Laura Kampf's Water Bike!

[@h2o270]

Its like a self propelled bidet

[@laurakampf]

haha

[@IuriBaldaconi]

AHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@plasticfrank]

It's about as useful as one. A paddleboat with ducktaped ballasts, no rudder authority and horrible propulsion? This is not recycling. It's making landfill fodder.

[@tangyong737]

richtig

[@mariellecb1]

There are so many things that I love about Laura, but this bike is an example of what makes Laura so compelling. Not only does she think these whacky-faerie designs up, she gets her hands dirty and executes their construction quite elegantly. She is, in essence, fun with tools. The two of them (her ever-present familiar, Smudo), are simply irresistable. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your passion!!!

[@craftedworkshop]

Just when I thought the turbo raft couldn't get any cooler... Laura is so awesome!!

[@felixmenendez]

I'm a huge fan of Laura's videos. The music, the editing and the quality and beauty of the things she make. All makes me feel happy and peacefull :)

[@laurakampf]

thanks felix! that is a great comliment :) i am happy my videos have this effect on you

[@jamesrobers3351]

You are an inspiration to men and women alike... I love showing my daughter your videos and letting her know that girls can grow up to do the types of work I, or any other man, do. Thanks

[@sevillaseda3152]

James Roberts kigtyh5htbhtntrybfvtvyhbtrebtExtnygrg

[@youtube_moderator]

for a fraction of the cost, salarywise lol

[@tooljunkie555]

Laura never ceases to amaze me ..lol good stuff..

[@laurakampf]

thanks, joe :)

[@tooljunkie555]

Laura Kampf always :-)

[@allanandkilde8383]

LOL. I enjoyed the build and t6he test. It was good to see Smudo again out having fun like the good puppy he is. Thank you for sharing.

[@DIYTyler]

Have always wanted to make one of these but with hydrofoils on it and a prop...so if you get going fast enough you will actually start rising out of the water. Probably wouldn't work but it would be sweet!

[@laurakampf]

that would be awesome in deed!

[@SRLowther]

Actually it works quite well! kzbin.info/www/bejne/r33FoKyFps5piJo

[@Retroweld]

Yes! Great job Laura!

[@laurakampf]

thanks, douglas!

[@AprilWilkerson]

Awesome job Laura on both the video and the project! I think you're amazing.

[@royreynolds108]

My dad & I built a water bike in about 1960 or 1961 using two pontoons of marine plywood 7' 9" long by about 12" wide at top and 6" wide at bottom by about 14" tall tapered at each end. A woman"s bike frame supported by 1/2 inch conduit on the front and a paddle box on the back wheel end of the frame. There were 3 wood ties across the front and the front and back of the paddle box. The 2 paddle wheels were 24" in diameter by about a foot wide mounted on a 3/4 inch galvanized pipe which rode on the paddle box frame and had a sprocket from a crankset mounted on the pipe for chain drive. The rudder was mounted on the back cross piece with chords connecting the front fork to the rudder using pulleys. It rode about 4 inches in the water and we calculated the pontoons would support about 750 lbs before sinking. The design was so that it could be transported disassembled in a station wagon.

[@laurakampf]

wow, sounds like a very cool project!

[@royreynolds108]

It was and the paddle wheels had 24 blades or buckets on each side. They were 15 degrees apart around the circle. They were in the water only about 6 inches. Granted it was hard to start being 1 to 1 ratio but once started I almost caught up to some ducks once.

[@BradleyMakesThings]

Great build, Laura!

[@ZennExile]

Should have made a screw drive for propulsion and kept the gearing system intact for optimal transfer of energy.

[@laurakampf]

there are a million ways to do this

[@ZennExile]

Laura Kampf Absolutely, but the screw drive and gearing would keep yer butt dry and make it go fast. Who doesn't want a dry butt and high velocity in their lives?

[@thetalkingfly]

As ususal, Laura makes me smile with her artistic horseplay! So Good!!!

[@laurakampf]

:) thanks!

