====== Raft Race ====== ===== The Challenge ===== Announcements for the Edinburgh Canal Festival are primarily done through their [[https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghCanalFest | Facebook page]] The raft race is held every year in June/July as part of the [[https://edinburghcanalfestival.org.uk/raft-race/|Edinburgh Canal Festival]]. The race takes place in the Lochrin Basin at the end of the canal in Fountainbridge. Hacklab has entered every year between 2011 and 2019 inclusive. ===== Ideas ===== * We're getting too good at this. We should aim for the Daftest Raft award and provide maximum entertainment value. * Carry lots of people (at least 6, 8-10 would be ideal). This provides entertainment value, and allows more Hacklabbers to take part. * Carry passengers (more fun, at doesn't give us the unfair speed advantage of lots of paddlers). * Articulated raft, multiple segments tied together (easier to transport, can be scaled up to more people). * Submarine. * Simple raft, outrageous decor. (e.g. look like an aircraft carrier, or a giant shark) * {{:jellyfish_oar.png?600|}} * [[https://www.instagram.com/p/C9gTWFIMs72/ | Complex Mechanical linkage, using bike chains, etc]] ===== Previous Years ===== ==== 2011 ==== {{:raft2011.jpg?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 9 July\\ **Result:** Finished 5th place\\ 4-person raft based on 6 gym balls.\\ Blog Post: https://edinburghhacklab.com/2011/07/raft-race-report/ \\ [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenhac/albums/72157627035977303/with/5922125512 | Photos]] ---- ==== 2012 ==== {{:raft2012.jpg?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 30 June\\ **Result:** Winner of Daftest Raft award!\\ 2-person pedal-powered paddle-wheel craft with gym balls for buoyancy. \\ https://edinburghhacklab.com/2012/07/award-winning-hacklab-raft/ \\ [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/50394334@N00/albums/72157630385894696/with/7486772372 | Photos]] ---- ==== 2013 ==== {{:raft2013.jpg?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 6 July\\ **Result:** First place winners!\\ 4-person vessel constructed from PVC tubes. \\ [[https://edinburghhacklab.com/2013/07/edinburgh-hacklab-wins-canal-festival-raft-race/]] ---- ==== 2014 ==== {{:raft2014.png?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 21 June\\ **Result:** 1st Place\\ 3-person vessel constructed from polystyrene sheet and PVC tubes. \\ https://youtu.be/tRphBr_lyEo ---- ==== 2015 ==== {{:raft2015.png?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 27 June\\ **Result:** (no prize)\\ 2-person raft based on an oil drum and a large tub. https://youtu.be/3GBIKQ-LbWo?t=561 ---- ==== 2016 ==== {{:raft2016.png?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 18 June\\ **Result:** (no prize)\\ 4-person barrel and metal frame, flipper/paddle driven. https://youtu.be/40T6zGjpbl8?t=304 \\ https://youtu.be/UTO98LgxfhU?t=163 ---- ==== 2017 ==== {{:raft2017.png?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 17 June\\ **Result:** Prize for "Most entertaining"\\ Single-person inflatable banana hydrofoil.\\ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVVi5ptvL3A ---- ==== 2018 ==== {{:raft2018.png?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 16 June\\ **Result:** 1st Place\\ 4-person inflatable banana dragon raft. \\ https://edinburghhacklab.com/2018/06/edinburgh-hacklab-goes-bananas-at-the-union-canal-raft-race/ ---- ==== 2019 ==== {{:raft2019.jpg?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 15 June\\ **Result:** 3rd place prize\\ 6-person banana flipper raft. Fippers attached to a lever plus bike brake cable mechanism, which overheated and popped the bananas.\\ Photos: \\ https://www.flickr.com/photos/cazagen/albums/72157709095336796 \\ https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/80714c9b6e834ec5a4af31d4829004bd \\ https://yadi.sk/a/hyWWAK2I2Rn1jA \\ ---- ==== 2020 - 2021 ==== This year's raft race was done fully online because of covid reasons. Each team 3D scanned and measured the physics properties of the materials they would have used in building their raft. The materials were assembled into a raft inside of CAD software before being simulated inside of a Computational Fluid Dynamics/Multiphysics program. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=3507286949301403&id=237399276290203 ---- ==== 2022 ==== {{:raft2022.jpg?direct&400 |}} **Date:** Sat 18 June\\ **Result:** 2nd place, and a prize for 'Most Creative Raft'\\ The race is back after 3 years! \\ 3 person raft (it flipped over with 4 people on it) - triangular wooden frame with styrofoam blocks underneath. The design was based on a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerridae|water skeeter / pond skater]]. Built by Gandolf and Miron, with Jim sitting in the middle \\ \\ [[https://www.flickr.com/gp/195883871@N03/98623n | Photos]] \\ [[https://youtu.be/SqWK4U9FnXI?si=Ic3LDz28QFjMvfMj&t=425 | Video here]] (7:24 is when it tips over with 4 people on it) \\ Date: Sat 18th June, 2.30-4.30pm ---- ==== 2023/2024 ==== **2023**, Sat 17 June: Not enough interest from the Hacklab members to form a raft building team. \\ They did allow DIY rafts (unlike 2024) - photos of another team's 2023 raft: [[https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=585707257077973&set=pb.100069161111410.-2207520000 | link]] \\ **2024**, Sat 15 June: Unfortunately the canal festival team didn't want to secure the insurance and safety people required to run a raft race of DIY rafts, and so each team was only allowed to decorate two pre-prepared canoes taped together. Someone from the Edinburgh Forge did build their own raft and sailed it in the canal, separately from the event. \\ \\ ---- ==== 2025 ==== **Date:** Sat 23rd Aug\\ The raft race is scheduled for Sat 23rd Aug 12-5pm. We will see if they will allow DIY rafts or not. It is going to be a separate event from the Edinburgh Canal Festival (which is happening on Sat 21st June and overlaps with the Edinburgh pride parade) Details: [[https://edinburghcanalfestival.org.uk/raft-race/]] ----