The Zakoosa drifter design consists of a wooden or plastic box connected by iron wire to a large Aquafina bottle. The box provides weight on the bottom to keep the drifter stable while the bottle floats at the surface. It will be painted neon pink or yellow to increase visibility. The materials of wood, plastic, and wire make the design durable and survivable in the ocean surf. If tumbled, the weight of the box is expected to right the drifter.

1. Drifter Designs for the SCOPE Project from
Rickards High School Environmental Systems
Students

2. The Curent’anator
Kayla Giddens (2nd pd.)
Paulene Solis (3rd pd.)
Eliot Spector (3rd pd.)
Babar Ahmed (3rd pd.)

3. Top view

4. Bottom View

5. Materials needed
• A roll of Electrical wire
• 1 square yard of wood
• A piece of sheet metal 3 inches squared
larger than the GPS
• fiber glass
• sphere shaped metal weight
• 12 oz krylon neon yellow spray paint

6. Why it would work?
• The Curent’anator will work and is survivable
because of its durability and stability. It is visible
because it will be spray painted in bright or neon
yellow. We wont have to worry about the box
tipping over because of the fact that we have a
sphere shaped metal weight below the box that
will help keep the box floating within the ocean’s
surface water. The weigh below the box also
prevents the drifter being blown along by the
wind thus leading to a more accurate result.

7. Group members: Matiah Ninalowo
Afiya Sa-Ra, Malkia Peterson

8. 2
PVC pipes 1 foot
 4 neon colored rubber Ducks
 Duct tape
 2 ropes
 2 wooden planks 2ft by 2ft each
 Neon orange and pink paint
 Paint brushes
 Two 1lb weights
 4 PVC elbow pipes

9. Why do you think this will work? Our design will
be a flat Ply wood board shaped like a surfboard
which is originally designed to float on water and
carry weight.
 Why do you feel it is survivable? The PVC pipes
on each end of the surf board will allow it to
endure the waves along with the durability of
the materials used.
 How will you make it visible? By painting the
surfboard neon pink and orange as well at the
PVC pipes. As well as a very noticeable rubber
duck on each end.
 How will it right itself if it gets tumbled in the
surf? The PVC pipes will allow it to stay afloat
and upright itself during forceful waves.


10. GPS
Pvc pipes
Wooden board

11. Deep-C Drifter Project
Alex Ndekeng
Michael Sorensen
Laura Wiedenhöver
Gabriel Wiedenhöver

12. Design and Name
“Hannibal” – This is referring to the leading Military commander of the
Phoenicians (247 – 183/182/181 BC).

Our group decided to go with a T-shaped model, constructed out of
PVC pipe.
Ring
Styrofoam
Safety Ring
will provide
stability to the
drifter
GPS will be
placed inside
of the PVC
clean-out
Pipe will have holes drilled into it so
that the current can run through the
holes and push the drifter along
PVC connections which will be
connected to center containing
the GPS device

13. Materials

2 Styrofoam Safety Rings (71 cm diameter)

4 inch PVC pipe (25 cm)

5 inch PVC “cleanout body” (15 cm)

5 x 4 inch PVC pipe “reducer”

2 inch PVC segment (60 cm)

PVC primer and PVC cement

Waterproof Neon yellow paint

14. What we think

Our drifter has a simple yet sturdy design. We chose to use PVC
because water will not penetrate or crack it. This is why we think the
design of this drifter will exceed what is needed to make it a success.

We would like to paint the ring a bright color in order to make it easy to
spot from above the water, such as neon yellow.

Our model allows water to flow through it, thus keeping it stable enough
so it will not tip over. The ring is also a help when it comes to making
sure the drifter stays upright and afloat at all times.

16. DESIGN SKETCH

17. LIST OF MATERIALS
1 - Lifoam 45-Quart Styrofoam Chest Cooler (Available at Lowes)
20 feet of Watts 1/2 in. OD x 3/8 in. ID x 10 ft. Vinyl Tubing (Available at
Home Depot)
Gorilla Glue
Orange Spray Paint

18. CONSTRUCTION
This will be constructed by drilling holes of circumference 1.5 inches in the
bottom of the cooler. After that, the tubing that has been cut to a length
of 50 cm will be inserted into these holes and then glued with gorilla
glue.
The GPS unit will be attached to the top of the cooler that will be painted
orange.

19. JUSTIFICATION
This design is modeled after Chrysaoraquinquecirrha, a certain species of
jellyfish.
The rationale for this is that jellyfish often float on ocean currents as
opposed to swimming. While the design doesn’t float in the same
manner as a jellyfish, it does bear a resemblance to it.
This is survivable because of the materials it is made of and it is selfrighting because it is bottom heavy so that the only way the drifter can
be balanced is to be righted.
It will be made visible by painting the cooler orange.
The point of introducing tubing is to cause the design to be influenced by
underwater currents that act on the tubes and subsequently push the
cooler (and GPS unit) as well.

