I’d be curious enough to want it to put out a signal every minute, not every hour. But maybe the solar panels can’t supply enough juice to support that.
I've built many things that flew or sailed under radio control, it's a fun thing to do.
He has too much money and time....
This boat will not make it. I presume it is unsinkable but sometime in its journey some capable waves and wind will tear off the sails and shred them
We look forward to monitoring it's progress.
That is cool! It should be fun to follow the updates.....
“Toy boats” float in bathtubs.
Model or miniature is the proper term.
Stupid journalisps.
I am looking up at my ceiling where I have a fully rigged wooden model of the “Bluenose” a famous racing yacht.
I would have build it out of carbon fiber with closed cell rigid foam injected in the hull, Spectra weaved sails with the same for the lines, a way to reel in a small sea anchor for when it really gets rough....OR
A way to flood its compartments by a pump or by compressed air so it can reach a safe underwater depth to be free from dangerous waves and then a timer activates a compressed cartridge to “blow the tanks” like in a sub so it comes back up above the surface.
Arguably I could actually design an all electric propulsion model with not sails but an airfoil instead, prop power when no wind, wind and solar to keep batteries charged.
Actually not such a bad idea, the right size I could surmise is under 6 feet or 2 meters, that is for optimum strength without getting too heavy. But a semi submersible with a retractable air foil mast is my idea.
Very cool. As long as it doesn’t get tangled up in something (unlikely) it should make the trip as planned. Storms might throw it backward or off course, but when the waves subside, it will get back on course and carry on.
The new Royal Navy.
I think this is great. I’m going to show the kids on our LEGO robotics team. They send an “unmanned” vehicle across a table. This guy is doing the whole ocean.
Also, who knows? Maybe some scientific knowledge will come out of it. Remember when the rubber ducks spilled and floated across the Pacific? Scientists learned things about the currents that they never knew.
Of course, there is the political angle to consider. If this thing works, we can expect Obama to downsize the navy even more!
Already been done: in the air with a model plane !!!