[@stereorandy]

Just found your channel and I love it. Some suggestions for your next attempt, if you don't mind. The paddles should enter the water at about 33 degrees from vertical. (This from a retired paddle-wheel boat captain from St. Louis, MO) Your paddles are hitting at about 75-80 degrees, so you waste a lot of energy pushing water down and lifting it up that could go to thrust. Pipe pontoons have a lot of drag. Sourcing a couple matching sit-on-top kayaks, or catamaran sailboat pontoons, to build a frame on would increase your buoyancy and decrease drag. Consider a recumbent pedaling position. Yes, its a longer chain drive, but it lowers your body weight, greatly stabilizing you in the water. Can't wait to see the next attempt! BTW, I built a human powered amphibious vehicle, the Quadyak, a few years ago and have piloted it 6000+ miles on land and water. The first version had paddles entering the water at 67 degrees, but I've been able to get that to 45 degrees with a modification recently and it made a big difference!

[@rickdearmont9950]

Looks like you have found a solution to hot and dry summer bike rides! Great work!

[@laurakampf]

thanks, rick

[@lukeburgess98]

I built one of these with my buddy 2 years ago. if you use real pontunes you can't build the whole thing out of the water and with a large paddle wheel set back further you get much more power. also you can run it in reverse really nice. using what rudders that are ran to the back of each pontune also helps make it so it can turn on a dime. much easier

[@CreatorCade]

nice job Laura the music was weird but the build was solid I would have made the paddles bigger though and maybe a guard to the keep the butt dry.

[@laurakampf]

thanks, josh!

[@DylanPieniazek]

the paddles were that size so they could still fit through the bike frame

[@skippygirl959]

I like the music

[@gravityisweak]

I bet this was a lot of fun. It makes me wonder though, how much better would it have been to use a conventional propeller instead of paddle type wheel? Something that would be great to see.

[@piscesrain8882]

Pretty cool build ! And even cuter pup !

[@laurakampf]

:)

[@SuperiorEtchworx]

Another little ripper Laura !! Keep it up

[@laurakampf]

:)

[@felixfromnebraska8648]

Looked like it was a fun build, you are so creative... Keep them coming Laura! Thanks for sharing, Felix from Nebraska

[@laurakampf]

it sure was fun and a challenge to get it done in 2 days :) now i need to find a place for it to stay :)

[@felixfromnebraska8648]

I was going to say, It doesn't look like it would be something you could just put in the corner. Maybe you need to build a special storage unit for it, how about a trailer for it....then just park the trailer... Felix from Nebraska

[@laurakampf]

haha, i might just bring it back to the junkyard where i got the bike :)

[@Nono-hk3is]

Watching you go at that beautiful frame with the cutting wheel gave me the willies, but the result is fantastic. You are a master!

[@Nono-hk3is]

I get the exact same splash pattern on my lower back when I ride through water. Calls for a fender.

[@laurakampf]

i got that frame from the junkyard for 5 bucks...it was in pretty bad shape and a bit bend. thanks for appreciating my work!

[@ohgrijalva]

Congratulations, Laura, your design is some magical and inspirational. Thanks a lot!!

[@TheMarcball]

Great to see you on Make again. This build is, as we say in French, "rigorously useless and therefore absolutely indispensable". Keep on trucking !

[@laurakampf]

hahaha! what a great saying!

[@Xenro66]

This bike has a lot of potential, if I'm honest. You could put the gears back on it, and add a flywheel somewhere so peddling wont take a massive toll. You could also could widen the back axel, so you can put wider paddles down, or a gear to spin a propeller on a shaft. Like I said, lots of potential. Other than that, this is a good project! I don't understand why it has so many dislikes :/

[@laurakampf]

thanks...i think peple don´t understand that i make a new video every week for my channel and this one is additonal to that. so i had 3 days to build, film and edit it. this is not a project i have been tinkering with for weeks...also i only spent 10 euros on it and recycled lots of materials some people love to hate

[@Xenro66]

Laura Kampf No problem! Yeah, everyone seems to expect other people to have unlimited time for something, but in reality, no one does. And for 3 days to build, film and edit is just fantastic! Agreed, some people just love to hate, unfortunately.

