Made out of recycled materials
Boat Project:
Team Name: Subway Surfers
We went for somewhat of a loophole design and a “boogie board” design as it was cheap to make, floated, fit in our budget and supported the driver well.
How Did We Build It?
- We started with 4 PVC pipes on the outside
- Screwed plywood to the top
- Duct taped all the gaps
- Painted the bottom with waterproof paint
- Flex Seal and more duct tape
Cost Breakdown
- Gorilla max strength clear glue – $14
- 4 Inch PVC cap – $16
- 15/32 in x 4ft x 8ft plywood sheathing – $25.84
- 2×2 wood – $9
- 8×1 1/4 in screws – $10
- Gorilla tape, Flex seal, Caulk – $23
- Total: $97.48
How Design Changed
The original design with just the 4 PVC pipes when we went to test it, it did not float. We went back to the drawing board and added another ten feet of PVC pipe that we bought and added more duct tape.
Recycled Materials Used
- Some sort of paper grabbed from the dumpster
- PCV pipes
- Plywood
What Would Change If Made Again
- A big thing we could change would be the size
- Everything online and the math said it could float but the surface area was too small to allow it to float with someone standing on it
Challenges and What We Learned
- First test – floats but sinks after adding weight
- We learned that when you do the math and calculate how buoyant it is, you need to be way above that number for it to actually work
- According to our math, it was supposed to float, but it did not float.
Performance
- Initially, it did not float at all, after we added the PVC pipe and more duct tape, it supported the driver above the water
- When it came to the race, our team won despite the low votes and hostile feedback from classmates
Christina Schneider 