Length: 40cm * Width: 10cm * Depth: 13mm
Propulsion: 2 paddle wheels * Steering: differential steering
Inspired by the vessel WIM WOLFF I found on the website of CONOSHIP, I thought about a ship for shallow waters.
I do not want to challenge the propeller as a primary means for propelling ships, but for some special cases there might be better solutions.
These are e. g. bow thrusters, but also: shallow waters.
The diameter of a propeller is limited to the water depth in maximum. That limits the area that can produce thrust to this small circle.
When a paddle wheel with vertical axis is used, the water depth limits only the height of the paddles.
This way the thrust producing area can be much bigger than that of a propeller.
To prove that concept, BUTT was built.
Here the first test runs:
There is another argument for the use of these paddle- wheels in shallow waters: The protection of the seabed.
I read that one goal for the development of the Kort Nozzle was to reduce the sudden water pressure changes on the river banks when a propeller driven ship passes by.
The Kort Nozzle had only a limited effect in this regard, but maybe these paddle wheels are doing better:
The pressure builds up along the whole diameter of the paddle wheel, more gently than inside the short plane of a propeller.