Hand crank super water canon for river use?

Threads about how water guns work and other miscellaneous water gun technology threads.
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korntera
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Joined: Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:15 pm

Hand crank super water canon for river use?

Post by korntera » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:23 pm

I go rafting a lot in the summer and am always starting water wars with the local river guides who scoff at us for not paying them a ridiculous amount, they think its their river and get their tourists to splash us without knowing all 8 of us have water guns.

However we want to take this battle to the next level as our 18 foot maravia raft is getting its pirate flag put on this weekend and we want to build a HAND or FOOT crank(instead of an electric motor) water gun that can shoot up to 60 feet and can push about a gallon a second.

We would have a 1.5" hose going into the river, connecting to some sort of homemade pump with two people cranking/peddling (possibly setup on bike gears to get some real speed) with a 3/4" or 1" outlet hose to increase spraying speed. Does anybody know where i can find plans like this or has this been done? I want to make people know they started a war with the wrong raft lol. Don't worry its all in good fun, we normally make friends with the guides once they realize we raft more than they do!

Thanks in advance, this site looked like a good place to start. BTW we have access to welders and don't mind spending up to $200 for a constant stream water gun.

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cantab
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Re: Hand crank super water canon for river use?

Post by cantab » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:38 pm

The only cranked weapons I know of are some of the old Shield Blasters. And they're not up to much. I believe they use a peristaltic pump, frankly a silly choice. The range and output are modest (but not awful), the stream pulsates, and the cranking action makes aiming impossible.

You get a lot more power in your legs, so I'd go with that rather than hands if feasible.

No-one's ever done a high-powered homemade on this principle before. But I for one think there's potential. A decently fit adult male can put out a couple hundred watts or so cycling. Obviously there'll be losses in the drivetrain and pump, but still, good ranges and a continuous stream seem within reach.
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Silence
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Re: Hand crank super water canon for river use?

Post by Silence » Wed Jul 14, 2010 10:42 pm

Welcome to the forums!

How many people do you plan to have powering the water gun?

I agree with cantab, some type of cycling motion is fine if you're using legpower. Not a good choice if you want to pump by hand, though.

Regardless, I can only imagine the reaction people will have to a raft flying the Jolly Roger with a swiveling turret alongside. :)

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