I'd like to see a video on how this boat was constructed, namely the propulsion system/boiler. Reason is is because I've seen quite a few putt putt boat videos and not many of them run this good or as fast. Seems like a lot of them hit and miss here and there, this one seems lively and consistent. I believe that the angle of the boiler has something to do with it as well as the placement of the flame but I'm not sure if that's quite the case here. I'd like to build one like this.
@@bodeine454 I saw a video from 12 years ago with Gillette written on it. I'd guess Duck Sauce is correct and you can buy them made out of recycled parts off ebay-amazon.
Made a few of these, they range from "works well" to "barely works". What could be fun would be someone trying a man-sized one, like a rowing boat with some old central heating radiators and a few propane wok burners. Maybe radio-control it in case of rapid unplanned disassembly.
Rode on a boat that functioned in this way as a kid actually, never really thought about it until I saw this video, kind of forgot about it. He described it as shooting bubbles of water out the back of it, I didnt get it at the time and I still dont
@@TugIronChief yeah thays why it just clicked while I was watching this. Happened 20 years ago though, I would have been around 7 or 8 so that way probably just him trying to explain it in a way I could understand
No quicker way to a forced suicide that to invent alternative forms of transportation. Maybe try and figure out how to tax the public everytime we blink? That's the road to fame and fortune.
I just want to say this . This guy is the most educational instructor I've ever had the pleasure of learning off of RUclips. 10/10 for making an honest living by educating and bringing joy to people that watch your videos. You've beaten back most of these movies stars. Good job bro! And thank you for filling my sleepless Nights, break time , down Time with your vids ! 🇹🇹🇹🇹
Couldn't agree more. And there are plenty of great educational channels out there, but within the world of science, I don't think anyone in my adult life has helped me understand more NEW concepts so intuitively.
The shape of the bow and stern also help the boat move forwards rather than backwards. When the boat goes forwards, the bow moves the water sideways. When the boat tries to move backwards, the water behind the boat resists the movement.
@Aaron Bredon Excellent observation. I hope someone will make a Putt-Putt boat with the bow in the exact shape and draft as stern so as to test how much the shape of the bow helps to move the boat forward.
Even if the momentum was equal for in and out with no canceling, the shape of the boat would make going forward more efficient than moving backwards because of friction. It's like those gear mechanisms that spring with teeth facing one direction. They grab to lock motion in one direction, and slip freely in the other.
I've always wondered how these work! I still really want to see one of these scaled up to a ridable size like that animated movie ponyo. Probably not possible with these conventional putt putt boilers, but a redesigned boiler with smaller heating chambers to increase the startup time might work?
@@Corundrom steamboats use steam to turn giant paddle wheels that paddle through the water in order to move the boat. The physics behind why a Putt-Putt and a steam boat move through water are completely different.
Thank you Action Lab for making this video. Being an Indian, and born and brought up here, this is one of those toys that has a nostalgic touch in its essence for us. It really means a lot that you've made a video explaining the working principle of this toy boat. Thank you for your work. :)
Did you have one as a child? Or have any other similar neat toys from your childhood? I remember my dad giving me a piece of string, about 2.5’ long, tied at the ends (making a loop) and it had a clothing button in the middle with the string running through two of the button holes. If you held the string loop with both hands with the button in the middle and twisted the string several times, then you could pull the string and then relax the string while gently moving your hands in and out from each other and the button would spin fast, making a unique whirling sound. I would do that for hours! Lol. Simple, cheap entertainment!
Jason, I didn't own any such toy boat, although it was like the most common toy found everywhere on every carnival and fares. Although, the string and button thing you mentioned, first of all great explanation, I made those type of toys and played with them too. For me it was my grandfather who taught me how to make one of those. My first try was to use a piece of circular blade shaped cardboard instead of a button though. Does bring back memories, and really good ones too. :)
Also, make a flotilla of the small ones, attach some sort of resistant string to them, and be pulled around while sitting on a rowboat or kayak or something like that
Thanks for the video. There is one more amonsgst many other reasons why there is forward momentum. The shape of the boat, it's more hydrodynamic at the bow, hence it allows it to move forward more freely.
Thank you. My brain got stuck in a loop a while back trying to figure it out. To attempt to get my head out of the rut I tried to think of a put put boat 2.0. I'd love to see that if you have a better way. Nice put put boat BTW!
I've already suggested a few modifications to the _engine,_ but to become *_Boaty McBoatFace²_* the boat itself could: • Be coated with a water repellent surface to reduce drag, • Be made out of a structurally light, but strong, material (like carbon fibre) to reduce mass. • Be modified to be a Catamaran, a Tri-maran, or even a single hulled vessel with an asymmetrical outrigger. • Have the shape of it's hull optimised to suit this kind of propulsion, or just reconfigured for the purpose you want it for. Eg: A flat-bottomed barge for river transport; Long & sharp (like a Littoral Combat Warship) for high speed: Wide & with a rounded deep hull (like a oil tanker) for cargo, etc.
I have seen other engibe designs utilizing a vertical coil in the copper because the hot water moves upwards. Then you get an intake and output out of the system thereby removing the put putt entirely which is the charm of a put putt boat.
