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This is a question The best thing I've built

Wehttamman asks: My dad and I once built a go-kart from chipboard, pram wheels and an engine from a lawn mower. It didn't work... so tell us about your favourite things you've made, and whether they were a triumph or complete failure.

(, Thu 11 Oct 2012, 12:00)
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I was about 15 when I decided I was going to build a remote control boat
My dad had an old hull made from wood that was originally designed for a small water cooled engine but as electric motors are much cheaper and easier to use I went with one of those. I didn't do very much detail as I'm an impatient bugger and wanted to go drive it round the local lake ASAP.

At a distance it pretty much looked like this
Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
Well, if you were about 30 meters away (this isn't mine, it's just an image off Google that looks a bit like mine)

However as batteries are expensive for a 15 year old with only a paper round for income my dad came up with the great idea of using one of the rechargeable burglar alarm batteries he had. This meant the motor was receiving about double the power it should causing the boat to, if you went full throttle, rear up so high that the back end was actually lower than the water line so when you came to slow down, unless you were very careful, you could potentially sink it by sending a tidal waver over the entire thing. The battery only lasted about 3 minutes as well.
Now I'm old enough to have a job that provides enough income to afford batteries I really must go and get it out of the garage and give it another shot
(, Fri 12 Oct 2012, 1:44, 6 replies)
RC car batteries might be an Idea.

(, Fri 12 Oct 2012, 9:46, closed)
Yea, those were the things I couldn't really afford back then
Ive got 3 lots of them now though for my Airsoft gun which I could use
(, Fri 12 Oct 2012, 14:44, closed)
As an ex-merchant seaman, I can tell you that,
hilariously, when the wave comes over the back of the boat, that's called pooping.
If I remember my classes right.
(, Fri 12 Oct 2012, 21:49, closed)
Haha!
That's brilliant!
(, Sat 13 Oct 2012, 2:21, closed)
Is that
why it's called the poop deck?

This is a thing. The poop deck. Honest.
(, Sat 13 Oct 2012, 2:29, closed)
Indeed it is.
My ship has a sunken poop. Actually.
(, Sun 14 Oct 2012, 9:40, closed)

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