If you have a 3D printer, you've probably created a couple of Benchys. But how about a big Benchy? So big that if you throw it into the water, it works like a real boat. I know a person on YouTube with enough plastic and madness to do something like that, and it's Emily The Engineer, whom we remember for her toilet. Although she needed several adjustments, the final model didn't suffer any major failures…
Did you know that the Benchy design (officially 3DBenchy) is inspired by a tugboat? Very appropriate, considering that this little “project” is the starting point for much bigger and more complex things. However, nothing stops us from celebrating the Benchy on its own, and a quick search on Thingiverse offers thousands of remixes, among which pirate ships, aircraft carriers… and Benchys attacked by Godzilla stand out (no joke).
Another possibility is to print a big Benchy… very big, and honoring its nature, use it as a boat. 3D prints usually present additional challenges regarding leaks-filtrations-tightness, but that hasn't stopped Emily The Engineer before, nor will it now:
What does it take to sail on a giant Benchy?
First, inspiration, which came through a video published by “saveitforparts”, in which he transformed a sandbox (read “kids' sandbox”, not “cat litter”) into a boat. Second, plastic, and Emily has environmentally questionable amounts of that material. And third, revisions, because an original Benchy isn't entirely stable in the water, and requires a keel.
This is when the squadron of printers comes into action. All the pieces were designed with five walls to reduce the risk of leaks, but that's not enough. A combination of dowels, super glue, epoxy, and heat (in the form of a soldering iron) proved essential for fixing and sealing each part. In the worst case, Emily could cover the entire exterior with fiberglass, but that's not a very pleasant process, to say the least.
Finally, the giant Benchy reached the water. The good news is that it didn't sink or suffer leaks. The bad news is that it showed symptoms of instability. Its solution was to add floats on the sides, and after a minor accident (one of the floats came off), the trip ended with a visit to Wendy's, and the motor battery completely ruined… but that's another story.
