Thank you, Rick, it was worth the wait. You write very well.
It is the simplicity but also the light weight that makes the curved shaft setup so attractive.
If my memory serves me right you built your own props for the pedal boats. They were two blade props. In helicopters it makes a big difference if the rotor has two blades or three blades. I have not read about similar considerations for marine props. Could it be because two blade props are a curiosity? Would the curved shaft setup work as well with a prop with more than two blades? Would a curved shaft setup be even less strained given blades mounted on a gimbal joint with the shaft as in for example http://www.rhcforum.ro/uploads/post-14-1130575185.jpg
?
How naive is it to consider replacing the curved shaft in these larger boats with a handful of rigid segments coupled with joints alternating the planes they fold in (like a chain with only a few long segments)?
How important is the advantage of the inherent water cooling for electric motors in pod drives vs air cooling in curved shaft setups?
Would there be a way to make a setup work whereby the pod drive is attached to just a semi-flexible hollow cable through which run the electric cables for the motor if it were to make sense?
Do you have an idea how important the difference is in total water drag of pod drive setup vs curved shaft setup? The frontal area of the curved shaft is less; I would expect the pod to stay out of the most effective area of thrust which is in the outer area's of the propulsion circle.
Luc
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Posted by: lucjdekeyser@telenet.be
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