@@aaroncarr-mackay2457 Probably the coolest little steam powered boat which I've ever seen was based on *Heron of Alexandria's* piece of absolute genius, the *_Aeolipile._* The original device was a kind of *Steam Turbine* designed & built way back in _the 1st century AD!_ It consisted of a sealed copper boiler with two pipes rising vertically from it's flat top. Set between the pipes was a hollow copper sphere with two pipes bent 90° sticking out at opposite sides of the sphere (with open ends pointing in opposite directions). When a fire was lit beneath the full boiler, steam would rush up the pipes into the sphere, before whistling out the bent pipes, causing the sphere to rotate at what would have been a shockingly dramatic speed (recognising that the fastest things in the *Ancient Greek World* would have been horses & massive rowing/sailing ships ~ *Triremes).* The version I saw a video of had • a small spirit burner, • a boiler, with an intake piped in from with water outside • The sphere sat at the back of the boat (there was a curved metal baffle blocking steam from entering the boat). • When the spirit burner was lit, the water in the boiler turned to steam, which blasted out the bent pipes on the sphere, making it spin up with a whistle of increasing pitch, shoving the boat forward at impressive speed. [ _Sorry, this was years ago & I can't find the video._ ]
@@Skeptical_Numbat Cool, I have seen that before as well. The concept but not the boat with the mechanism. I imagine that design would still have lots of energy loss. But steam is basically how we get energy from nuclear plants.
The put put boat has continued to amaze me ever since childhood. It's simple design yet fun to play with even today. Thanks to you for explaining the science behind it so clearly.
Thank you! I tried understanding this when I was a kid and even my teachers couldn't explain it. This is like finding an answer to a question I set aside 20 years ago.
Hey There! Great video, I did try to build one of this for a school projects when I was younger out of Tuna can. However I am really interested in knowing on how did you achieve such perfect boat shape out of a shaving can. Based on other comments, a part 2 to this video explaining how to build one of this boats would not just be of my interests, but to loads of your other fans. Looking forward for more videos on your channel. All the best.
The putt putt sound is the same concept that causes some steam radiators to make hammering sounds. It can be fixed by tipping the radiator toward the valve. Pooling water in the radiator causes the steam to collapse making the bang sound.
When I was a kid, my grandparents had this sound in their basement, we called it the monkey in the pipes. It got pretty crazy sounding at times, I even recorded some of it just to keep as an auditory memento
I don't believe that I've been around any operational steam radiators since I was a youngster back in the 70s and I'm not even sure if I ever heard any make that sound but I probably did a time or two, probably just don't remember.
@@Eduardo_Espinoza Not really. That condition is called water hammer. Thats when you close a valve and the moving mass of water in the pipe suddenly stops it hammers against the insides of the pipe. If the pipes are loosely hung they can bang against the walls.
Nice. My kids are going to love seeing this. I already know I'm going to be making 3 of them for tub drag races. Thanks for all the time you take making your videos
The first time I saw this was watching 'Ponyo' and I thought this was amazing. After a while I did wonder if it was air from the heat, but it showed the boy filling it before use, I was baffled as to why. Thanks for the info dude. If you haven't seen the anime Ponyo it's recommended, good family film
It is very common here in India you can get it in just 15 rupees (0.20 USD). I remember when I was a kid it was my favourite science toy. Nostalgia ❤️❤️.
Sir! I am a student in class 10th from India. I haven't learned much from books as much u taught me practically. Thankyou for ur efforts. Love from india
Credit for the first putt-putt boat is usually given to a Frenchman named Thomas Piot. In 1891, Piot filed a patent application in the UK for a simple pop pop boat using a small boiler and two exhaust tubes.A 1975 article by Basil Harley mentions a similar boat seen in a French journal from 1880, indicating that this type of toy may have existed for many yea rs prior to Piot's patent.
nostalgic memories with this toy 😄, always wonder why the sound and how it propels. I thought, coz of heat the water evaporates and leave the pipes makes the boat to move forward. However , got the complete explanation. Thank you!
Ahh this boat! Even though i live in Delhi and im 15, i never ever found this boat at any toy shop or places in today's time. Our parents and grandparents used to play with this and they still tell us about how nostalgic and fun that thing was!
Honestly..... one of the most educational channels out there. Seeing this guy explain physically just makes everything so much easier to understand. Always a good job by the action lab 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I'm gonna be honest here... I was 5-6 years old when I had my fist boat... After about 18 years or so, I'm seeing this again on Action Lab... Feels like I'm a child again...
I am 47 years old, I was making this boat 40 years ago, when I was first grade. We burn peace of wood, and the boat was 3 times bigger, we use soldering to join metall sheets, and we made pipe and water tanks simply by metal sheet. For metal sheet, we cut old cooking oil can.
With some garden fountain pumps, a clear sealed chamber, and some mirror system to focus sunlight into it you could in theory make a much larger vehicle that only needs enough battery to run the pumps for enough time to fill the tubes. It's a Longshot but there's serious potential for an absurdly efficient boat here
He explains how simple it is. The "engine" is just a contained small flat space (chamber), with two thin metal pipes leading from it. The chamber needs to be elevated to fit the candle under it. Shouldn't be rocketscience
@@DaP84 Based on the idea that the water doesn't actually go anywhere, you can use a simpler design of a single pipe and no separate boiler, just seal the pipe at one end. I haven't tried this but I did a quick search and it seems like others have.
I've never seen a boat, but I had a very similar toy I bought on a field trip to the Smithsonian. It was solar powered and turned a paddle wheel in it's tank. I remember watching it thinking there had to be a one-way valve in there.. Also just noticed James will be hitting 4 mil soon! Let's help make it happen!!
