I need some scene shop assistance

[featherynscale]

I know some of you guys are theatre tech and engineering types, maybe you could help me out. Or at least, we could argue about this, which is usually at least fun, if not actually productive. Here's what I need:

I'm working on a float for the Snake Saturday parade. I need to come up with a way to build the bow of a pirate ship -- the design calls for the front end of the boat to protrude from a flat panel, on which the rest of the boat will be painted, trompe l'oeil style. The bow of the ship must be three-dimensional, and I'll give bonus points if at least one person can stand in it.

If you were building this, how would you do it?

Comments

Questions...

[niveus-tigris.livejournal.com]

What are the rough dimensions of the front end of the float?
Can the bow be angular instead of curvy? How far out does it need to protrude?
How sturdy is the box of the float? What is it made from?
What kind of budget do you have for materials?

Re: Questions...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

The trailer on which the float will be built is 40 feet. The boat bit can vary in length. The trailer is 8 feet wide, and we should not exceed that. Nothing on the float can be more than 15 feet high.

The bow should be curved, but I am willing to listen to ways in which it will still look like a pirate ship if it is angular.

The 'floor' of the trailer is wooden, and can have things nailed/screwed to it. I believe that the plan is to have open sides, and plywood-ish panels at either end (or possibly a panel at the front end with the back end open.

The budget is miniscule, but I'm willing to discuss expensive concepts as a starting point and work down from there.

Got any clever theories?

Re: Questions...

[niveus-tigris.livejournal.com]

How tall are the sides going to be? Tall enough to make it look like gunwhales with railings? I'm trying to figure out how to attach a 3D bow to a 2D platform...

If the float has short sides (3 or 4 feet) and there is something to support the bow (the front part of the trailer frame) then a simple wooden frame can be attached to the platform and thin plywood bent to make a curve over it.

If you're going to be at the meeting tonight, I can sketch it for you then. If not, send me a fax number and I'll draw it up when I take a break mid-afternoon.

Re: Questions...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

The height of the thing is negotiable; it's just got to be tall enough to look good. The trailer isn't like a boat trailer, it's like a flatbed semi trailer. So it's just a rectangular dealie on wheels. We can attach some extra "walls" to it, and that part's not a problem.

Like I'm telling Mac below, I'm figuring on doing the soaked ply over frame, I just can't figure out how to make the frame work. If the sides of the "ship" are tall enough, I can put a box platform inside of it so that the ship doesn't have to support any more than its own weight.

I'll be there tonight -- I can sketch the dimensions/proposed layout of the thing for you, which may make this easier to talk about.

Re: Questions...

[niveus-tigris.livejournal.com]

At my current rate of decline, going to the meeting is not looking like such a great idea. If you can make a sketch and get it scanned, I'll see what I can do to help. Engineering is one of Tigger's specialities.

If this is actually Influenza B that I've got...I'm staying home.

Re: Questions...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I'll get you a scan. It may be after the meeting tonight, as nobody seems to have a scanner here at the office.

I hope you get over your alien virus.

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

Will there be snakes on the boat? Will Samuel L. Jackson be present?

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Nah. Regrettably, the theme of the Snake Saturday parade almost never includes actual snakes. We could work on it for next year, though.

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

While I'm still thinking about the prow itself(looking for something other than carving it froma large felled oak) the planks of the ship could be thin plywood (or even veneer) soaked for 24 hours, then nailed/screws in over a frame with overlaps. 1/4" plywood used to be used for SCA shields, but you don't need it to withstand impact. The plus side to this is that it takes a stain and is wood. The alternative is to hit Fantastik Plastics up by I70 and shop for plastic sheets that are similar to veneer.

Because trailers often have that Tyr shaped head to them, you can easily build a stand inside of your bow fascade out of 2x4s and have it bolted to the frame.

When we did our airplane, it was just a profile cut from MDF siding. Much easier and lower budget. If it was going to be re-usable we would have gone fancier, but the JoCo Faire floats are usually turned into Fall campout fires. 8-)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I am figuring on doing some soaked and formed plywood. I'm just sort of stumped on the frame/prow angle. I think I can cut some ribs out of thicker ply or MDF, but they're not going to be very sturdy for attaching things to...

[zylch.livejournal.com]

MDF is crap, use luan!

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking that the side-ribs only have to help bow out the sides... they don't have to bear weight... so PVCor even PEX could help there.

Sandwiched floor-weight plywood bound with Marine glue could make you something pretty damned stout as a 6x6. Using 3/4" plywood it would take 8 layers to get to 6", and fully solid pieces would not be required as long as you offset joins.

If you use gorilla glue it will be even stronger, but you'll have to clamp it tight, Gorilla glue tends to shift unclamped wood quite a bit.

[zylch.livejournal.com]

Hm. For a lightweight prow, I'd use the classic theatre standbys of 1x3 pine for the structural framing and 1/8" luan to form the curved shape. If you want someone standing on it, you're going to need to frame with 2x4 and platform with 1/2" ply minimum. Standing on it would be the maximum you could do safely, though -- it won't support jumping or cavorting about. I'd recommend at least 5/8", 3/4" is better (but heavier).

I'm still trying to sort out how the body of the boat relates to the trailer -- is it being built on top of the trailer, or what? If you can possibly arrange to scan and upload a sketch of what the idea so far is, I'm sure I'd be able to whip something up for you.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I think that if the thing is tall enough, I can put a box platform inside it for people to stand on. That way it doesn't have to support any more than its own weight. So that's not so much of a problem.

I'll see if I can get a sketch together.