How do I make a floating base?

[Benie]

So... this is my future "Laythe Base - Boat Dock" base. Its purpose when I get it done, will serve as a boat spawning/launching area, and refueling.

I'm trying to get this thing to float right. What's the secret to get it to float how you want it? I had assumed the ringed Fuel Tanks would help it.

Plus I can't activate the sphere launchpad, which is the reason I'm making this thread. I'm also using the "Sea Sickness Cure" mod and confused on how to use it. It's just a cone, and I assume you place it on the surface you want a Kerbal to walk on.

I've been using HyperEdit to place it on Kerbin as a test.

EDIT: Answered. Extending the walkway did balance it. Thank you, HoY for the suggestion to use pontunes, and Captain Serria for the (should had been obvious to me!) suggestion to make the base not look tipped over.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Benie

[HoY]

-snip-

I would look at adding some floating boat parts to the bottom of the legs possibly? The boat part pack has some of those. Fire spitter also has some sea plane pontunes you can use. There's a mod that has a water prop as well to move the contraption once its in the water.

Edited July 21, 2013 by KasperVld

[Benie]

Ah, thanks, HoY. I do happen to have both Firespitter and Boat Parts installed.

I still would like to know how this Seasickness mod thing works. I need those panels to be walkable.

I tried putting the part inside the cubic struts, that are over the fuel tanks. That isn't working. Completely clueless here.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Benie

[HoY]

Don't forget the bucket of steam the new guy gets sent to the warehouse for..

And I haven't tried the sea sickness cure but it has its own thread in the addon release forum I'm sure someone has asked before

Edited July 20, 2013 by HoY

[Benie]

-snip- Anyway, yeah I know about that thread. I posted in it. Going to see if these Seaplane Floats from Firespitter help.

Edit: No, they do not help. They sink as if they aren't there. Maybe my base is just too heavy.

Or maybe I'm just using these wrong.

Edited July 21, 2013 by KasperVld

[HoY]

try the carrier parts pack, the carriers are MASSIVE but the hulls hold them up. im not sure how big they will have to be to ...

wait you have the pontunes installed improperly, im not sure but they are just small boat hulls make sure you have the V of the hull facing downwards

[Benie]

Yeah, that works. But it's lopsided. The sphere is weighing down the entire thing, even though the CoM is shifted over to where I have the platform.

Tried to add more pontunes to the front, but it's still weighing it down.

[Captain Sierra]

Um . . . . . . When I heard floating base, I assumed airship. I have no idea here. You could try redesigning it to be more centered around the launch pad. Then it might sit evenly.

[HoY]

If you have quantum struts installed and don't want it to move at all, ever, there's a method to anchor it Anywhere I'm using this method to build my Jool research platform

[Benie]

Um . . . . . . When I heard floating base, I assumed airship. I have no idea here. You could try redesigning it to be more centered around the launch pad. Then it might sit evenly.

Hmm. Well for one thing, there's a reason it looks like a "C" shape. The gap is where the ramp comes down. However, I'll take your advice. I'll simply extend the platform to re-balance the CoM, and wrap it around without touching the ramp.

If you have quantum struts installed and don't want it to move at all, ever, there's a method to anchor it Anywhere I'm using this method to build my Jool research platform

The problem with quantum struts is they only go a certain length. This base is going to be in the smack dab center of that humongous crater on Laythe. Plus don't they require to be connected to another part to work?

I doubt even using KAS Anchors would work without extending the length to over 1000.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Benie

[HoY]

The "method" I refer to does not attach to the ground

[Espresso]

How are you going to get it to Laythe?

[Benie]

That's not a concern. It's not going there anyway. The RocketParts capsules (required for EL) make it sink.

This idea is a no-go.

[Kimberly]

That's not a concern. It's not going there anyway. The RocketParts capsules (required for EL) make it sink.

This idea is a no-go.

Wouldn't it make sense to have your launchpad on the highest point on Laythe, and to have your actual base floating? It'd save delta-V on launches and landings, and also make the floating base easier.

[Benie]

It's supposed to serve as boat launching, why the sphere launchpad is there. The rover ramp is supposed to serve as a boat ramp.

I picture having boats attached to rovers. Get them down the ramp and decouple them before they hit the water to free the boat.

Unfortunately, as I said, the RocketParts capsules make it sink. This is no good. I can't have it sink if I'm also going to use it for refueling.

And the platforms are for walking. It's for Kerbals on boats to get out and just walk around and stretch their legs. I managed to get a working version of Seasickness Cure.

I tried to make a platform under the launchpad, thinking it will counteract the weight of the capsules. It failed.

The only way this'll work is, I have this thing on the shoreline. But it would ruin the refueling part of the base (and also defeat the purpose of the walkway).

Edited July 21, 2013 by Benie

[dshuck]

Unfortunately, as I said, the RocketParts capsules make it sink. This is no good. I can't have it sink if I'm also going to use it for refueling.

You could edit the RocketParts resource to be less dense and so not sink, or you could only give the RocketParts hexcans a fraction of a full load. I'm building a floating launchpad on Laythe right now with the Hooligan Labs pad, 8 large RP hexcans, 4 orange tanks, and 4 large RCS tanks. I've got the hexcans holding 20 RocketParts each and the base floats nicely.

I put it near the shore because I plan on putting a colony on the ground nearby. It is free floating, not resting on the ground.