By Shannon Lukens. (Courtesy photos)

 

Students in the engineering classes at Steamboat Springs High School had a “sink or swim” challenge Friday. The assignment was to create a water craft that could safely and reliably transport students across an open body of water in a variety of weather conditions.

 

Their teacher, Dan Brabec, says the students spent six weeks designing and testing scale model boats out of foam before presenting their design ideas to class.

 

This involved evaluating cost and materials along with performance testing for carrying capacity and stability.

 

Classes weighed the relative merits of the different designs before deciding which two boats would be brought to full scale.

 

The boats were constructed and covered in a special blend of concrete using low density aggregate so the final products would be easier to transport and safer to float.

 

Once cured, the boats were brought to Fetcher Pond to be float tested.

 

Eventually the boats were used to successfully transport the entire student group from one side of the pond to the other.

 

Brabec says the only water came from slow leaks in the boats where the concrete wasn’t evenly applied.

 

Brabec tells Steamboat Radio News, “Overall it was a highly successful day and most students felt that their boat’s performance far exceeded their expectations.”