Wrote an article for 3dprint.com, gave M2 a shout out

[willnewton]

http://3dprint.com/81733/3d-printed-dailboat/

This is an article I wrote describing the design process for my entry into the #makeitfloat challenge on Thingiverse. I had to give the Makergear M2 a mention

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:923580

[jimc]

Thats fantastic will. I saw the model the other day and commented. I come from a marine manufacturing background so i can really appreciate this. The article is great also. Nice job.

[rpollack]

Wow! Excellent work

Rick

[willnewton]

Could not have done it without you Rick! The M2 continues to impress folks every time I show it off. I have a buddy with a printer from another manufacturer and he can't believe the quality I get at twice the layer height he uses.

Jim, I wish the article could have touched more on the hull design modeling and nautical history, but I had to keep it concise. I have built a couple of small boats before, but this one, in terms of cost and maintenance, is my wife's favorite!

[Dale Reed]

I noticed in the article that the boat appears to be sitting in a plastic bag when it's in water. Is this because the printed hull is not watertight?

[willnewton]

Dale, this one is just for sailing on a desk or display. The floating part was to satisfy the requirements of the challenge. Unfortunately, I had already tinted the filament and did not want to mess up the finish, so I used plastic wrap.

I printed the hull at 30% infill with three walls. I think it would have floated for a bit, but then would have had to wait for it to dry out before tinting and I was ready to get my entry in.

For a floaty version, maybe print, then coat with XTC to seal it. It really needs to have a longer, weighted keel to offset the tippyness caused by the printed sail.