I would imagine its also to do with the shape of the boat, its streamlined more in the forwards direction than rearward. Thus it will resist going backwards, the stern acting like a brake against the motion
I'm almost 70 now. When I was a kid I got one of these boats as a free prize. I couldn't figure it out without instruction. I plugged the ends of the pipes with bar soap to make it float better I guess. lol. My dad saw it and quickly cleaned out the soap and lit the candle and it took off in the bathtub. I've never seen or heard mention of one until this video. Very nice.
Wonderful, I actually played with that toy way back in the 60's, they cost 25 cents. I use to turn off the lights to see the candle light and was thrilled !
The shape of the boat has to play a big roll in the direction of travel as well. Would be interesting to see the tubes out the front and see it efficiency
The shape does affect the efficiency, but the propulsion comes from the momentum balance. Since the boat is so light and shallow, resistance from the water is almost negligible. You could do this with a square or circle and get a similar result, if less consistently directed.
Who knew there was science behind my early childhood. Now days i consider pixels, shaders, frame time for entertainment, back that was physical 3D model boat, running on magic!!
Hypothetically you could scale up the Putt-Putt boat by making it more efficient by having one tube forward and hooking a Tesla valve to both tubes so water can only come in the front one and out the back
I remember from some discussion with friends years ago that inverting one of the pipes does not work, as it's not an inlet-outlet exclusive configuration, but both of the pipes work both ways, as this video also seem to suggest. So, in my view, it shouldn't boost the effect moving this boat. Of course it could anyway move and be a new concept, nevertheless you could use a one way valve instead of the Tesla fancy thing...
@@ec7283 a Tesla valve is a one-way valve that has no moving parts it works like a diode only for fluid or gas and was invented by Nikola Tesla a Tesla valve allowing water in from the front and out the back only would make it an incredibly efficient design
I'm pretty sure the flow interference would defeat any potential gain from the intake direction. It seems like it would more likely eat at least a quarter of the propulsion in the backflow prevention. If we look at each tube as providing equal thrust in and out, removing one outtake is a 25% power loss. I don't think the directional change would add enough to overcome this. Tesla valves do also slow the flow slightly in the direction they do work, making the case likely worse than 25% power loss. Then there's added drag from the pipe or hole in the front...it's an interesting idea and I like it for that, but it might not run at all. Other comments mentioned home-made boats were finicky with the existing design.
Indeed. Have done workshops about 20 years back, explaining steam to young kids, then explain such a boat and let them build one to take home. Did quite a few different workshops, but this one was one of my favorites.
Probablt but there’s be no reason for it. Modern boats convert fuel into ONLY propulsion l, without that vacuum portion, and they do it far more efficiently and with far more control.
With practice and possibly a couple revisions, two-part molds can be carved out of wood that will readily form thin sheet-metal (like pop and aerosol cans are made from) when hammered or hinged together. A couple of these could be made to form the top and bottom respectively, then the parts are trimmed, drilled and assembled with epoxy or solder. The top and bottom could optionally be assembled with a crimp. It wouldn't be easy for someone without manufacturing experience, but it would absolutely be possible, for any sufficiently determined maker.
This was an amazing video! Really well done :)! I would love to see a video where you show how to make your own Putt-Putt Boat. I think that would be really cool :)!
This Explanation works for some Experiments my brother was doing, Take a Base Speaker place it facing up, Place a Frisbee over the speaker Centered and Slowly turn up the volume, The Frisbee will levitate... Or it just looks that way lol... Your boat Explanation works for the frisbee and Cone shaped speaker, Using Air instead of water... Nice!
I used to make these with pop cans and plastic straws when I was a kid. I even made a small RC one from left over airplane parts. Super fun to learn some of the physics of how they work.
you could even make it able to heat up water at variable speed with tungsten wire and a potentimeter fixed to a motor, so the more you throttle forward, the hotter the steam, amplifying the effect
@@aidanmatthewgalea7761 I used a servo with a little flap under the boat to make more or less drag for speed control. But yeah the wire idea is cool too! You could probably control the wire with an old brushed esc.
I have always wondered in my childhood how the chamber gets replenished with water once it got pushed out. Thanks for the simple and informative video. I have also seen some pop pop boats running without the pop pop sound.
Great video and a fun watch but I think the explanation can be summed up as: Blowing is an "affect" and sucking is an "effect". i.e we interpret the term "sucking" but in actual fact sucking is the surrounding environment pushing the water/fluid back in. So essentially we can only impart a momentum to a fluid when pushing or blowing. It is counter-intuitive as we believe vacuum cleaners suck in dirt but in actually the dirt is blown in by the surrounding air. This is why a strong suction doesn't pull the hose forward. The cleaner motor can only push the air that is surrounding the motor and it cannot generate a lower pressure than a perfect vacuum. The only forces capable of sucking and object are electrostatic, magnetic and gravitational. When I first heard this I was quite hostile to the idea but when thinking about it, it seems quite obvious really.
the net momentum of the water is toward the stern, the forward motion of the boat is the Newtonian reaction. This is possible because the steam is superheated in the boiler.Of course, the complete solution is more complex, because the boiler pressure is constantly changing, but you get the idea.
And I was thinking that this boat only be found in india 🤣 even didn't know it's name in india its price is around 15 to 20 rs means 0.27 dollars what cost in foreign
I think a better explanation of why the boat doesn't simply vibrate back and forth in one spot is the water hits lower density air when it gets sucked in but hits equal density water when ejected. Those differences in density result in differences of force. The water in the pool pushes back harder than the low pressure air inside the tube resulting in more motion in one direction than the other.