[@RoomiesGarage]

excellent video, glad you don't just upload the most useful project, solid editing as usual, thanks for sharing

[@sandrazern649]

Looks like so much fun! Steve Carmichael shared your channel on his latest video and I am so thankful he did because I have really been enjoying your videos. Cool tunes, artistic & fun projects - love it! Thanks so much for sharing your work.

[@laurakampf]

thanks, sandra! i didn´t know steve carmichael gave me a shout out...that is really nice, i will check it out now. thanks for your kind words1

[@pseudosam2458]

Nice work! I've wanted to try building a waterbike before like that but with an air propeller. I really like this design though, it's kind of cool that you get your feet wet in it.

[@laurakampf]

thanks, man. it feels great to have the feet in the water when pedalling :) air propeller sounds fantastic!

[@ryanrides6252]

your editing is on point👌

[@timsway]

i'm getting rid of my car, my boat, my helicopter AND my bicycle and replacing them with one of these! ;-) Very clever.

[@laurakampf]

hahaha! thanks, tim

[@Woodbrew]

As Always, Great Work Laura:)

[@laurakampf]

thanks, dylan

[@DOODLEND]

I love it! The rudder was a great idea!

[@laurakampf]

thanks, nick!!

[@survivormanable]

AWESOME. Great work. You make it look easy even though thats really diffiult.

[@Rouverius]

OK, now time to race! Water Bike vs Turbo Raft! ...Wait... those pontoons look very familiar... :D

[@pettigrewwoodworks]

Great build. Looks very refreshing!

[@laurakampf]

haha!

[@GregsGarage]

I think you should have a dog vs water bike race... Looks like you'd be up against stiff competition! Fun build.

[@laurakampf]

hahaha! that would be great

[@joaophellipefreitaspinto4702]

A video from Laura/Jimmy plus a cup of coffee/tea makes my day perfect!

[@laurakampf]

thanks man! i appreciate the support!

[@InsertFlashyName]

A great way to splash around aimlessly I guess. Sweet music makes it all cool looking

[@laurakampf]

not sure about aimless but splashing around is garanteed

[@Badgerworkshop]

Amazing. Soon you all have a whole fleet of aquatic craft.

[@frankalvarez7387]

Great job Laura

[@arj446_]

Love it !!! You rocked it.

[@condorb7756]

laura Kamp going to be a new sub for sure

[@laurakampf]

awesome, thanks!

[@anthonyvu4173]

+Laura Kampf its Kampf German?

[@Mk98788]

+Laura Kampf you could make the paddles a little bigger...

[@frankgel]

translate.google.com/#auto/en/laura%20kampf

[@condorb7756]

Laura Kampf No thank you for awesome content!

[@pepperspray7386]

Chain takes 2 seconds to open up, and you cut it. I don't know how to feel just now

[@laurakampf]

chain was rusty and all gooed up...also i don´t have the tool to open it.

[@pepperspray7386]

Laura Kampf Totally cool with you throwing away junk you don't want. Just sad to see it go :p (takes a flat tip screwdriver to open the master link)

[@rdy4trvl]

Really need a chain tool to pop the pin. Generally, there's no master link on most multi-speed bikes (although there are after market master links available). Nice project!!

[@laurakampf]

you are right...you need this special thing to pop out one splint. thanks man

[@eggycat]

Not all chains have master links, plus if it was busted...

[@Mitermikeswoodshop]

Heck of a job Laura.

[@avehicleforchange]

Looks like great exercise! Would love to hear some instructional voice over on this video. Thanks for sharing.

[@Ceyx1265]

we made a similar design with a swamp boat like pusher propellor from plywood on ours that worked really well

[@kraftybeard4272]

Nice work Laura! You've concurred the land and the waves by pedal power now just the sky ;)

[@laurakampf]

haha! i might try that one day :)

[@JG-kv4oi]

Very cool and nice job! Going to have to build one for myself of aluminum and wider paddles outboard of bike frame. Thanks for he idea! 👍👍

[@laurakampf]

awesome, have fun with it!

[@simonbirch78]

cool bike.. also love the frank Turner t shirt!

