"PLASTIKI" -- The real Deal or Just Another "Tin Can"?

[JohnRPollard]

Many SailNet denizens will recall last year's ill-fated "Tin Can" -- a homemade trimaran that failed in its low-budget attempt to "Round the Horn". In fact, it only made it a few dozen nautical miles out from its California homeport before suffering major structural failure.

Another fellow is now constructing a catamaran from recycled plastic containers, and proposes to sail to Australia from San Fran, departing in April.

I'm both skeptical and intrigued, but given his "deep pockets" and record of accomplishments, I'm not inclined to wager against him!

Sailboat Made Of Recycled Plastic Containers Plans Voyage from San Fran to Australia

What do you think?

[aeisbren]

Here is another link about the same thing!
Plastiki | Architecture for Humanity

[poopdeckpappy]

I think if he was any kind of true environmentist and really want to make a impact on the environment he could walk to the end of fishermans wharf, expel all the air out of his lungs, and step off, thereby feeding the 1000's of starving crabs of SF bay.

Then we don't have a environmentialist building a plastic boat to sail the big blue in order to make a point about the perils of plastics ( which has already beat'n to death ), that will undoubtedly end up spread all over the Southern waters when he does his impression of the Tin Man's Catamaran, along with the CO2 he man-made with dry ice powder and CH4 he produced with his composting.

But, I'm sure he filed his EIR for this endeavor, being all environmental and such

[sailingdog]

If he has a decent design, I don't see why he couldn't do it. However, PET isn't exactly a great structural material and it does degrade some under UV... so he's got some concerns that David Vann's Tin Can did not.

[imagine2frolic]

Well these guys made it!!!!

JUNK in Hawaii - Photo | YachtPals.com

I forget the Japanese fella's name that went from SF. to Japan on a cat made of beer barrels.

Rothchild is nothing, but money, and will probably build a fine sailing vessel. Tin Can was just the opposite. Plastiki is well funded!

My thinking is that he's already been beat by Junk. Yes I know he's going farther, but in the trades you can sail a bathtub someplace. Webb Chiles is a fine example of what can be done with nearly nothing.....i2f

[Omatako]

Let's hope he doesn't tie the thing together with a continuous line. Although it'll be fun watching that thing unravel 1000 miles from land!!

And by the way, being rich isn't necessarily synonomous with being clever. Britney Spears is living proof of that.

[imagine2frolic]

Yes, and who would have thought you could cross oceans on bundles of reeds? .....i2f

[danjarch]

It's all flash in the pan if you ask me. He'll probably make it, chuck enough money at anything and you can get some results, but after the little bit of PR it will amount to nothing. He out for show, if the goal was to try and make the world a better place there are a hundred other ways that would have better and longer lasting results. You could get more PR by building a 16 foot catamaran and trucking it from place to place to show what could be done with the old bottles instead of thowing them away. As it's now planned, he'll get a little blurb in a few local papers at the launch, the couple stops and his final destination but then will vanish into the lost world of novelty history.

[Faster]

Miles away from David Vann and the Tin can. he may well "succeed". Not sure what the point really is, though. We're not likely to start mass producing such a 'recycled" vessel.

Also, should his engineering fail and the boat indeed 'unravels' along the way, the remains are going to drift around for a long, long time.

[WouldaShoulda]

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

What do you think?

I think any well meaning cause-head or Earth-dog can find a more effective means to "save the Planet!!"