Marine

Video: Mini Boat earns its chops out at sea

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Rapid Whale's Josh Tulberg readily admits to being terrified as he ventured beyond the break-water in his electric Mini Boat
Rapid Whale
Josh Tulberg and friend Dylan (pictured) tackle the waves off the coast of Alameda, east of San Francisco, in 6ft-long Mini Boats
Rapid Whale
Rapid Whale's Josh Tulberg readily admits to being terrified as he ventured beyond the break-water in his electric Mini Boat
Rapid Whale
All at sea: Josh Tulberg and his Mini Boat survive the project's first sea trials in the coastal waters off Alameda, California
Rapid Whale
The Mini Boat tackling the big waves out at sea
Rapid Whale
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Back in January, Josh Tulberg of Rapid Whale took his short and stout Mini Boat out on the water for the first time. Tulberg has now taken the 6 foot (1.8 m) long electric splosher to Southern California to quietly take on some waves. But it wasn't all plain sailing.

Tulberg's Mini Boat is made from marine plywood, with 3D-printed components and a comfy looking padded vinyl seat. A steering wheel is used to navigate the teeny watercraft, which is connected to a rope-tie pulley system. A sealed lead acid battery powers the outboard trolling motor, and it's reported capable of reaching a top speed of 3.5 knots (4 mph/6.4 km/h).

For its maiden sea voyage, Tulberg and his friend Dylan opted to take a trip to Alameda, east of San Francisco. It was a sunny but windy day, which meant the water in the bay was choppy, but they ventured out anyway.

The Mini Boat tackling the big waves out at sea
Rapid Whale

After following the jetty out, confidence growing all the time, they ventured farther and farther out to sea, past the break-water and beyond. Unfortunately, as the intrepid seafarers headed back to shore, they decided to try and tackle a big ass surf wave and the boats and captains got flipped into the drink.

"Mini Boats probably aren't the best for surfing (unless you like getting your butt kicked by Mother Nature) but they seem to do quite well in the chop," quipped Tulberg. You can see the funtastic Mini Boat action in the two videos below. And if you fancy building your own Mini Boat, plans are available from the Rapid Whale website.

Source: Rapid Whale

View gallery - 4 images
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3 comments
Philip J. 7 Smith
Cute little boats to be sure, however going super small may be going too far. If these were a bit longer and came to a point they would cut the waves better. Also some foam filled bulkheads and a cabin skirt like a kayak would allow turning turtle without sinking.
toyhouse
It's more like an amusement ride with that motor. Open ocean is the wrong place. Slap a non-green motor on, and things might be different. Mini speedboat racing has been around for decades.
Chris Taylor
Gotta have one ,hopefully you ship to British Columbia Canada please respond