HALL & HALL ENGINEERS, INC.
As you would expect from any type of engineers, we went through many meetings and iterations of what we thought would be the most reliable, cost effective, and easiest constructability. After hearing each team members' proposed construction type, the team focused in on a design that consists of 2 boat hulls with the belief that the opposing hull would act as an outrigger to the other.
Next, it was time to do the calcs. Summing the weight of each participant, and adding a large safety factor, we were able to calculate that volume distribution that was required to create enough upward force to keep our ship afloat. From there, we were able to refine the exact shape of the ship.
The final design step was to model it in 3D to produce the appropriate cut schedule to build the boat.
After the design was set, construction began. The HHE team ran through many test scenarios to figure out what would end up being the best workflows and result in the highest quality/watertight product.
We took the approach of "Measuring with a micrometer, marked our cuts with chalk, and cut it with an axe" to ensure accurate measurements and efficient cutting and construction.
When all said and done, each hull was constructed of a single uniform piece of cardboard with no exterior cuts. Exterior joints can only be found at the bow and stern connections where no more 1" gaps were deemed acceptable.
Based on our calculations, we have to assume that we will win the competition. However, we will update this section upon final results!
If you would like to see the race live, please join us at Robins Lake in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 11am, June 8th 2024!