Create your Clipper Cat!

Join us in Shed 13 at Dock 2 to build and test your own Clipper Cat - a battery-powered catamaran!

Plastic bottles form the twin hull of the vessel, while a drone propellor - driven by an electric motor - provides the forward thrust. To construct and test this vessel you will:

• build the mechanical assembly using hand tools and a glue gun
• connect the battery pack, switch and electric motor using a soldering iron
• measure the electrical input to the motor using meters
• measure the mechanical output from the propellor using a meter and scales  
• run the vessel in our 6-metre, 2-lane water trough - and measure its speed.

Then at home - in bath, pool or pond - experiment with other recycled bottles or containers as hulls.

NOTE: The electric motor on the Clipper Cat produces much less power than one on a small drone, but the spinning propellor can still deliver quite a sting to a wandering finger! This, together with some of the equipment used during construction and testing, makes this project better suited to youngsters of at least 8 years - with adult assistance where needed.