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It was sufficient to "float" dirigibles, and THEY had to weight a lot (at least the gondola and passengers it carried), or is hydrogen more powerful? Yes, I know the Hindenburg exploded, but that's another issue...
You CAN buy "balloon buddies" helium tanks cheaply; would it help to fill beach balls stuffed in the stern and bow? If not, I'll concede defeat.
Anything you add inside the boat is not going to increase it's capacity. Even Helium filled balloons. You'd need a big balloon to make a significant difference. Take a look at a the Goodyear Blimp. It's big.
Anything you add inside the boat is not going to increase it's capacity. Even Helium filled balloons. You'd need a big balloon to make a significant difference. Take a look at a the Goodyear Blimp. It's big.
Exactly. There's a reason airplanes overtook airships/hot air balloons. The same level of lift but but incredibly slow. And I don't think helium is that cheap right now. I think best case scenario it'd be a wash compared to the price of just selling the small kayak and getting a larger one. And I'm not gonna recommend buying hydrogen. That stuff can be dangerous.
Location: God's Gift to Mankind for flying anything
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Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
It was sufficient to "float" dirigibles, and THEY had to weight a lot (at least the gondola and passengers it carried), or is hydrogen more powerful? Yes, I know the Hindenburg exploded, but that's another issue...
Are we talking about a kayak the size of the Hindenburg?
Hydrogen is lighter than Helium, to answer that question...
But only about 8%...
$60, including tax, buys you a 14.9 cu ft tank of helium. So 1449 cu ft would require about 100 tanks, or $6000. Helium molecules are small and tend to leak, so you would probably have to refill your balloon with every trip of your kayak.
Except:
Helium has become so expensive that these 14.9 cu ft tanks now are only 80% helium. 80% helium is only capable of lifting the balloon; it is not capable of lifting a load. So your 15.5 ft diameter balloon filled with $6000 of 80% helium would simply bob in the wind.
$60, including tax, buys you a 14.9 cu ft tank of helium. So 1449 cu ft would require about 100 tanks, or $6000. Helium molecules are small and tend to leak, so you would probably have to refill your balloon with every trip of your kayak.
Except:
Helium has become so expensive that these 14.9 cu ft tanks now are only 80% helium. 80% helium is only capable of lifting the balloon; it is not capable of lifting a load. So your 15.5 ft diameter balloon filled with $6000 of 80% helium would simply bob in the wind.
Thanks for this!
I wonder how large the balloon(s) would have to be for a kayak + heavy person. I'm thinking at least 300#.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-31-2020 at 03:56 PM..
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