Great video. I've built one , and it is a joy to see it working. Just the thumb title is a bit off because when the engine runs out of fire, it stops. 😀
I want to go on record and say the pyramid of giza uses this method with granite blocks going up and back in the chamber tubes. Somehow creating power that way solar power from the outside of the pyramids
I didn’t hear any mention of the shape of the boat favoring forward motion. Also, the forward momentum would have to be overcome to stop or reverse the motion. Good vid.
A key to your boat. Is that 1 Tube is made Just abit shorter. THe water is pulled into the Long tube, and when the pressure builds Its pushed out, but the short pipe releases the pressure first, which draws more water into the other side. Suggest you chack the length of the 2 pipes.
Would this work on a large scale? Just curious if this could be used to power a full size boat with passengers. Seems like with no moving parts, you could build a very low-maintenance craft compared to one which relies on an internal combustion engine and turning a shaft/propeller.
Ive got a small john boat i am going to experiment with this system and try it out at the pond near my house. Small propane tank, gas burner and control valve to control speed. Yep....definitely doing this.
There is more to it than that, I think the springiness (as in a new jam container, ) in the boiler is the reason why it makes the put put sound is responsible for pushing and sucking in, and not steam condensing
Always, eagerly waiting for your videos.... Thank you for putting such great content there. You make science fun cause you enjoy working with science and you're a really good teacher (explaining the momentum concept of boat multiple times with a different approach each time) Salute!!!
Came across one of those putt putt boats at a hobby show about years ago on a whim. Was going through some things a few months ago ( long story short pretty much have gotten some health related news and putting affairs in order) and came across the old putt putt boat and gave it to my nephew. Obviously rather popular as he's already blown through the supply of candles I gave him and had to tell my brother where to get more.
Would you please test this boat with ink in water, so that the whole process you described becomes visible? Maybe you could even film it with a slow motion camera - maybe 200fps would be enough since the frequency of the phenomena is not so high
I've seen this toy in almost every fair and festival stalls. But only now I've understood the science behind it. Thanks for making this video. 😀
I have bought it every year lol
Bhai choto bela mela te 10 taka diye kintam...
Bandra fair
Never before have I seen this, how?
@@tarottman3926 because he is from India.. In india these types of toys were common before
This is so nostalgic i remember playing with one of those in my childhood
Ikr kids these days don't even know they exist
@@Zed9659 hi there!, btw hw ol r u
@@cheetah2172 18
Oh wow
I am 21
I'd like to see a video on how this boat was constructed, namely the propulsion system/boiler. Reason is is because I've seen quite a few putt putt boat videos and not many of them run this good or as fast. Seems like a lot of them hit and miss here and there, this one seems lively and consistent. I believe that the angle of the boiler has something to do with it as well as the placement of the flame but I'm not sure if that's quite the case here. I'd like to build one like this.
It looks the one of the Chinese made ones you can order off amazon.
@@ducksauce1290 He said it was made out of a shaving cream can.
@@bodeine454 I saw a video from 12 years ago with Gillette written on it. I'd guess Duck Sauce is correct and you can buy them made out of recycled parts off ebay-amazon.
Ones made from glass are neat
Ecletic Space did lots of interesting scientific research on it
As an Indian dude this phut-phut boat brings a lot of nostalgic memories,we would see em in 'melas'(carnivals) back when I was I a kid 🙂
mujhe bhi apne bachpan ke din yaad aa gayee.
Does seeing a shit on the street brings back some nostalgic memories as well? You guys do have a shit throwing festival, right? hahahahaha
@@zydomason damn, very funny. Laughing my ass off to this insanely clever troll and genius witty post
@@zydomason I just assume how stupid a human can be .
Without memories , what does your life mean
@@zydomason No shit trrowing festival in our religion Hinduism..stop spreading fake news....if you have balls name it...
Made a few of these, they range from "works well" to "barely works".
What could be fun would be someone trying a man-sized one, like a rowing boat with some old central heating radiators and a few propane wok burners. Maybe radio-control it in case of rapid unplanned disassembly.
Rode on a boat that functioned in this way as a kid actually, never really thought about it until I saw this video, kind of forgot about it. He described it as shooting bubbles of water out the back of it, I didnt get it at the time and I still dont
@@TugIronChief yeah thays why it just clicked while I was watching this. Happened 20 years ago though, I would have been around 7 or 8 so that way probably just him trying to explain it in a way I could understand
No quicker way to a forced suicide that to invent alternative forms of transportation. Maybe try and figure out how to tax the public everytime we blink? That's the road to fame and fortune.
@@johnnymcblaze The future is taxing for oxygen. Once all the trees are owned they will charge people a fee to breath air
@@Orthanderis They're already taxing the production of CO2 in some cases...
I just want to say this . This guy is the most educational instructor I've ever had the pleasure of learning off of RUclips. 10/10 for making an honest living by educating and bringing joy to people that watch your videos. You've beaten back most of these movies stars. Good job bro! And thank you for filling my sleepless Nights, break time , down Time with your vids ! 🇹🇹🇹🇹
He makes me feel like I'm stupid lmao like.we dont understand simple physics he acts like he is teaching children
New world record for being the fastest to get 17 likes
I agree completely this guy helps me have deeper understanding of science
Couldn't agree more. And there are plenty of great educational channels out there, but within the world of science, I don't think anyone in my adult life has helped me understand more NEW concepts so intuitively.
That and you can tell he really enjoys the things he does. Watching someone do something they truly enjoy is awesome in and of itself.
The shape of the bow and stern also help the boat move forwards rather than backwards. When the boat goes forwards, the bow moves the water sideways. When the boat tries to move backwards, the water behind the boat resists the movement.