[@kjellski]

Wonderful tune and a great build, as always! :)

[@laurakampf]

thanks, kjell! i used your spritlevel for this one :)

[@kjellski]

Yessss, I knew it! The day would come! :D I'm grinning from ear to ear right now! Happy making day Laura, I'm sitting in the office and have a day of programming work ahead... haven't had the change to use my tools in a too long while... Hopefully this evening... :)

[@marguskiis7711]

Great build yeah....

[@annihilation5488]

Great work!

[@MattDiresta]

so great to see you on "Make" again great, awesome project

[@laurakampf]

cheers man! i think i will be here more often from now on :)

[@MattDiresta]

+Laura Kampf that's great!! keep up the good work!

[@9Biloela99]

Surely this will be the next Olympic sport

[@caskwith]

That's cool, great work! I bet you now have a thousand ideas for how to make version 2!

[@laurakampf]

absoltuly...this is more like a prototype...there are a million ways to improve this :)

[@Nabbehh]

What's the instrumental? Great video!

[@frankgel]

I bet you got a lot of fun!

[@laurakampf]

we did!

[@toastcoast]

Very nice job! And a creative idea

[@laurakampf]

thanks, kitty

[@inakigarciadevicuna4423]

Nice project and very fun.

[@laurakampf]

thanks!

[@claterpult]

Awesome project, great video and a perfect vehicle for a hot summer day. I think it's great how your builds are so fun. It's all the things you want to make as a kid but didn't have the skills to do. Keep it up. BTW love how you got rid of that old chain. Some rusty old chains need a good angle grinder.

[@laurakampf]

thanks man! i really enjoy building these silly projects. it´s exactly like you said...stuff that throws you back to your childhood

[@CreaseysWorkshop]

Looks like fun to me!

[@richardsandwell2285]

What a fun build...

[@doncampbell853]

Looks like good fun and great exercise

[@gerrym4377]

Fantastic Laura!!! Great stuff as usual and a brilliant video! Don't listen to the 'would of, should of, could of' brigade!!!

[@laurakampf]

yeah, it is pretty intense...i never though a silly waterbike could offend so many people...but i guess some dudes just love to hate. i don´t i love to create :) thanks for your support

[@gerrym4377]

+Laura Kampf good attitude! I never understand KZbin negativity - the people creating videos put loads of time and effort into them, if the video is not your thing, just move along, no need for negative comments. Keep up the cracking work 👍👍😎😎

[@laurakampf]

will do :)

Good, Good job. Congratulations

[@laurakampf]

cheers!

[@michelangelolavagno1963]

wow.. great creativity and very good technique with steel ciao laura

[@laurakampf]

thanks michelangelo!

[@rachl009]

this looks like fun!

[@laurakampf]

it really is!

[@marguskiis7711]

Hahaha, the same mistake I made first: the plastic tubes are not light enough to keep you above the water. It was a huge and nasty surprise for me too. Styrofoam pontones are the most useful.

[@justintrovrt494]

That paddle wheel is nicely balanced.

[@laurakampf]

yeah, that was the tricky part. thanks for noticing!

[@possumheadcarpentry]

I think a tandem would be good. picnic, bottle of wine and off you go. Thanks for sharing.

[@laurakampf]

:)

[@reforzar]

Awesome. Love your projects!!!

[@laurakampf]

thanks, brian! this was a really cool one i think. it´s nice to try something new.

[@GetSquarewTomJolley]

Looks like fun!

[@laurakampf]

yeah, that thing is great for a day at the lake

[@craftychrystal7913]

Looks like fun to make and use! Question, doesn't the cross piece of Styrofoam cut down on the forward motion? and it looks like you could use a piece in back of the seat so you don't wear all the water that you are paddling through! LOL Thanks for sharing! Next step? Maybe spread the back stays with a spreader bar and make wider paddles, or run the shaft outside the stays and have matching paddles on either side? Have fun and keep us posted on design changes if any.!

[@tyshawnthomas7940]

I loved the bike!! What's the name of the song ?!

[@laurakampf]

Thanks! here is a link to dminors stuff soundcloud.com/dminor itunes.apple.com/us/album/sup...

[@luisenriquelira]

I really like this, it makes me think in one similar but for the beach!!!

[@laurakampf]

sweet! have fun with it!

