Sea Scouts meet Ohio Clean Marina Coordinator

Sea Scouts Gabriel, Bryan and Andrew introduce the Interlux Waterfront Challenge project "flotsam scoop" to Colleen Wellington, Ohio Clean Marinas Coordinator at the Cedar Point Boat Show. Colleen was suitably impressed and provided positive encouragement and feedback to the scouts.

Mid America on the Water Boat Show

September 10-14, 2008 the Sea Scouts were manning a booth at the Cedar Point Boat Show in Sandusky, Ohio displaying our Interlux Waterfront Challenge "flotsam scoop". A number of marinas expressed a desire to have a unit for testing.

One scoop was presented to Jerry Parsons, manager of Sandusky Harbor Marina by Ethan. Sandusky Harbor Marina sponsors a Sea Scout Ship chartered to the local Power Squadron.

Harry Lombard, harbor master of the Dock of the Bay Marina readily accepted a scoop to tryout at his marina pictured below.

Emerald Necklace Marina Receives Scoop

Friday, August 29, 2008 saw the latest model of the Sea Scout Ship 41 Interlux Waterfront Challenge "flotsam scoop" hand carried to Joe Anderson, manager of the Emerald Necklace Marina. Joe was delighted to receive the scoop and said he would put it to use the next morning when the park service people come by to do clean up.

Interlux Waterfront Challenge Project to be Displayed at Mid America In-Water Boat Show

Great News! Sea Scout Ship 41 has been offered a 10x10 (maybe 20x20 if space is available) booth at the Mid America In-Water Boat Show to be held September 10-14, 2008.

We will be promoting B.S.A. Sea Scouts and have requested literature to handout from the Greater Cleveland Council and will be receiving Sea Scout banners from Jimmie Homburg, National Commodore and Interlux Waterfront Challenge banners from Dr. Doug Bernon.

Google SketchUp Flotsam Scoop

Having a little fun playing on the computer - here is our Interlux Waterfront Challenge project in 3D using Google SketchUP with the file converted by AVS Video Converter for publichation in the blog. You may also see the file in the SketchUp 3D Warehouse.

You Tube Video Created for Interlux Waterfront Challenge Project

Ship 41 has produced a You Tube video describing our Interlux Waterfront Challenge project. Andrew and MaryKate did a great job narrating our story but unfortunately the video producer (who will be nameless) did not think to shield the camera mike from the wind. You may view the video below. Please leave positive comments and rate the video. Thanks.

Edgewater Yacht Club joins Sea Scout Ship 41 as a Partner

This past week we visited Edgewater Yacht Club that sponsors a sister Sea Scout Ship. Mike McElheny, general manager, was most impressed with the flotsam scoop and said it would be a great improvement on the fishing net they use presently. He readily accepted the gift of a scoop and will monitor its use and keep us posted.

Ted Mahoney, trustee and member of the Board of Directors of EYC, shown holding our flotsam scoop in the picture above, tried out scoop and had nothing but positive remarks. Ted made a couple of good suggestions for improvements including adding floatation and contact information for comments.

Brown-Campbell Co. sponsors Ship 41 in Interlux Waterfront Challenge

Ray Gualtier, general manager of Brown-Campbell Co. in Maple Heights, Ohio has agreed to sponsor Ship 41's project for the Interlux Waterfront Challenge. Brown-Campbell Co. will collect and pass along aluminum expanded metal drops to make the flotsam scoops. This will greatly help the project move forward and allow the Sea Scouts to provide local marinas with prototype scoops for field trials.

Ship 41 Interlux Challenge Project Review To Date..

To date the scouts have designed three versions of the flotsam scoop; first, a simple basket on the end of a telescoping pole, second, the same basket with a clam shell arrangement and thirdly, a simple basket with one end open. The scouts have also tested a disposable net (potato sack).

The net and the open ended basket were both very successful. The net needs further modifications to make it easily removable from the holder - so we will proceed with flotsam net 1.01.

The commercially available expansion handles are not strong enough and cannot cope with the service demanded of the scoop. The custom built handle on model 1.02 worked perfectly and will be our standard going forward.

Now to make some minor refinements and get the project publicized.

Sea Scout Ship 41 Flotsam Scoop 1.02

We really wanted to get some experts to try out Flotsam Scoop 1.02, a basket with one end open for easy dumping.

And so we asked the Commodore of Lorain Sailing & Yacht Club, Fran Burik and husband, Paul, to help us test this design.

They were both suitably impressed.

Commodore Burik was determined to clean up the marina as the club was hosting the Interlake Nationals the coming weekend.

She said the scoop made light work of removing the floating trash even a large steelhead trout that was starting to fester.

With two scoops working we soon have the marina cleared of floating trash and debris. A job well done said a very thankful commodore.

Thankful to the extent that Fran asked if she might keep the scoops for the club clean-up scheduled on Saturday.

