3d printing for boats.

[Davidasailor26]

I said it was cool! I wish I knew printing.

I did need a flared end and to cut it on an angle. I warmed the PVC with hot water and gently forced a traffic cone up inside, while bending and wearing gloves. It took about 10 minutes to make. I could also easily have formed it and molded it in glass, then made the cutouts. Your shape was not difficult to shop build ... depending on the shop.

The point is that old school engineering and tinkering guys have a toolbox full of methods that were used before printing. Unfortunately, that approach requires a ridiculously equipped shop (mine includes machining, welding, wood working, and fiberglass) and a varied skill set in addition to regular boat and mechanic skills. On the other hand, we can make things in any material the structural needs require.

Here is a sailor-specific example of something that can be made on either a lathe or 3-D printed. I needed a winch feeding block and I had a large low friction ring with exactly the size and flare I had in mind. I turned the core from two disks of HDPE, but it could be printed in two pieces, and the plastic strength is not that critical because the hub is so large. The friction of HDPE on a low friction ring is so low it's like ball bearings, maybe less at high load. I only needed one, so I grabbed a scrap sheet and turned this out in about 30 minutes. You cut disks with a hole saw, mount them on the lathe with an arbor, and turn using radius and taper set-ups to match the LFR. A single bolt holds it together. The lathe is probably faster for one-off, if you have the jigs and the practice, but the printer wins hands down if you need several. The lathe allows more material choices. For example, if I had not had an LFR to start with, I could have turned something from aluminum. But you can just buy the LFR. Different thought processes.

I would love to see someone come up with a 3-D file for winch feeder blocks from LFRs; it really worked great and is very simple. Compact, strong, and silky smooth. The idea would be far more accessible as a 3-D file than as a lathe project.

My cup holders are welded from aluminum rod and are sized for bottles, not cans. Pretty fast, since a jib is used to do the bending. A few dabs of weld. UV does not bother them; I believe one is from my last boat and is >20 years old.

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Oh. And I need more non-engine boat machining projects! Pulleys are easy and boring. Autopilot parts. Guide bushings for ropes and rudder bushings. Wheel thimbles are neat. Lacing knobs for tramps. But these are more routine than inventive.

My friends say I get a new-to-me boat every time I run out of tweaks.

That would be a really fun use, though HDPE is a difficult material to print from what I’ve read. Some plastics print easier than others. Apparently HDPE is very susceptible to warping and shrinking as it cools. I’ve dealt with that when printing polycarbonate but it sounds like HDPE is even trickier. If anyone has experience with that I’d be curious to hear.

 

[stickinthemud57]

I was given a problematic printer for free a few months ago. Three hours later it was up and running. So far I've printed stanchion mounted line hooks, TPU coasters and a ring to surface mount an inspection port because I didn't feel like cutting a 6" hole in fiberglass.

Tech wonks were saying years ago that having a 3D printer in the home would pay for itself, and in my case I could say that's true as long as I don't subtract the cost of time and filament making silly things.

Used 3D printers are abundant because so many buyers lack the time, patience and/or mechanical aptitude to maintain them properly, and new ones get better all the time, so price and initial ease of use are really not significant barriers to ownership.

The thing that finally nudged me into the pool was an idea for a jib sheet guide that I had initially cobbled together from a slab of plastic, but wanted a more finished appearance for. It turns out PLA filament doesn't hold up well to abrasion and I ended up going down the desktop CNC rabbit hole to make one from aluminum, but that's another story. Scores of repaired appliances and handy little devices later - and lots of fun printing cool stuff for the grandkids - I am hooked on it and probably spend too much time messing with it. I'm retired now so shut up.

A few things I would recommend for anyone considering getting a 3D printer:

1. Make sure your significant other does not begrudge you your "frivolous pursuits".
2. Make sure you have the patience to perform maintenance and repairs tasks and have at least some mechanical aptitude.

You're a sailboat owner, so these first two are probably a given.

3. Learn basic 3D design (TinkerCAD, Onshape, Fusion 360, etc.)
4. Ask yourself just how much time you have for this and choose your machine accordingly. For many people, getting an entry-level machine (i.e. the Ender 3 V3 SE) begins a journey of performance modifications that becomes a hobby unto itself. You may be better served spending a little more for a more capable machine.

Yes, there is a learning curve that can often feel like a rabbit hole, but IMO it is worth the time and effort.

 

[Hayden Watson]

1. Make sure your significant other does not begrudge you your "frivolous pursuits".

It was her idea after I sent a week playing with my brother-in-law's P1S.

2. Make sure you have the patience to perform maintenance and repairs tasks and have at least some mechanical aptitude.

A own a sailboat, Duh!

You're a sailboat owner, so these first two are probably a given.

yep!

3. Learn basic 3D design (TinkerCAD, Onshape, Fusion 360, etc.)

I just retired and closed my one-man structural engineering consulting company and have spent the last several decades 3d modeling buildings, so this was a natural outlet for my creative juices.

4. Ask yourself just how much time you have for this and choose your machine accordingly. For many people, getting an entry-level machine (i.e. the Ender 3 V3 SE) begins a journey of performance modifications that becomes a hobby unto itself. You may be better served spending a little more for a more capable machine.

Did I mention recently retired?

Yes, there is a learning curve that can often feel like a rabbit hole, but IMO it is worth the time and effort.

Looking forward to lots of fun.

I'm retired now so shut up.

I am going to have to keep this one!

 

[thinwater]

That would be a really fun use, though HDPE is a difficult material to print from what I’ve read. Some plastics print easier than others. Apparently HDPE is very susceptible to warping and shrinking as it cools. I’ve dealt with that when printing polycarbonate but it sounds like HDPE is even trickier. If anyone has experience with that I’d be curious to hear.

I don't think the core would need to be HDPE, just some reasonably slippery plastic. Nylon would be very good, but also problematic to print.

There's a learning curve to machining, welding, machining, and laminating too. And a major investment in tooling. But I've already climbed that mountain. That does not make it better, it's just where I am.

 

[stickinthemud57]

As thinwater alludes to, once you start doing your own manufacturing at a hobby level, you quickly run into the limitations of your hobby-level devices. Something I have not yet done, but may, is to send a design to a company that specializes in producing such things. I see more and more adds for such companies, but have no idea of what they charge.

 

[Hayden Watson]

I have had a set of the stainless steel boat hook clips and they have never worked well. The bend and then do not hold the pole in place.
I printed this set and love how firmly they snap into place. I was able to customize each side so that it perfectly aligned with the screw holes I already had in the boat. I really like how the hook snaps into place so solidly.

 

[stickinthemud57]

I have had a set of the stainless steel boat hook clips and they have never worked well. The bend and then do not hold the pole in place.
I printed this set and love how firmly they snap into place. I was able to customize each side so that it perfectly aligned with the screw holes I already had in the boat.

Same story with my boat hook holders, and several other things that I made after the off-the-shelf solutions failed to satisfy.

 

[ShawnL]

I made stand-off brackets for some clutches for our jib. They worked great, and since I made them I could print them exactly the thickness and angle I needed. It took a couple of iterations in PLA to decide what I wanted, but once I did I printed some in PETG and they've been great for a couple of seasons.