Amphibious Car
 
Today, our two teams of Bowser's Bodgers and The Navy Blues will race the clock to build an amphibious car to carry all 4 team members. The race will start on land, then desend quickly into the water for a race across a lake. The final leg will be around a slightly twisty road course to the finish line. The winners advance, the losers...well...they can take a swim.
 

The basic idea is to create a vehicle that will drive on land then cruise down a slipway into water and continue on almost unhindered. You need to keep the engine dry (unless you're using a diesel engine) yet maintain a drivetrain to your wheels. Steering, exhaust and other things that are no problem on a normal car can create massive headaches on amphibious cars. The army had one called 'The Duck' which is a 6-wheeled amphi-truck. A couple are still in use, giving tours around Washington, DC.
 
 
 

The Navy Blues
top l to r: Mark, captain Doug
bottom: Samantha & expert Jonathan Sedding
The Bodgers
top l to r: Bowser & wife/captain Babs
bottom l to r: Lurch & Mark Eason
 
 
This is what an AmphiCar from the
1960s looks like
A van roof will serve as a hull for the
Navy Blues
 
 
This is a drawing of what the Navy Blues'
car should look like
The judge for today, Tim Dutton. He builds
amphicars today, the Dutton Mariner
 
 
The Navy Blues are using the world's
largest pry bar. Must have The Club.
Is it in there Lurch?
 
 
Robert can't believe his eyes
Someone is making a support member
 
 
Uh oh. Did someone break a regulation?
Nope, the army is in looking things over.
Why build a boat? There's one...look!
Over there!
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