Super Soaker Central forums

markwarren66 · 07-05-2007, 07:53 PM

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice on a water cannon/launcher/gun etc. I boat on a chain of lakes and there are some nasty waterfights that arise....generally only a minute or less in length, since we're usually passing each other in no-wake channels.

Most everybody has water cannons, the kind you put in the lake, pull the handle to fill with water, and then it blasts a quart or so of water 30-40 feet.

I don't have anything to defend myself with at the moment, and am looking for suggestions on what could work best.

Criteria includes:
Ability to shoot 40-50'
Need quick re-load capability...can't get a hose going and pump 30 times.

I'm not opposed to building something - Do you think anything would work better than the aforementioned cannons? Here's a link to the things that people often have on their boats in case you don't know what I'm referring to:
http://www.amazon.com/Stream-Machine...759799-9199669

Any help would be great as I'm tired of being on the wrong end of the soaking!

Thanks

DX · 07-05-2007, 08:00 PM

Homemade piston/river guns [the general term "water cannon" is inaccurate unless referring to the actual class of gun that are "water cannons"] tend to be better alternatives to manufactured versions such as the Stream Machine. This topic may be of interest to you. The river gun there uses hydrolics to multiply its force. There are also simple ones, consisting of just a shaft, nozzle, and pump. They are very easy to make and very durable, getting ranges in the low to mid 50's depending on how fast you can move the pump.

markwarren66 · 07-05-2007, 09:34 PM

Thanks - I really like the concept of post #76 in the link that was provided to me. A piston gun with a hose that can pull water from the lake, versus having to constantly reload.

So how do I find out how to build one?

Silence · 07-06-2007, 05:10 PM

The Waterzooka LR does not offer any improvement. In fact, it just has more complexity and much more weight because of the hydraulic fluid. The LR doesn't increase the pressure, so it doesn't increase the stream velocity.

If you want more range with a rivergun, you'll need more pressure. Remember, pressure is force over area; so to increase the pressure, you need to reduce the area. Thus, the best solution is to use a rivergun with a narrower tube. It will have less capacity, but there will be more range.

Most riverguns have tubing between 1" and 1.5" in diameter. In fact, you can see a negative relationship between range and area if you look through the thread DX linked to.

If you want really good range, you'll want a 1/2" or 3/4" tube. No riverguns are commercially built with this diameter, so you'll need to build your own. It's essentially a pump tube with nozzles.

Some links:
http://www.sscentral.org/tech/homemades/pumps.php
http://www.geocities.com/m15399/pumps.html
http://www.geocities.com/m15399/piston.html
http://www.sscentral.org/tech/mods/ans.php

cobralex297 · 07-06-2007, 10:56 PM

Offhand, thinking about it, a lot of the things that are negative aspects of the extremely powerful guns like the CPS2000, 2500 would not matter if you're only going to be fighting for around a minute, on the water. Both of those can be pushed to 40+ feet, and the 2000 will hit and possibly pass 50.

Just an idea.

07-05-2007, 07:53 PM	#1
markwarren66 Junior member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2 UserID: 1271	Boater needs help Hi All, I'm looking for some advice on a water cannon/launcher/gun etc. I boat on a chain of lakes and there are some nasty waterfights that arise....generally only a minute or less in length, since we're usually passing each other in no-wake channels. Most everybody has water cannons, the kind you put in the lake, pull the handle to fill with water, and then it blasts a quart or so of water 30-40 feet. I don't have anything to defend myself with at the moment, and am looking for suggestions on what could work best. Criteria includes: Ability to shoot 40-50' Need quick re-load capability...can't get a hose going and pump 30 times. I'm not opposed to building something - Do you think anything would work better than the aforementioned cannons? Here's a link to the things that people often have on their boats in case you don't know what I'm referring to: http://www.amazon.com/Stream-Machine...759799-9199669 Any help would be great as I'm tired of being on the wrong end of the soaking! Thanks

07-05-2007, 08:00 PM	#2
DX Wicked Super Admin Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Easton / New London, CT Posts: 1,575 UserID: 75	Homemade piston/river guns [the general term "water cannon" is inaccurate unless referring to the actual class of gun that are "water cannons"] tend to be better alternatives to manufactured versions such as the Stream Machine. This topic may be of interest to you. The river gun there uses hydrolics to multiply its force. There are also simple ones, consisting of just a shaft, nozzle, and pump. They are very easy to make and very durable, getting ranges in the low to mid 50's depending on how fast you can move the pump. __________________ Mess With the Best, Get Soaked Like the Rest!! 2004 Red Sox - World Series Champions 2007 RED SOX - WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! 2003 Patriots - Super Bowl Champions 2004 Patriots - Super Bowl Champions 2007 Patriots - God Damnit!

07-06-2007, 05:10 PM	#4
Silence Administrator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 3,251 UserID: 576	The Waterzooka LR does not offer any improvement. In fact, it just has more complexity and much more weight because of the hydraulic fluid. The LR doesn't increase the pressure, so it doesn't increase the stream velocity. If you want more range with a rivergun, you'll need more pressure. Remember, pressure is force over area; so to increase the pressure, you need to reduce the area. Thus, the best solution is to use a rivergun with a narrower tube. It will have less capacity, but there will be more range. Most riverguns have tubing between 1" and 1.5" in diameter. In fact, you can see a negative relationship between range and area if you look through the thread DX linked to. If you want really good range, you'll want a 1/2" or 3/4" tube. No riverguns are commercially built with this diameter, so you'll need to build your own. It's essentially a pump tube with nozzles. Some links: http://www.sscentral.org/tech/homemades/pumps.php http://www.geocities.com/m15399/pumps.html http://www.geocities.com/m15399/piston.html http://www.sscentral.org/tech/mods/ans.php __________________ Forum Rules

07-06-2007, 10:56 PM	#5
cobralex297 Super Duper Fun Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 63 UserID: 1074	hmm Offhand, thinking about it, a lot of the things that are negative aspects of the extremely powerful guns like the CPS2000, 2500 would not matter if you're only going to be fighting for around a minute, on the water. Both of those can be pushed to 40+ feet, and the 2000 will hit and possibly pass 50. Just an idea. __________________ Armory:CPS1200,1500,2000,2100,2500, 2700,3000,SplashZooka,XP105,150,20, 215,220,240,270,75,90,ss30,60,XTC, SC600,BigTrouble,PowerPak,TripleCharge

07-05-2007, 09:34 PM	#3
markwarren66 Junior member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2 UserID: 1271	Thanks - I really like the concept of post #76 in the link that was provided to me. A piston gun with a hose that can pull water from the lake, versus having to constantly reload. So how do I find out how to build one?

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