pedal driven prop?

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walkerman

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Mar 14, 2012
1
dreadnaught 35 Boston Harbor
has anyone ever heard of or seen of a pedal powered prop shaft? i've got an idea and was wondering if any of you have seen something like this before. It would be an optiional thing, being motor driven or pedal powered. Still working out the design but would love input!
 
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Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,138
CC 30 South Florida
Fred Flinstone had a pedal powered car so coming up with a pedal powered prop shaft should not be to taxing after you get past the big WHY?
 
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Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,138
CC 30 South Florida
The "Hunley" a civil war submarine was powered by a hand cranked propeller. One officer and seven crew members turned the rather large propeller by hand at low RPM to make the boat move. Combustion engines had been recently invented and were not widely available in 1863. The sub was recently recovered and its remains can be seen at a museum in Charleston SC. I have heard of a bicycle being modified to run an alternator to both recharge batteries and be used as an exercise machine. One bicycle powered glider airplane was used in an attempt to cross the English channel. You could call the effort succesful for the pro bicycle racer which powered the craft.
 
robertsapp

robertsapp

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May 28, 2009
764
Hunter 376 Pensacola, FL
Back when I was a young man sailing Lake Michigan in the late '70's, there was a boat that competed in the Chicago to Mackinaw race that was disqualified when it was discovered that they had rigged a sprocket and multiple pedeling stations to the shaft, and they had two or three crew members taking turns pedeling the entire race. So it's an idea that has been around a while.
 
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AtlanticAl

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Oct 24, 2011
258
Lancer 28 Grand Lake
Some ships lifeboats, were powered by the people in them, where instead of rowing (quite hard if you have never done it before) everyone would grab a lever, and pull it back and forward, which would turn a prop, think of forty people in the thirty foot boat, all powering the prop. I have never seen such a lifeboat, but when i was at college doing the lifeboat course for the merchant marine, seems these boats were common enough, for us to be instructed in their use. The power is only really needed to get the boat away from the sinking ship, and out the way of any other obstacles, so it was pretty much ideal, easier to use than oars, and more reliable than an engine.
 
redhead78

redhead78

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Dec 30, 2009
680
jeanneau 38 gin fizz sloop Summer- Keyport Yacht Club, Raritan Bay, NJ, Winter Viking Marina Verplanck, NY
Hobie, has a boat out a couple of years, I think its a 14'er catamaran, with pedal power .... Red
 
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