the first time in Step 2. Lay your motor against Side 1 of your triangle, with Side 3 (the bottom) of your triangle laying on the body of the boat.
- Experiment with distances and angles to see where you need to glue your motor onto Side 1 of your triangle so that your propeller spins its best. Glue the motor in place on Side 1 when you have found that place. (To glue, we find that it is best to make a small puddle of glue where you want to glue something, then place that object in the puddle and settle it in, then hold it in place until the glue dries.
- Now do the same with the base of the triangle, making sure that your propeller still spins its best. Once the triangle is where you want it, trace around it so that you know where to put it back after you have put down your puddle of glue.
- Glue the rectangle to your main body closer to the front. Put your panel on there and glue it in place.
- Test your boat, make any changes (including sanding down the front of your boat to a rounder shape so it may slide through the water faster), have fun!