Waterdynamics may be🤔
@Aaron Bredon
Excellent observation. I hope someone will make a Putt-Putt boat with the bow in the exact shape and draft as stern so as to test how much the shape of the bow helps to move the boat forward.
@@simon6071 also put the hull backwards?
@@revimfadli4666
No question mark. Good idea.
@@meetv7700 hydrodynamics
Literally it was a great era of this boat in India long ago 🔥🔥❤️
Yp i remember
Good ol' times
ikr
Yeah
Yes. Remember this as a child 30 years ago.
Even if the momentum was equal for in and out with no canceling, the shape of the boat would make going forward more efficient than moving backwards because of friction. It's like those gear mechanisms that spring with teeth facing one direction. They grab to lock motion in one direction, and slip freely in the other.
I like your way of thinking on that. That particular mechanism is called a ratchet and pawl
I've always wondered how these work!
I still really want to see one of these scaled up to a ridable size like that animated movie ponyo.
Probably not possible with these conventional putt putt boilers, but a redesigned boiler with smaller heating chambers to increase the startup time might work?
I'll give you a hint, what you're describing is a steamboat
THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING PONYO!!!!!
@@Corundrom steamboats use steam to turn giant paddle wheels that paddle through the water in order to move the boat. The physics behind why a Putt-Putt and a steam boat move through water are completely different.
Thank you Action Lab for making this video.
Being an Indian, and born and brought up here, this is one of those toys that has a nostalgic touch in its essence for us. It really means a lot that you've made a video explaining the working principle of this toy boat.
Thank you for your work. :)
Did you have one as a child? Or have any other similar neat toys from your childhood? I remember my dad giving me a piece of string, about 2.5’ long, tied at the ends (making a loop) and it had a clothing button in the middle with the string running through two of the button holes. If you held the string loop with both hands with the button in the middle and twisted the string several times, then you could pull the string and then relax the string while gently moving your hands in and out from each other and the button would spin fast, making a unique whirling sound. I would do that for hours! Lol. Simple, cheap entertainment!
@@EasternSunset007 hey I had one of those too
Jason, I didn't own any such toy boat, although it was like the most common toy found everywhere on every carnival and fares. Although, the string and button thing you mentioned, first of all great explanation, I made those type of toys and played with them too. For me it was my grandfather who taught me how to make one of those. My first try was to use a piece of circular blade shaped cardboard instead of a button though. Does bring back memories, and really good ones too. :)
@@EasternSunset007 i had one.
At the festival stalls in viskarma puja
Would be really cool to see a life size version of this and see how fast it can go
Also, make a flotilla of the small ones, attach some sort of resistant string to them, and be pulled around while sitting on a rowboat or kayak or something like that
Keep me posted
Exactly what I thought
Reminds me of that one scene in ponyo
Ponyo
Thanks for the video. There is one more amonsgst many other reasons why there is forward momentum. The shape of the boat, it's more hydrodynamic at the bow, hence it allows it to move forward more freely.
Every 1990s and 2000's Indian 🇮🇳 boys have played with it, best childhood toy 😂😂
Utterly utterly brilliant. There is so much physics in something seemingly so simple! Thank you …
Thank you. My brain got stuck in a loop a while back trying to figure it out. To attempt to get my head out of the rut I tried to think of a put put boat 2.0. I'd love to see that if you have a better way. Nice put put boat BTW!
Better way??? The boat is perfect and he did a great job of explaining how it works. What do you want done in a “better way”?
I've already suggested a few modifications to the _engine,_ but to become *_Boaty McBoatFace²_* the boat itself could:
• Be coated with a water repellent surface to reduce drag,
• Be made out of a structurally light, but strong, material (like carbon fibre) to reduce mass.
• Be modified to be a Catamaran, a Tri-maran, or even a single hulled vessel with an asymmetrical outrigger.
• Have the shape of it's hull optimised to suit this kind of propulsion, or just reconfigured for the purpose you want it for. Eg: A flat-bottomed barge for river transport; Long & sharp (like a Littoral Combat Warship) for high speed: Wide & with a rounded deep hull (like a oil tanker) for cargo, etc.
I have seen other engibe designs utilizing a vertical coil in the copper because the hot water moves upwards. Then you get an intake and output out of the system thereby removing the put putt entirely which is the charm of a put putt boat.
@@aaroncarr-mackay2457 Probably the coolest little steam powered boat which I've ever seen was based on *Heron of Alexandria's* piece of absolute genius, the *_Aeolipile._*
The original device was a kind of *Steam Turbine* designed & built way back in _the 1st century AD!_
It consisted of a sealed copper boiler with two pipes rising vertically from it's flat top. Set between the pipes was a hollow copper sphere with two pipes bent 90° sticking out at opposite sides of the sphere (with open ends pointing in opposite directions). When a fire was lit beneath the full boiler, steam would rush up the pipes into the sphere, before whistling out the bent pipes, causing the sphere to rotate at what would have been a shockingly dramatic speed (recognising that the fastest things in the *Ancient Greek World* would have been horses & massive rowing/sailing ships ~ *Triremes).*
The version I saw a video of had
• a small spirit burner,
• a boiler, with an intake piped in from with water outside
• The sphere sat at the back of the boat (there was a curved metal baffle blocking steam from entering the boat).
• When the spirit burner was lit, the water in the boiler turned to steam, which blasted out the bent pipes on the sphere, making it spin up with a whistle of increasing pitch, shoving the boat forward at impressive speed.
