Boat Engineering for Aquatics

                           Sail Boat Project

One of the project grades in Oceanography is to design and build a sailboat.  Students work in groups of two. They are required to bring in their own supplies.

Requirements:

• Must fit inside half a sheet of folded notebook paper
• Must have a sail, a keel, a rudder and carry twenty marbles as cargo.
• Has to sail 100 cm without touching the side of the stream table
• Students average the time for three different trials
• They must calculate the speed of the boat using   S = D/T
• The fastest time sets the 100 for the class

Girl Power - this boat is fast!

 You know you have hooked students when they come in early to work on their boats or stay late.  Yesterday I had two girls from Ms. Winds Aquatic class ask if they could continue to work on their boats with my 4th period class (They had senior out). ENGAGEMENT!

Here are some videos of boats that worked, Our best time was 1.73 cm/sec.

It is interesting to see the different designs.  Student watch each other and even make suggestions that helpful.

This was a fast boat but it always veered off at the end.  We were not sure why? 

 This group was absent the day before and had to come up with a quick design.  Wouldn't you know it would be the fast boat of the day. 

 

This boat started out backwards and then turned around and shot for the finish line.

This groups boat just sort of wandered its way down the stream table.

This project is messy but the students can't wait to work on their boats.  Next year when we finish the student boats I will challenge the other Aquatic Science teacher to a race.   We will see which teach can design the fastest boat.!