h a l f b a k e r yWhy not imagine it in a way that works?
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Tethership
Giant inflatable speedboat runs ahead of ship, anchors and pulls boat | |
A giant inflatable remote-controlled speedboat runs out
ahead of the
ship while trailing a cable connected to the ship behind it.
The speedboat anchors itself, and then the ship pulls itself
to the speedboat
with a cable.
The speedboat removes its anchoring and runs ahead to the
next
point.
The process is repeated, allowing for high speed with much
less
wasted energy than the ship's propeller.
Using two rafts, you get continuous propulsion.
Saltwater does not affect climbing ropes.
https://www.reddit....s_or_slings_unsafe/
[pashute, Jun 19 2019]
Prior art
Undersea Ropeline BoatRail
I thought there was another idea that was more similar to this one than this one, though [notexactly, Jun 20 2019]
[link]
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Clever. This is not a small amount of cable, however,
and it is salt water. Material challenge. |
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The anchor for this speedboat is some kind of
monster, as is the winch. |
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Could lower shipping costs a fair bit to select places
with shallow, anchorable sea-floors. |
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