[ _Sorry, this was years ago & I can't find the video._ ]
@@Skeptical_Numbat
Cool, I have seen that before as well. The concept but not the boat with the mechanism. I imagine that design would still have lots of energy loss. But steam is basically how we get energy from nuclear plants.
The put put boat has continued to amaze me ever since childhood. It's simple design yet fun to play with even today. Thanks to you for explaining the science behind it so clearly.
I was so confused when I watched ponyo
Thank you!
I tried understanding this when I was a kid and even my teachers couldn't explain it. This is like finding an answer to a question I set aside 20 years ago.
My mama Use to bring me these stuff when I was a little kid . The memories the nostalgia I get .. Miss them good old days
Hey There! Great video, I did try to build one of this for a school projects when I was younger out of Tuna can. However I am really interested in knowing on how did you achieve such perfect boat shape out of a shaving can.
Based on other comments, a part 2 to this video explaining how to build one of this boats would not just be of my interests, but to loads of your other fans.
Looking forward for more videos on your channel.
All the best.
He didn't do it but purchased it. Its available online
The putt putt sound is the same concept that causes some steam radiators to make hammering sounds.
It can be fixed by tipping the radiator toward the valve.
Pooling water in the radiator causes the steam to collapse making the bang sound.
Interesting tip (pun intended)
When I was a kid, my grandparents had this sound in their basement, we called it the monkey in the pipes. It got pretty crazy sounding at times, I even recorded some of it just to keep as an auditory memento
I don't believe that I've been around any operational steam radiators since I was a youngster back in the 70s and I'm not even sure if I ever heard any make that sound but I probably did a time or two, probably just don't remember.
Is that also why some home water pipes make a knocking sound & vibration?
@@Eduardo_Espinoza Not really.
That condition is called water hammer. Thats when you close a valve and the moving mass of water in the pipe suddenly stops it hammers against the insides of the pipe. If the pipes are loosely hung they can bang against the walls.
Nice. My kids are going to love seeing this. I already know I'm going to be making 3 of them for tub drag races. Thanks for all the time you take making your videos
Yeah you are making kids remembering the old boat
Another 50+ year old gonna make one! Pure amusement...
Lk
90s and 2k Indians will have a nostalgic moment looking at this... 😍😌
the hull shape also helps. due to the pointy bow and flat stern, it takes less force to push the boat forward than backward.
The first time I saw this was watching 'Ponyo' and I thought this was amazing. After a while I did wonder if it was air from the heat, but it showed the boy filling it before use, I was baffled as to why. Thanks for the info dude. If you haven't seen the anime Ponyo it's recommended, good family film
This man always got something interesting up his sleeve
I used to play with these in my child hood..... Thank you for explaining how it works.🤗
It is very common here in India you can get it in just 15 rupees (0.20 USD). I remember when I was a kid it was my favourite science toy. Nostalgia ❤️❤️.
Nostalgia... Man!!! I used to play a lot when papa got me this from a fair...
Beautifully explained.
Reminds me of one of those U shaped pulse jets. A Lockwood Hiller.
I used to play with these when I was a kid. What a great memory.
Sir! I am a student in class 10th from India.
I haven't learned much from books as much u taught me practically.
Thankyou for ur efforts.
Love from india
Tried opening them?!?! 🤭 Just joking, cool vids here!
Such a cool demo, intuitive explanation, by a man wearing a Vandelay Industries shirt. This video has it all.
Credit for the first putt-putt boat is usually given to a Frenchman named Thomas Piot. In 1891, Piot filed a patent application in the UK for a simple pop pop boat using a small boiler and two exhaust tubes.A 1975 article by Basil Harley mentions a similar boat seen in a French journal from 1880, indicating that this type of toy may have existed for many yea rs prior to Piot's patent.
nostalgic memories with this toy 😄, always wonder why the sound and how it propels. I thought, coz of heat the water evaporates and leave the pipes makes the boat to move forward. However , got the complete explanation. Thank you!
Lol when I was a kid i play with this boat and i love the put put sound
I used to have this as a kid. Good times
Ahh this boat! Even though i live in Delhi and im 15, i never ever found this boat at any toy shop or places in today's time. Our parents and grandparents used to play with this and they still tell us about how nostalgic and fun that thing was!
Honestly..... one of the most educational channels out there.
Seeing this guy explain physically just makes everything so much easier to understand.
Always a good job by the action lab 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Knowledge increasing video
These are like valveless pulsejets that run on water. I would lovew to make a RC version
I'm gonna be honest here...
I was 5-6 years old when I had my fist boat... After about 18 years or so, I'm seeing this again on Action Lab... Feels like I'm a child again...
I am 47 years old, I was making this boat 40 years ago, when I was first grade. We burn peace of wood, and the boat was 3 times bigger, we use soldering to join metall sheets, and we made pipe and water tanks simply by metal sheet. For metal sheet, we cut old cooking oil can.
With some garden fountain pumps, a clear sealed chamber, and some mirror system to focus sunlight into it you could in theory make a much larger vehicle that only needs enough battery to run the pumps for enough time to fill the tubes. It's a Longshot but there's serious potential for an absurdly efficient boat here
I would love a tutorial on how this was built would be awesome to make one
He explains how simple it is. The "engine" is just a contained small flat space (chamber), with two thin metal pipes leading from it. The chamber needs to be elevated to fit the candle under it. Shouldn't be rocketscience
@@DaP84 Based on the idea that the water doesn't actually go anywhere, you can use a simpler design of a single pipe and no separate boiler, just seal the pipe at one end. I haven't tried this but I did a quick search and it seems like others have.
