Silver Creek MESA Student Uses Google Sketchup in Model Boat Design!
MESA student, Eric Heichelheim, a junior at Silver Creek High, used his expertise and Google SketchUp to help his team design a boat to compete in Colorado MESA's Fall Fling Boat Building Competition. Eric's design went through multiple modifications based on his experimentations with SketchUp and feedback from his teammates. The team's final design did stay afloat contrary to opinions of boating experts!
The design first came into play when I went to experiment on Google SketchUp. I played around with flat-faced rectangles and triangles at first to form an overall triangular prism structure, because I knew that we would only be allowed by the design constraints to work with cardboard, and it would have been difficult to successfully achieve any curves without deteriorating its strength with folds. Even though the design went through multiple modifications, including those based on feedback from the other students, we ended up with a basic rectangular canoe-like structure with triangular wings coming down from the sides placed there to ensure floatation and stability. We then repeatedly duct taped the seams to prevent vulnerability to the water, and painted it with waterproof paint, which happened to be maroon for school pride. According to Ms. Bentley, a fellow teacher of hers, Mr. Tropman, who is also a boating expert, thought that the boat was not going to stay afloat. But, I was told that although our boat did not win, or even rank, it did stay afloat when others sunk.
Sincerely, Eric Heichelheim, Junior
Actually, the Silver Creek MESA boat did win 6th place!
Dottie Bentely, Silver Creek MESA Advisor
