MIE.06 – Hydroplane

• Mitchell Cohan
• Liam Elliott
• Joseph Park
• Lukasz Przeklasa

Hydroplanes are a small one-person watercraft, designed to be driven at high speeds. A hydroplane uses the planar forces of the water, which traps air under the boat to maintain high speed rather than only using buoyancy to stay afloat like a conventional boat. The team was tasked to create a hydroplane that is 8 ft long and 4 ft wide, reach speeds of at least 20 miles per hour, keep the hydroplane under 200 pounds without the motor, and most importantly be able to float. The team underwent extensive research and analysis in order to embark on this task, looking at various designs and patents for hydroplanes, as well as, following the many standards and codes from the boating industry, such as the “Small boat Codes UNE-EN ISO 12215.” These would be the teams’ main sources for design, and the team came up with a design that follows all the standards with the main deviation being that the team added hydrofoils to the front left and right sides of the boat, which created more lift on the boat, so the boat is able to achieve faster speeds. Moreover, the team also underwent simulated analysis, creating a 3-D model in SolidWorks, and a fluid flow analysis on the hydroplane in order to see how air and water will flow around the boat while it is moving. The team also created and tested a 3-D model of the bracket that was used to steer the boat, looking at deformation, stress, and the safety factor of the part. The hydroplane was then built and tested on the water and was successfully able to achieve the goals that were set at the beginning of the project.