@@ML-sj3gi yeah, sounds like it could work too
I've never seen a boat, but I had a very similar toy I bought on a field trip to the Smithsonian. It was solar powered and turned a paddle wheel in it's tank. I remember watching it thinking there had to be a one-way valve in there..
Also just noticed James will be hitting 4 mil soon! Let's help make it happen!!
@@grantmalone My exact thought.
I would imagine its also to do with the shape of the boat, its streamlined more in the forwards direction than rearward.
Thus it will resist going backwards, the stern acting like a brake against the motion
I'm almost 70 now. When I was a kid I got one of these boats as a free prize. I couldn't figure it out without instruction. I plugged the ends of the pipes with bar soap to make it float better I guess. lol. My dad saw it and quickly cleaned out the soap and lit the candle and it took off in the bathtub. I've never seen or heard mention of one until this video. Very nice.
Wonderful, I actually played with that toy way back in the 60's, they cost 25 cents. I use to turn off the lights to see the candle light and was thrilled !
Once again some mind blowing content
The shape of the boat has to play a big roll in the direction of travel as well.
Would be interesting to see the tubes out the front and see it efficiency
The shape does affect the efficiency, but the propulsion comes from the momentum balance. Since the boat is so light and shallow, resistance from the water is almost negligible. You could do this with a square or circle and get a similar result, if less consistently directed.
I'm more curious to know your process of shaping a steel shaving cream can into the hull of a boat.
Who knew there was science behind my early childhood. Now days i consider pixels, shaders, frame time for entertainment, back that was physical 3D model boat, running on magic!!
A similar principle to a pulse jet. Very interesting
I once burnt my house down with this boat💀
I burnt an orphanage
@@420hmm great job topper😬
I'll bet that is why you couldn't find them in the U.S., not even in the 1960s
@@420hmm damn
It would be interesting to start the boat with water and dye instead of just water
Hypothetically you could scale up the Putt-Putt boat by making it more efficient by having one tube forward and hooking a Tesla valve to both tubes so water can only come in the front one and out the back
I remember from some discussion with friends years ago that inverting one of the pipes does not work, as it's not an inlet-outlet exclusive configuration, but both of the pipes work both ways, as this video also seem to suggest. So, in my view, it shouldn't boost the effect moving this boat.
Of course it could anyway move and be a new concept, nevertheless you could use a one way valve instead of the Tesla fancy thing...
@@ec7283 a Tesla valve is a one-way valve that has no moving parts it works like a diode only for fluid or gas and was invented by Nikola Tesla a Tesla valve allowing water in from the front and out the back only would make it an incredibly efficient design
@@stacyroe619 yep, I know it, never mind...
I'm pretty sure the flow interference would defeat any potential gain from the intake direction. It seems like it would more likely eat at least a quarter of the propulsion in the backflow prevention. If we look at each tube as providing equal thrust in and out, removing one outtake is a 25% power loss. I don't think the directional change would add enough to overcome this. Tesla valves do also slow the flow slightly in the direction they do work, making the case likely worse than 25% power loss.
Then there's added drag from the pipe or hole in the front...it's an interesting idea and I like it for that, but it might not run at all. Other comments mentioned home-made boats were finicky with the existing design.
This is a better explanation than Steve Mould's one despite his experiment having a transparent thingy
Mould really isn't as smart as he or his fans believe he is.
But at least his videos don't have bullshit ads for corrupt companies like better help.
@@stepha5926 not sure how smart any of them think he is. To me he seems smart enough to run a good channel.
Nice. It was amazing to know how much there is to this simple toy. As a boy I was always amazed by this simple toy. I would watch it put-put endlessly
Would this work with a single pipe, or multiple pipes? Would it work better or worse?
It is a great toy to teach science to children
Indeed. Have done workshops about 20 years back, explaining steam to young kids, then explain such a boat and let them build one to take home. Did quite a few different workshops, but this one was one of my favorites.
Could this be scaled to be used on life sized boats?
Most likely not, the scaled up volumes of water could never receive enough heat energy to turn a section of water in the pipe into gass
@@DaP84 how about with the new artificial sun, that China created?
Probablt but there’s be no reason for it. Modern boats convert fuel into ONLY propulsion l, without that vacuum portion, and they do it far more efficiently and with far more control.
@@rookiedetective569 thzt cant last forever
I Used To Play With It So Much..... Brings Back Memories
Just recently re-watched Ponyo with my daughter the other day and was wondering this exact question. Thank you for explaining it so concisely!?
Nice, did you make that boat yourself? If so, how can I also make a fancy boat like that? I've seen some tutorials but they were mostly square boxes
With practice and possibly a couple revisions, two-part molds can be carved out of wood that will readily form thin sheet-metal (like pop and aerosol cans are made from) when hammered or hinged together. A couple of these could be made to form the top and bottom respectively, then the parts are trimmed, drilled and assembled with epoxy or solder. The top and bottom could optionally be assembled with a crimp. It wouldn't be easy for someone without manufacturing experience, but it would absolutely be possible, for any sufficiently determined maker.
This was an amazing video! Really well done :)! I would love to see a video where you show how to make your own Putt-Putt Boat. I think that would be really cool :)!
In my locality, they call it a steamer. Those good old day! :)
This Explanation works for some Experiments my brother was doing, Take a Base Speaker place it facing up, Place a Frisbee over the speaker Centered and Slowly turn up the volume, The Frisbee will levitate... Or it just looks that way lol... Your boat Explanation works for the frisbee and Cone shaped speaker, Using Air instead of water... Nice!