Ship 41 Interlux Challenge Flotsam Net

The next design to be tested involved a different concept. Several scouts had designs involving nets and the handbook for the Ohio Clean Marinas program recommends the use of swimming pool skimmers. However it is generally agreed that pool skimmers do not hold up to the wear and tear of marina use. A more robust design was needed, hence the "flotsam net".

The net, a mesh bag, one of several samples provided by Kandi Greer of the Volm Companies, was attached to an aluminum hoop by carabiners. The net worked very well and was the only tool that could be used, because of its light weight, from a 10' bulkhead. The problem was that the bag was not easily removed from the hoop once full. Gabriel suggested turning the bag upside down and tying a slip knot in the bottom of the bag to ease emptying it in trash bags. This helped in emptying the mesh bag but the original thought was to fill the bag then dispose of it. An easier way of attaching the bag to the hoop had to be designed - back to the drawing board. Stay tuned for "flotsam net 1.01".

Testing Flotsam Scoop 1.01

Remembering that our project in the Interlux Waterfront Challenge is to design and test a clean-up tool for the waterfront. Details of the challenge can be seen at: http://www.wfchallenge.com/ This past Sunday afternoon our goal was to clean up a corner of Spitzer Lakeside Marina (Spitzer is a sponsor of Sea Scout Ship 41 and provides dock space for our 36' Mariner ketch) in time for all the visitors for the Fourth of July fireworks display. It's one of those corners where drift wood, plastic bottles and cups, styrofoam, dead fish, etc, always seems to collect and would be a good testing ground for our Flotsam Scoop model 1.01. The clamshell design worked very well but the scoop as a whole was just too unwieldly and cumbersome. The added weight of the continuious hinge and bar stock was just enough to hamper the handling of the tool. The scoop itself still worked well and picked up the dead fish, weeds and floating debris. A regular garden rake easily handled the material close to shore pulling it on shore to be put into grbage bags. A total of 11 bags were filled.

Flotsam Scoop 1.01

The Flotsam Scoop 1.0 is back in the shop at Mansfield Structural for modifications. The latest "improvements" include a clamshell to assist in the removal of larger pieces of driftwood and debris. Vern, a certified welder and class A fabricator, designed a roller arrangement that would allow the clamshell to be opened and closed by sliding a lever up and down the handle. This basic mechanism is show in the short video. The Sea Scouts came up with the clamshell suggestion after touring the Army Corp of Engineers

dredging operation on the Cuyahoga River. The dredge, Clyde, used a clamshell to remove silt washed down from upstream to deepen the shipping channel to allow freighters to bring iron ore to the steel mills. Army engineer, Vito, told us that for every inch of draft lost by the big ore freighters cost the companies $100,000.

Flotsam Scoop Prototype Tested

The wind had blown a nasty pile of floating jetsam (pop bottles, beer cans, plastic, wood and dead fish) into a corner of marina at Lorain Sailing & Yacht Club. It was an ideal situation in which to test Flotsam Scoop model 1.0

The Sea Scouts took turns using the scoop and soon had the area cleaned up. The feedback was very positive, the scoop worked as designed.

Some problems were:- 1) Lock washers on the nuts holding the handle in place,

2) Handle extension tended to rotate,

3) Same of the larger drift wood could not be picked up or would drop off the scoop,

4) It was ackward emptying the scoop into the mid size garbage bags we had on hand.

Many suggestions were made to improve the scoop and these will be incorporated into Flotsam Scoop model 1.1 - stay tuned!

Brain Storming Session

A few Sea Scouts, parents and adult leaders got together to put together ideas on the design of a "flotsam & jetsam scoop" to handle floating debris that is unsightly, smelly and always seems to collect in that one corner of the marina.

Once everyone come up with ideas and sketched out a design. Each design was presented to the group - nothing was ruled out - from floating nets to aluminium rakes to mesh scoops.

Each design was considered for ease and cost of manufacture.

A local fabricating shop, Mansfield Structural, agreed to work with us to produce prototypes to test at the marinas.

The photo to the left shows Bubba working to produce a prototype from a design sketch of an expanded metal scoop, approximately 18" x 11" with a telescopic handle all made from aluminium.

The Sea Scouts will field test and report back.

Accepting the Challenge!

Our trip and tour of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography FLIP vessel, details of the vessel, http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/voyager/flip/ in San Diego really stirred our thinking about the water environment that we enjoy as Sea Scouts.

What impact can we have on our local shoreline of Lake Erie as a small group of high school students? During dinner at a great restaurant called Gus's a friend mentioned the Interlux Waterfront Challenge. http://wfchallenge.com/ It is a competition, created by Interlux, the yacht paint people, challenging groups to develop projects to improve their local environment.

As Sea Scouts we accepted the challenge. In the past we have regularly participated in clean up efforts of our shoreline and river banks but this challenge called for something more, something "inspirational and self-sustaining".

During our clean ups we have used a tong like tool to pick up individual items but nothing to handle what we see at our marinas after a storm.

A google search on the internet did not reveal any tools to assist in the removal of this flotsam and jetsam. What is needed is a cross between a snow shovel and a leaf rake.

So we need to get brain storming!