Need engineering assistance on a new concept product

Everything that moves does so on a bearing. Our company makes bearings for extremes of environments and does so without grease. Salt water, fresh water, heat cold, chemical, impact, vibration, etc. Without the use of any liquid or semi-solid lubricant it has a very low environmental footprint and as close to zero maintenance as it is possible to get. The public waterways in which many of these devices will be floating will benefit from this product and the owners will like the low maintenance. There is a wide range of standard products in inventory and custom product is available to optimize equipment as required. www.edtcorp.com

Hello,

I am not sure if I can introduce my firm on the forum. we are a research and design centre in India, working on embedded, industruial and high end technology solutions. We haev designed working prototypes and products for many clients.

We have worked on concept development.

If you would like some help in the designing of the elctronics/circuitry do mail me at vishal@inventsoln.com .

Moderators, I am sorry if this is a breach of conduct. That being the case please do let me know.

Matt:

I read most of your posting and it sounds like it is a really cool project. I am very excited for you. I love getting involved in projects like yours.

I didn't read the whole posting because and important underlying concept was missing from your idea. That was the marketability of you idea. You are very descriptive in describing how it will work, but you didn't say much about how these aspects of your design will do more, cheaper, faster for your companies target market (who?).

Is it possible that your idea can end up being so complicated that it will cost your customers more than the thing they are hauling? Customers might not be able to connect the features with your design to owner benefits. The distributors and retailers might also have the same problem. Distributors are important and if they won't buy into your design, you might be forced to sell direct to the market and that will be expensive.

If any of those conditions happen to be the case, how many will your company sell? You might be disappointed to spend the amount of time in this and zero sales.

I am not an expert on engineering, but I love seeing ideas that people can use. If they can use it, they will buy it. You company probably knows that as well. I think you might need to "dumb-down" your idea and make the design simpler.

You should look at doing some research on the market. Talk to the dealers, potential owners and other people in the industry.

DO NOT DO THIS BECAUSE YOUR FRIENDS THOUGHT IT WAS COOL. IF THEY THINK IT IS THAT COOL ASK THEM FOR A LOAN TO DEVELOP IT. MONEY TALKS BULLSHIT WALKS.

If you need any help with a revised design that uses large plastic roto-molded parts, you can contact me anytime. I have worked with a few companies that make floatation docks and other floating recreational hardware. Contact me this week. My phone is 763-355-7186 and that is the best number to contact me.

Good luck.

Keep it simple and safe try this

Matt,

I like your concept .

Quite innovative--and might end up as an universally accepted off-shore parking service in Summer -- for all PWC's.

Now-to be able to offer you comments, all CR4 members will have these Q's:

• 110V or230V or even24vdc electric power will be at Buoys
• All operations need to be Automatic-- even Credit Card payable
• That the Buoy's displacement will be say10 times the weight of PWC+Passengers coming in to park?

We want you to Answer these.If they are Yes, many will comment positively.

An idea I think might work is design each pontoon with a top and bottom section. You can then flood the bottom section lowering the cradle, pontoons and all. You then drive in your pwc and either pump out the water or force out the water and the entire assembly will rise out of the water and should be considerbly cheaper and less maintenance than hydraulics. An outside thought is you could use the jet intake and the jet as the pump. Just set up an interlock so that when you pull your pwc into the cradle the jet intake lines up with a port attached to the lower section of the pontoons. Then you can open a valve, rev your engine and pump out the water. No outside energy source needed other than your pwc.

David Pepple

I have seen a system that I think is along the lines of what you are describing except it was for boats up to 7 m in length. The system has a concrete dock that the boats are driven up to bow into the dock then lifted out of the water with a fork lift. The boats are then stacked in a multi layer shed for later retrieval.

This system uses a fork lift that has been modified to allow the forks to be lowered below ground and this lets them drive the fork lift up to the edge of the dock and then lower the forks into the water. Once the forks are in position the boat is moved over the forks and then raised out of the water. Because the boats pointed at the wharf there is no need to worry about the leveling system because the boats are symmetrical along their length.

From what I understand your system works in pretty much the same way except you are trying to lift the PEC from the side and this is where the problem lies. What I would do is either get the PWC to be picked up from the front or back or build a mounting on the lifting gear that use arms running parallel to the axis of the craft to lift them. Either way you can do away with the leveling system.

If you can't understand what I am describing post a query and I will draw up what I am talking about.