Sara E. Thomas
Now that students have a better understanding of what makes different types of boats work, how the hull of a boat is designed, how to create plans for a boat and what materials work best they will begin to design their own boat.
Looking back to the process of an industrial designer, students must first choose what type of boat they would like to build and determine what characteristics will be important for it to be successful. We will review the different types of boats presented earlier through reports. Once students have chosen a purpose for their boat they must begin to think about the characteristics of seaworthiness, range, speed and comfort. They will need to assess the importance of each for their boat, and how they will accomplish each. Students will complete a rubric rating how important each of these factors is for their boat, and then in the end their boat will be tested for each through a series of tests testing speed, seaworthiness and comfort.
Seaworthiness
Seaworthiness speaks to the efficiency of a boat - how well is it designed for its intended use? The builder must think about what type of conditions the boat will be used it, and design towards those. If a boat is going to be used for fishing on a calm lake it will not need the same properties as a larger boat which will be out in the ocean. (Marshall 7) Deciding on the boat’s use will be the students’ first step. Thinking back to their previous experiments with hull size and shape they will need to decide what shape to make their boat and why. Seaworthiness will be assessed by recreating an environment similar to the one the boat would be used in (calm lake, wave pool as ocean, etc.)
Range and Speed
The importance of speed also depends on the intended use of the boat and is usually a consideration. Range means how far the boat will go on one tank of gas. Fuel efficiency is determined by many factors including the design of the hull, the weight of the boat, etc. Range and speed will be assessed by how efficient the boat is through an efficiency lab.
Comfort
Comfort covers a broad spectrum of ideas in reference to a boat. Comfort can refer to the comfort of the crew and passengers in terms of how the boat is constructed. The more room there is to move about the more comfortable the passengers will be. Added amenities and luxuries can also make your boat more comfortable. However, comfort can also refer to how comfortable you feel with your boat’s abilities. It will be a much more enjoyable ride if you trust that your boat will be able to handle the weather, will provide a calm stable ride and will not have any problems traveling at the speeds it will be going. Comfort is all about luxury and being confident in your boat’s abilities. (Marshall 72) Comfort will be assessed on how creatively students have manipulated the space to include storage, living space, cargo area and other needs which are important to their specific boat.