Paddle wheel challenge!

[Sillychris]

The object is very simple: Make a paddle wheel boat by abusing reaction wheels.

Rules:

1) Your watercraft must carry at least 1 Kerbal. We'll see his face in the bottom right when you photograph your entry.

2) Only reaction wheels are permitted for power. Your source of electricity can be anything that doesn't consume fuel. (Extra command pods are ok).

(I don't care how you get your boat to the water, but all other propulsion sources must disengage before competing. Also, your surface speed must be zero before accelerating with reaction wheels.)

3) Stock parts only. No mods, unless you insist on using mechjeb or other mods that do not affect parts.

4) Take a picture of your reaction wheel vessel. The surface speed pictured is your score. Highest score wins.

5) No debug menu.

Here is my entry (10.2 m/s):

1) Lumie 18.9

2) sillychris 10.2

Edited March 1, 2014 by Sillychris

[Lumie]

Here's my entry, managed to hit 18.9m/s

I think it was limited by the crash speed of the lander can.

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[OTehNoes]

Why is it moving sideways? :S

[Sillychris]

Why is it moving sideways? :S

Yeah, how'd you do that?

Good work

[Koolkei]

so we need to stop once in a while just to recharge?? because we wont be able to store enough electricity....

[Sillychris]

so we need to stop once in a while just to recharge?? because we wont be able to store enough electricity....

I designed mine for long term missions on lathe, so I coated it with copious solar panels.

But in this competition, all that matters is the speed in your screenshot; if stopping to recharge is how you can get the best speed, then stop to recharge.

[Kasuha]

That was kinda fun . Those paddles have pure cosmetic value here but whatever. F3 screen says I got 18 m/s.

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[OTehNoes]

Only managed 12.7

[Lumie]

Why is it moving sideways? :S

I think it was moving sideways because I used wing connectors for paddles and they ended up providing a weird lift action of some sort.

Regarding power - I ended up using the exact number of nuclear generators that were needed to power all the action wheels at once. No need for heavy batteries.

[OTehNoes]

I think it was moving sideways because I used wing connectors for paddles and they ended up providing a weird lift action of some sort.

Regarding power - I ended up using the exact number of nuclear generators that were needed to power all the action wheels at once. No need for heavy batteries.

Surely is your speed not as a result of lift as well as paddling then? As if you were moving sideways your velocity would have been the vector result of your forwards velocity and paddling?

[Andon]

I managed to ping 17.3 with one of my designs. 22 on land. Still trying to refine it though.

[Nemrav]

i'd try, but can I at least use FAR.....

[Nemrav]

well, ready or not here's my paddler, http://i.imgur.com/OvQzIgP.png"]

13.9m/s

[Andon]

i'd try, but can I at least use FAR.....

Unless you're using aerodynamic things, having or not having FAR isn't really going to make a difference. If anything, I'd say FAR could make it harder.

[Lumie]

Surely is your speed not as a result of lift as well as paddling then? As if you were moving sideways your velocity would have been the vector result of your forwards velocity and paddling?

I'm not 100% sure, what I do know is that I start at a dead stop, use only rotation, begin moving forward, but soon after I end up with a large lateral speed that is increased and decreased by my rotational speed.

[Tsevion]

I only actually abuse reaction wheels to keep the craft level... but it is a stock paddleboat: