Ride and Remember

[Jesper]

@Flowrider
Here is my brother and myself in a competition using the cardboard boat.

   

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Here is a small fungus I discovered while on a rare MTB excursion this past summer.


   

[GirishH]

@Flowrider, can we have a quiz on building a cardboard boat?

I was about to ask the question you asked but am glad I didn't. If @Jesper quizzes I will fail miserably. "India" will dis-own me because I am that bad in mathematics..:-)

@Jesper, I am just blown away at things you know, things you have done and things you still do. Truly. Speechless. Respect.

(08-10-2026, 10:08 PM)Jesper Wrote:  

(08-10-2026, 06:45 AM)Flowrider Wrote:  Very curious, how does a cardboard boat stay afloat and also manage to carry two guys in it?

Even though a crew of 2, our gross weight (boat, crew, gear) was well under 400 lbs.
With a little hydrodynamics knowledge, and a lot of bouyancy & displacement knowledge and calculation you can easily build something strong enough to remain floating for the intended job (e.g. single lap lake race). We only raced about 3 min. in that boat, but it was pre-tested for a similar period of time, and again solo crewed after the race for more minutes. The next year it raced again and it will probably race again this year (thus far undefeated). It was designed for a single use only (interior is not sealed) and now has been paddled at least 4 times without issue.
Remember that there is force pushing up on the bottom of the hull which provides support
You (normally) cannot get into these cardboard boats when supported on stands above the ground lest it collapse. Our hull had a quadruple laminate corrugated flat "keel" plate (boat has no keel) with a corrugated wrap around hull skin adding more support. It could hold my weight when not in the water; but the strakes were also 4x laminate board and quite stiff longitudinally while still stiff enough to withstand the side pressure of water without having central lateral supports.
Determine gross weight of boat design (~1 lb per 8 sqft of single wall board), crew, gear, and add weight (2 to 4 lbs; or more) for potential water intrusion (paddle drip/splashing, leaks, etc.). Convert weight into cubic units of water to determine displacement volume. Build your boat with a design to displace the cubic units of water previously calculated and add more displacement volume to achieve the desired draft and freeboard based on design, use and conditions.
Adding the bike (~25 lbs w/gear) is easy with the loss of 175 lbs cargo (crew & gear); but most likely we could have paddled with a 2 man crew and 2 bikes while staying under 375 lbs.
My new thing is paddleboarding (kayak style paddling); but I have yet to mount a bike on one.

[Jesper]

Believe me @GirishH , the admiration is mutual. I wish I could be out with you on you peregrinations around the world. I really miss being out cycling in foreign countries, meeting locals, and struggling to communicate in whatever language is used (amazingly France was the worse for language).

Presently, I am designing a crazier cardboard boat that is specifically designed for carrying a bike.

Also, after seeing a WW1 (or WW2?) bicycle 'ambulance' I think my tow behind sleeper trailer is going to be shelved (for now). I plan on a 3 wheeled design vs the 4 wheel which I seem as not being needed.y saddle would be cantilevered and the drive would go the to middle wheels (rear wheels in my design).
The whole cabin area could act as a wind break when aerodynamically designed. I figure that I already pedal bikes weighing over 50 pounds so this would only a little heavier. Also, I figure I could have a electric hub or add-on motor as a help (I am not getting any younger!) if weight is too much.

   

[Flowrider]

This is amazing! 100% admire your creativity!

[GirishH]

@Jesper, ​An idle mind is the devil's workshop... :-)

​Do you ever sit idle? :-)

I'm attaching something not from WWI or WWII, but from modern-day India streets..

   

I saw this guy hauling a refrigerator or something on his bike while operating his phone. When I see folks like that, i realize that I'm riding a much "lighter" bicycle...

​So, I understand and appreciate your sentiment about riding a 50 lb bike. Any and all training is worth it!

​Who knew you might end up riding a bicycle "ambulance"? But no day of training goes to waste..:-)

​People laugh when they hear how many languages I speak (or try to), but the locals embrace me because they can communicate freely with me.

​In France, I was told not to even try "bonjour" because my pronunciation was that bad... so, I feel your pain!

(10-11-2026, 02:01 PM)Jesper Wrote:  Believe me @GirishH , the admiration is mutual. I wish I could be out with you on you peregrinations around the world. I really miss being out cycling in foreign countries, meeting locals, and struggling to communicate in whatever language is used (amazingly France was the worse for language).

Presently, I am designing a crazier cardboard boat that is specifically designed for carrying a bike.

Also, after seeing a WW1 (or WW2?) bicycle 'ambulance' I think my tow behind sleeper trailer is going to be shelved (for now). I plan on a 3 wheeled design vs the 4 wheel which I seem as not being needed.y saddle would be cantilevered and the drive would go the to middle wheels (rear wheels in my design).
The whole cabin area could act as a wind break when aerodynamically designed. I figure that I already pedal bikes weighing over 50 pounds so this would only a little heavier. Also, I figure I could have a electric hub or add-on motor as a help (I am not getting any younger!) if weight is too much.

[Jesper]

Love the guy with the fridge, and on his phone too! Just nuts.
I have certainly carried some odd things on a bike, but I think that takes the cake.

Earlier this year a "local" (25 mile round trip) pub was doing a pirate party and wanting folks dressed up as pirates so I used bike as my ship. I had a 4 barrel 'pepperbox' pistol mounted to it and an old fencing foil hanging from it for my sword. I forgot to photo it, but here is my pistol. The funny things was, as I was at a stop light a police cruiser pulled up next to me and I thought there would be an issue, but he moved on without ado. I guess Florida's open carry law made it legal, though I think black powder weapons were already exempt.