Sailboat Armada Games - Laser Tag!

[kiteflyer]

I've just been asked to joint the board of our sailing club, and one of our challenges is to get new and younger members. Here's what I want to do: equip the 25 or so boats in our club with a networked mobile "laser tag" type of setup. One night of each week next season, we'd divide the armada into two teams and just like in laser tag we'd score hits against the other team's boats, tally the winners at the end of the night. Kind of a twist on racing. If there were something commercially available we could equip all five of the major clubs in our area (Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin) with the same system and set up an armada against other clubs.

Does anybody know of a system that would do this or a company that might take a shot at developing it? It'd have to be pretty robust (longer range, we'd need a sensor on each boat, 12-volt, probably with a central core on one of the boats). Maybe connected via wi-fi? No idea if this is even possible, but it would be a LOT of fun to do. Thoughts?

 

[SFS]

One day many years ago, I had a lot of fun flying simulated "combat" out over the Pacific south of LA in a Marchetti SF260 aircraft. The planes had been fitted with sensors (IR if I recall, but maybe lasers) that would register "hits" from opposing planes. Your "shooting" accuracy had to be reasonable (opposing aircraft roughly in the middle of the sighting reticle), but a hit would turn on a smoke generator in the other aircraft, so you knew when you had won (or lost). Maybe something like that would work.

Here are two vendors that sell simulated combat flights. Maybe they could help you scope out the hardware.

http://aircombat.com/contact/

http://www.skycombatace.com/locations/

 

[jssailem]

The questions that come to mind, beyond the fun of such an event:

1. Safety, the participants could all be wearing glasses, but what about the general public.
2. Having a fixed gun would be better than a movable one in that it would require some actual sailing to get off a shot.
3. What about water or nerf balls. No laser issues. No fancy electrical/wifi setup.
   
4. If water, the wettest crew would be evidence of a dousing. perhaps you could find a water soluble nonstaining dye to show the blood of the event.

Used to teach sailing to young sailors in ElToro dinghys. It was pretty much bumper-cars on the water and they tried to ram each other and spill the occupants. The ElToro was a sturdy craft, took plenty of abuse, and did not sink when prepared with enough flotation foam.

 

[jssailem]

I got to try that combat flying sim.

 

[BlowMeAway]

Water balloons and surgical tubing sling shots?

 

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