One of the problems of Leonardo tackled was how to increase the speed and navigational precision of boats. Naturally the shape of the hull had a primary importance and Leonardo used the shapes of fish as models since they were at home in the water.
He also thought of equipping some boats with large paddles that would have been worked by hand or foot cranks perhaps aided by flywheels, thus increasing the rhythme and efficiency of traditional oars.
In the dynamic drawing one has a sense of the vessel's agility (it has a tapered prow and operates on the surface of the water) as well as its manoeuvrability which is made possible by the fact that the rower faces forward.
Credit : HK Sciences Museum.
No comments:
Post a Comment