R/C Jet-Powered Lifeguard

[properchopper]

Making the rounds in the local news. Very interesting and thought-provoking. Hull appears to be adapted from a large model gasser boat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Ck_-ER3yE

Same company, Hydronalix, produces this : (hull look familiar?)

http://www.hydronalix.com/about.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssKZAqZTX-g

[Diegoboy]

I remember that.
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...Lifeguard-Boat

[properchopper]

I remember that.
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...Lifeguard-Boat

Whoops, didn't see/remember that thread

[Diegoboy]

Tony, Since I don't pay any attention to mono's which hull does it look like?

[Anthony Mulligan]

Hi guys, I am the builder of EMILY. She has a 50" long 14" beam hull made of E-glass and Kevlar. We use the hull for other USV's for the government as well. The hull is considerably stronger than your typical RC deepvee race boat because it has to handle 25-70 pound gross weights and be able to handle throwing out of a helicopter or bridge/pier at 60 feet. It utilizes a unique floating H-frame internally to hold the weight. The pump is fabricated of aerospace ceramics and special graphite platelet reinforced nylon with stainless steal 364 ground drive shaft. The pump is rated to 12 kilowatts but only weighs 1.2 pounds. We only run 1 kilowatt for EMILY. My background is that I grew up in a model airplane and model boat family. I built my first Dumas boat when I was four and my first fast hydro when I was 11. I was also avid combat control line guy. My father was CD for AMA and competed since mid 1930s. My mother and brothers also were heavy in planes and boats and we lived all around the world practicing this hobby we all love. The year K&B came out with the 3.5 outboard i got one for Christmass along with a Dumas glass deepvee 20 and tunnel hull, after that I transitioned to a Frank Ward 40 deepvee and really got into it. I also loved building scale boats and RC sailing. Then I went to the University of Arizona and became a mechanical engineer, my senior project was a high performance kerosene burning
ceramic O.S. Max engine. While finishing school I started what became a very successful high tech materials research company and a model airplane sized UAV business that I sold to BAE, before returning to focus on my true love of small RC boats. My personal drive is to help the world with model boat sized robots. Our Hurricane Tracker is 15" longer than EMILY and will ride in the eye for 7-10 days for NOAA scientist. I am also working on other radical designs that I hope to one day go public with. I personnally get a thrill out of operating in very extreme weather and surf conditions. I live on the beach and have been known to go through 8 or 9 engineering design changes in 24 hours. We have a team of 16 engineers, scientist and skilled machinist and support staff funded by Navy, NOAA, and DHS contracts for taking the boats to a very high technical level. If you are in Malibu then look me up, I always have time for a fellow model boater. Tony

[properchopper]

Tony,

Great to hear from you. I kinda' figured you had an R/C background. Good stuff! David Newland in Phoenix told me he met up with someone involved in your business, might have been you. I live in Torrance, our club runs at Legg Lake in South El Monte. I'll get in touch (just now decompressing from the six-day Fast Electric Nationals) but soon. Possible networking/cross-pollination of ideas in store.

Tony Heller
President, SoCal Fast Electrics
[email protected]