[@scottygroundhog]

i noticed you have lots of videos about bikes. do you really like bicycles or is it just something you can get easily

[@espenjohansen8074]

Sorry, but this solution looks painfully slow. moving the water wheel further away from the frame would accomodate a bigger and more effective water wheel.

[@laurakampf]

i wanted to keep this as simple as possible...there are a million ways to improve this of course

[@Tyzonization]

+Laura Kampf some sort of under water turbine would be better to move fast in water ..

[@CARSANDRACING]

You did great!

[@VanOaksProps]

You all realize that this is supposed to be a fun video and not a technical, scientific, instructional video, right? The comments from some of the people here are nuts.

[@laurakampf]

Oh man! Thank you so much for saying this! I kinda saw it coming but it´s ridiculous how some people take it WAY to serious! you are a champion for speaking up :) love that! It´s about having fun, getting out there and making stuff

[@VanOaksProps]

No problem. Plus, you're using my music and I want more of it to be used in the future, so I'm protecting my interests! HAHA. As Jimmy Diresta just mentioned in the Make: podcast, "Perfect is the enemy of good." So get out there, make some good stuff and don't worry about it being perfect!

[@laurakampf]

My thoughts exactly! i´d rather have 100 finished projects than one that is perfect. thanks

[@nikaldo7819]

beautiful and amazing!

[@PuppetMaster8707]

Laura Kampf you are an amazing GENIUS!!

[@laurakampf]

:) thanks, matt!

[@PuppetMaster8707]

+Laura Kampf anytime Laura 😀😀

[@jpwoodwork]

thats awesome :) great job

[@laurakampf]

thanks, man

[@clintreed2064]

Sweet. Can someone please tell me who did the music. I really want this.

[@tubarne]

Yes, your right Laura. It takes a prototype to see the possibilities. And hey, a wet butt and cool feets… it’s summer, right.

[@puskycarrera]

awesome work! you might be able to get more drag fro the fins if you just increase its surface area at the end. you probably didn't do that because of space. but even if u just add some plastic flaps will probably move much more water and youll get more speed :P idk just a thought. but seriously amazing work

[@laurakampf]

thank you! i wanted to leave the frame as it is so the paddles must fit through it...but you are right. bigger paddel would mean more speed

[@puskycarrera]

Ya I totally understand I assumed you did that for that reason. Well keep it up this is the first video I see of your work. I subed to you channel looking forward to see your work!!!

[@futublock]

I want to send you some designs about something between this and a pedal boat

[@TrustinTimber]

That was wicked Laura👍🏻

[@felixdietzCGN]

Red mdf, havent seen that before!

[@___SourR34___]

Good job.

[@makeoscopy9060]

My Boy Scout troop made a bike powered boat for a homemade boat race this summer. I'm interested to see that someone else came up with a similar design

[@laurakampf]

very cool!

[@luisrivas7987]

this just gave me a great 💡... thanks!

[@laurakampf]

sweet!

[@paulbuckeljr8870]

Neat, it would be cool to use a recumbent bike, and cup holders, lol.

[@laurakampf]

haha, for sure!

[@jonduncan05]

Curious now. Must find a transmission and a boat propeller and see how good that works.

[@leeshichi2805]

Hubba Hubba Laura..good job & good mind..i love it..

[@Thukfudo]

All I could think of was the current of the Rhein taking you away... Maybe next time a lifewest and some bigger float stuff would be great :)

[@laurakampf]

i had a rope attached for safety

[@Robc509]

I think Doug needs one on the seeker ;)

[@PaulMeyette]

Next you need to make a rear fender to keep it from splashing up your back. lol

[@Alex761107]

wow great job

[@laurakampf]

thanks, alex

[@alsmith1025]

So awesome.

[@laurakampf]

thanks, al. happy you like it

[@raymondcava4669]

Very creative, can I go up river?

[@Makerside]

Laura, if you read this, please take care of your hands when working bandsaw. It looks so dangerous. Thanks for video!

[@ivanmikhail7162]

Что это? Это из категории "мама, я все починил"? Мне велосипед понравился до модернизации больше. В итоге получилось походное биде. :)