Model Paddle-Wheel Boats
Fig. 1Fig. 3Fig. 2The Rubber-Band Motor is Wound Up at the Crank, and Propels the Boat About 20 Feet
Fig. 1Fig. 3Fig. 2
Fig. 1Fig. 3
Fig. 2
The Rubber-Band Motor is Wound Up at the Crank, and Propels the Boat About 20 Feet
Only a few boys have ponds of their own, in a pasture, perhaps. But there are miniature lakes in our city parks, pools at our summer camps, and old water holes in the woods; if all of these fail, a boy can still sail his ships on the bathtub sea. A simple side-wheeler, built of wood, is shown in the sketch. It winds up with a crank and runs 15 to 20 ft. A float is made by pointing the ends of a thick board, the dimensions of which are given inFig. 1. On this the paddle-wheel frame is nailed, as shown in the top view, Fig. 1, the side view,Fig. 2, and the end view,Fig. 3. It is made of thin wood. A broom-handle section, just long enoughto slip into this frame, is whittled to form a winding drum, and fitted with paddles, wire axles, and a crank. A second shorter section of the broom-handle, set between blocks nailed to the stern, serves as a roller for the rubber bands. These, linked together and tied to a length of heavy cord, as shown in Fig. 1, are fixed to the bow and run over the roller to the drum. The addition of a top, or lid, of cardboard, wood, or tin, and painted to resemble cabins and pilot house, and fitted with masts and a smokestack, completes the model.Fig. 5shows a similarly built stern-wheeler with the stern-wheel shaft set on brackets.—E. R. Smith, Walla Walla, Wash.
Fig. 5The Stern-Wheeler Is Similar in Construction to the Side-Wheeler as to Driving Mechanism
Fig. 5The Stern-Wheeler Is Similar in Construction to the Side-Wheeler as to Driving Mechanism