This is like a glitch in a videogame which doesn’t help you forward in progress but still fun to do it
You should definitely do a how to on building this boat out of a shaving cream can!!!
I used to make these with pop cans and plastic straws when I was a kid. I even made a small RC one from left over airplane parts. Super fun to learn some of the physics of how they work.
you could even make it able to heat up water at variable speed with tungsten wire and a potentimeter fixed to a motor, so the more you throttle forward, the hotter the steam, amplifying the effect
@@aidanmatthewgalea7761 I used a servo with a little flap under the boat to make more or less drag for speed control. But yeah the wire idea is cool too! You could probably control the wire with an old brushed esc.
@@willowehrich6207 just a stiff slider crank should be enough to link the two
I have always wondered in my childhood how the chamber gets replenished with water once it got pushed out. Thanks for the simple and informative video. I have also seen some pop pop boats running without the pop pop sound.
Great video and a fun watch but I think the explanation can be summed up as: Blowing is an "affect" and sucking is an "effect". i.e we interpret the term "sucking" but in actual fact sucking is the surrounding environment pushing the water/fluid back in. So essentially we can only impart a momentum to a fluid when pushing or blowing. It is counter-intuitive as we believe vacuum cleaners suck in dirt but in actually the dirt is blown in by the surrounding air. This is why a strong suction doesn't pull the hose forward. The cleaner motor can only push the air that is surrounding the motor and it cannot generate a lower pressure than a perfect vacuum. The only forces capable of sucking and object are electrostatic, magnetic and gravitational. When I first heard this I was quite hostile to the idea but when thinking about it, it seems quite obvious really.
Ohhh..... man.... you rememberd my childhood memories. Love this video.....
The... What?! That was really cool, I've to make one.
We indians are stated nostalgic ✨
It was our favourite childhood toy
🤔 im curious just how big you can make a working putt-putt boat. Would interesting if one could be big enough to hold a person.
Free energy
@@quint3570 Actually no, he's burning a candle (i.e. fuel)
I'm glad I paid attention....LOVE THE SHIRT....im a Seinfeld watcher but never knew there was an actual shirt....so awesome😍
the net momentum of the water is toward the stern, the forward motion of the boat is the Newtonian reaction. This is possible because the steam is superheated in the boiler.Of course, the complete solution is more complex, because the boiler pressure is constantly changing, but you get the idea.
And I was thinking that this boat only be found in india 🤣 even didn't know it's name in india its price is around 15 to 20 rs means 0.27 dollars what cost in foreign
It was invented by a Frenchman named Thomas Piot in 1891
@@davidb6927 oh so many years ago🧐
I believe the fact that the boiler walls are flexible also contribute to the dynamics more than just making the pop.
I think a better explanation of why the boat doesn't simply vibrate back and forth in one spot is the water hits lower density air when it gets sucked in but hits equal density water when ejected. Those differences in density result in differences of force. The water in the pool pushes back harder than the low pressure air inside the tube resulting in more motion in one direction than the other.
I always deal with vandelay for all my import export needs.
Great video. I've built one , and it is a joy to see it working.
Just the thumb title is a bit off because when the engine runs out of fire, it stops. 😀
My dad told me about this boat when I was just a kid. How he made this boat and won science fair project back in his days in school. 🤗🤗❤️
I want to go on record and say the pyramid of giza uses this method with granite blocks going up and back in the chamber tubes. Somehow creating power that way solar power from the outside of the pyramids
I didn’t hear any mention of the shape of the boat favoring forward motion. Also, the forward momentum would have to be overcome to stop or reverse the motion. Good vid.
A key to your boat.
Is that 1 Tube is made Just abit shorter. THe water is pulled into the Long tube, and when the pressure builds Its pushed out, but the short pipe releases the pressure first, which draws more water into the other side. Suggest you chack the length of the 2 pipes.
Would this work on a large scale? Just curious if this could be used to power a full size boat with passengers. Seems like with no moving parts, you could build a very low-maintenance craft compared to one which relies on an internal combustion engine and turning a shaft/propeller.
I had one of this back in Mexico 🇲🇽 in my infancy….50 years ago. Loved it ❤
how did you get such a perfect boat shape out of a shaving can though?
Ive got a small john boat i am going to experiment with this system and try it out at the pond near my house.
Small propane tank, gas burner and control valve to control speed.
Yep....definitely doing this.
There is more to it than that, I think the springiness (as in a new jam container, ) in the boiler is the reason why it makes the put put sound is responsible for pushing and sucking in, and not steam condensing
Nice T shirt. You made George happy.
This is very nostalgic. I have a bunch of this when i was a kid
Makes me need to watch Ponyo again!!!
Thank you for explaining that!
Always, eagerly waiting for your videos....
Thank you for putting such great content there.
You make science fun cause you enjoy working with science and you're a really good teacher (explaining the momentum concept of boat multiple times with a different approach each time)
Salute!!!
Came across one of those putt putt boats at a hobby show about years ago on a whim. Was going through some things a few months ago ( long story short pretty much have gotten some health related news and putting affairs in order) and came across the old putt putt boat and gave it to my nephew. Obviously rather popular as he's already blown through the supply of candles I gave him and had to tell my brother where to get more.
I've only seen this type of boat once in a movie. PONYO.
Would you please test this boat with ink in water, so that the whole process you described becomes visible?
Maybe you could even film it with a slow motion camera - maybe 200fps would be enough since the frequency of the phenomena is not so high