I need some design help!

JamesTXSD

Active member
Greetings C-Brat Brothers and Sisters,

As the holiday season gets closer, we are presented with a perplexing situation and looking for a creative solution. Our annual Lighted Boat Parade is only three weeks away. Two years ago, we won our category with our catboat, decorated with a candy-cane theme (with the mast being the red & white centerpiece). Last year we were thoroughly trounced when Wild Blue was put in the same category as the gazillion dollar big boats.

This year, Joan has come up with a great idea... but I am at a bit of a loss for how to execute it. The most prominent structure in our small town is the lighthouse (built in 1852, and an important part of the history of this area). Joan would like to incorporate a lighthouse into our boat decorating.

Now, my concerns...
* How to build it? It should be large enough to see that it IS a lighthouse, but light enough that it isn't a burden to the boat. Since we have limited storage area, it would likely be a one-time decoration, so I'm not looking to spend a lot of $$. It needs to be sturdy enough to make it through winds that will likely be 15+ knots (conditions for the last few parades). It would need to be something that I could easily build (and keep in mind that for most of my adult life, my best tools have been a camera and a credit card).

Of course, we will be decorating the boat with lights, too.

So, C-Brat Brain Trust... any ideas? :idea Thanks in advance for what I am sure will make some interesting reading. :D

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan

PS - on edit, here's the judging criteria...

Vessels will be judged based upon the following criteria:
1. First impression~ 2. Theme~ 3. Special Effects~ 4. Amount of Lights~ 5. Animated Characters
 
Paper mache and chicken wire. Build the base first then the tower.
very messy but fun. As a side, add a mailbox. Great for giving directions to your home.
 
I'd recommend you use a cardboard tube for the main portion of the lighthouse structure. You can get tubes that are used as concrete forms at many big box hardware stores. It won't scratch up the top of the boat and with some 80-100 test fishing line as guy wires you could probably attach it to the hand rails pretty firmly. If you can find some ornaments or similar decorations of santa's sleigh and the reindeer, you can probably come up with a way to have them "flying" over the top of the light house.
 
PVC plumbing pipe and glue makes a very sturdy super structure and it can be put to use around the house after
the holidays for those little plumbing repair jobs you find yourself doing.

Shrink Wrap can provide the skin...and cardboard can provide the top detail.

Good luck...I am sure you will makes us all proud.
 
Take the mast off the Catboat and put it onto the C-Dory and go for the gold! :shock: That and about 40000 lights.. :!: :idea: :idea: :idea:

You didn't say it had to be easy, only easy to build. You've got all the parts..... :disgust

Charlie
 
This might take some artistic talent but you could buy a sheet of 2" blue or pink foam insulation from the hardware store. Cut out circles that are gradually smaller in diameter. Glue them together starting with the largest one. You then can carve the sides somewhat smooth with a and saw and sanding block. You can use a soldering iron to cut grooves ect if need be. Then it can be painted. It would be very light. You might even be able to incorporate an upside down mayonase jar (or plastic) as the light light portion.

The other route would be to buy some cheap 1x1 pine and build a rough frame and then staple some lightweight canvas. I think from there you can cover the canvas with a resin that could be painted or maybe even some kind of hobby paint.

Good luck.
 
Enter the catboat again. Build the lighthouse around the catboat mast (sans boom) using one or more of the above-suggested methods. Rig anas to prevent the catboat from capsizing. Pull the catboat with Wild Blue. Voila! Instant winner!

You have my address, to which you may mail my share of your prize. :mrgreen:

Warren
 
I've built a lot of light house's it was a hobby or obsession for a while. I've got seven in my yard now and one on the roof. I've built them out of everything from fiberglass, mortar and wood. Sounds like all you really need is a silohette of a light house with lights? If thats the case as someone mentioned pvc pipe is easy to work with, strong and light. I've got a christmas tree I built about 15 years ago out of pvc. It's just a frame with lights and goes on the end of my dock after thanksgiving. At night it looks just like a real tree. It's very strong I've been using it for a long time in some pretty nasty weather. Some of those cheap solar lights work really well for Top lights. Their housing look like the top of a lighthouse.
 
Maybe a hula hoop as the cylindrical base with a white sheet (bricks drawn on) as the outer wall (do they sell humungous wire tomato guides to give it some body?), heavy thick cardboard base with a cutout for holding a pole (felt glued to underside to protect Wild Blue), cut round starboard for the top platform, staple sheet to that and a giant lantern on top for the lighthouse light....solid blue lights (everyone loves blue lights!) all over the boat representing water -- and white styro handrails for stairway to the cockpit.

I can't wait to see the completed project!

Caty
 
OK, we're heading to Home Depot and Lowes today to check out some of these materials. Before heading out, I'll be a bit more specific on what the Blonde is thinking: the structure of the lighthouse would have to be about 8 feet tall to stand out on the boat. It would have to last about 3 hours (the duration of the parade). Weather plays a big part in the parade... it's generally windy here that time of year, and we spend a good portion of our time waiting to be judged and dodging other much bigger boats. People viewing the boat parade will be onshore, and the boats will be a hundred yards or so as a minimum distance.

Ideally, it would be something I can put together in a day - test it a night or two before the parade. If it looks to be overwhelming (and taking the mast off the catboat is definitely overwhelming :shock: ), I'm going to Plan B: add more lights. :wink:

The winner in each category gets $100 bucks, a free dinner, and usually a couple other local business gift certificates. The non-winners (I don't think of anyone who participates as a loser) get a free dinner and the pleasure of participating. We knew there was NO WAY we could be competitive last year, since we were put in the same category as 60 foot boats with a lighting budget more than the cost of our boat. :mrgreen: This year, the categories have been re-defined again, and we will be in the 19-29 foot powerboat category. I have less ambitions of winning, but just don't want to look like we weren't really trying... last year we wound up between the two biggest, most-lit boats. To make matters worse, it rained just before our turn to be judged, and about 1/3 of our lights went out. :oops: There was some quiet sympathy applause, but we chugged along the whole parade route, smiling, waving, and hollering Merry Christmas! Joan said, "I'm not doing this again"... the same thing she says every year when it's dark, the wind is blowing, I'm dodging big boats with people full of um, Christmas cheer, and you can't see much out the windshield because of the bright lights on the bow of the boat messing with your night vision! :xseek

Picture Clark Griswald with a much smaller budget.

Thanks for the suggestions so far!

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

If you can imagine this, we found an inflatable lighthouse (with Santa) about 8' tall. :D More rope lights (blue this time), blue icicle lights, and a couple of lighted holiday greetings that should look good on the sides of the boat. Add those to what we already have, and Wild Blue should look pretty festive. Even found a small solar lighted lighthouse that should look good up on the bow.

We won't be mounting these up on the boat until a day or two before so we can continue to enjoy the boat on a daily basis. I'll post photos in a couple weeks when we get her decorated.

My thanks to y'all for the input! I know it's way early, but let me be the first to wish you a happy upcoming holiday season.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Don't forget to inflate the Santa with hydrogen.... and most christmas tree lights are 12 volt....so you could hook up yer Honda generator and run about 100 strings to ole santa... then at the right moment...torch him off.... Ya hoo !!!!

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Uumm, I think Helium rather than hydrogen. I seem to remember newsreels about a giant Zeppelin burning rather brightly because it was full of hydrogen. :) :) and we wouldn't want Wild Blue to be too wild. . We want pictures!!
 
Oh, the humanity!

You can count on some photos in a couple weeks. I'm just hoping for some light winds so the light house doesn't look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. :shock:
 
SEA3PO":1fikya31 said:
Don't forget to inflate the Santa with hydrogen.... and most christmas tree lights are 12 volt....so you could hook up yer Honda generator and run about 100 strings to ole santa... then at the right moment...torch him off.... Ya hoo !!!!

Joel
SEA3PO

How many carbon credits would that be worth? LOL
 
I know you have the inflatable lighthouse, but last nite I got an idea which may have worked.

You could get some Hula hoops, size some down so that 3 or 4 would taper to the lighthouse shape... maybe just two would do - one small one normal sized. run some cross hair shaped stabilization in the hoops, stitch or glue some material or plastic around the hoops and hoist the smaller one on a small internal mast, maybe an extended boat cover support.

Oh well,,, you're already on track, so good luck down there,

John
 
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