20. Created By: Anna Rushin and Carrie Kimbrough
6th Period
THE
AGGRESSOR

21. A Sketch:

22. Materials











1- 14in. Plastic ball (bouncy ball)
1- thick plastic shower curtain
20- 12in. Metal dowels
20 large zip ties
1- can of neon orange spray paint
1- Ziploc sandwich sized box
2- cans spray foam
3 gallons of packing peanuts
1- roll of duct tape
4 kilograms of plasticine clay
1- Bottle of Gorilla glue

23. Picture of metal rods
23

24. Picture of Ball
24

25. Why Do We Think This Will Work?
Our drifter is structurally sound! It is
made out of durable and reliable materials.
It is stretchy yet firm. It will securely hold
the otter box. We think this will work
because we have an awesome design.

26. Why Do We Feel It Is
Survivable?
We made sure to think of every detail. We
made all the measurements and reassured
ourselves through careful calculations that this
drifter will be durable, will float, and will be
awesome. The shower curtain is not easily
punctured because it is strong yet a bit stretchy.
If something should bump into our drifter, the
debris or object is more likely to smoothly glide
off the round and water dynamic round surface
of the drifter than to puncture it.

27. How Will You Make It Visible?
Orange spray paint. 

28. How Will It Right Itself If It Gets
Tumbled In The Surf?
The drifter is designed so that if the 1
kilo on top with the otter box should get
flipped or knocked over by a wave, the
denser, bottom of the drifter which will be
approximately 3 kilos will self right itself
and go back to its normal and proper
position.

29. By: Isaac Bernstein,
Eric Pullen, Kasus Clark, Alex Love, and
TerryonLarkins.

30. General ideas and design

31. 


Imagine a plastic
Being hollow, the plastic will float in the
water, providing the bulk of the drifter’s
buoyancy
The size of the base should also be
sufficient enough to attach the GPS sensor
to it, allowing the tracking of the drifter’s
movement.

32. 

At each corner, a tether (String or some
more durable material) is attached to the
base
Connected by the tether will be weights,
small and made of metal, providing the
necessary weight to keep the whole of the
drifter just below the surface.

33. 


The base, being hollow, would provide the
buoyancy required to keep the whole drifter
close enough to the surface
Because of its shape, the base would be
difficult to tip over and allows for the
attachment of additional weights as well as
the GPS unit and battery
The material being used, plastic, is easily
molded enough to be made into the needed
shape while being tough enough to withstand
the waves

35. 



4 6cm lines of fishing wire (2ft)
Duct tape 1 roll
Hot pink spray paint
A box container that is 11in by 2 in

36. Side drifter

37. 



Hamster exercise ball
Duct tape
Yellow spray paint
Packing peanuts

39. 

Place GPS in its waterproof box inside the
“ball” surrounded in packing peanuts.
The wind will spin it in place, but should not
affect the measurements

40. “Whatever Floats Your Boat”
Julia Osagie
RedietYared
Bria Jefferson
Jamie Parrish
Kya Peterson

41. Sketching

42. Sketching (60z-100)

43. Sketching

44. Sketching

45. Materials

3 Polystyrene Foam Spheres (50 CM dimensions)
–

If not available, one meter block
One sheet of polystyrene foam (1 ft. 1dt. 1 inch)

1 Fishing String

3 Polystyrene balls (30 cm)

Neon pink paint spray can

1 Scalpel

Water sealant

40 Fishing Weights (10 grams)

PVC Pipe (¼ inch)

Spray Paint (1 Can, gold)

Saw (1, small)

Sharpies (3 different colors)

3 Tubes (dependent on size/ water resistant, antifungal, super glue)

46. Justification





Polystyrene foam floats well due to the amount of air, which
also accounts for its lightweight.
Combination of weights and lightweight composition reduces
the possibility of it tipping over and/or sinking.
GPS placement at the top ensures optimum tracking.
Based on research we know that the length of the WFYB
must be less than ½ the depth of the water at a particular
point in order to float well, and reduce the possibility of
meshing with the floor. Our short length ensures that this
won't happen.
Glue is water resistant, and antifungal, greatly reduces the
chance of weights coming loose and tipping over.

48. INTRODUCTION
Name your drifter!
•
The name of our Drifter is the Zakoosa. We chose that name because it
sounds funny and it is different.

49. DESIGN
Drawing or sketch of your design. If you draw it by hand, take a picture for
the PowerPoint.
·The estimated weight would be about or under 5 pounds and it is no more
than 50cm long.

50. MATERIALS
Complete list of materials (including number of each item needed, sizes, etc)
· Be very specific. We must be able to use this list to go shopping to obtain the items
you need.
•
Duct tape
•
Water proof glue
•
A medium size wooden (or plastic) box
•
A large Aquafina bottle
•
Neon paint preferably pink or yellow.
•
Iron wire to connect the bottle and the box.

51. QUESTIONS:
Justification for your design.
Why do you think this will work?
This will work because the bottom part which is the wooden or plastic box
will be about 2inch down the ocean and the Aquafina bottle will float.
· Why do you feel it is survivable?
This will be survivable because there is nothing better than wood and
plastic. The wire is also attached to provide stability of the Drifter.
· How will you make it visible?
I am going to paint the bottle with neon color like yellow or pink so that it is
bright and visible.
· How will it right itself if it gets tumbled in the surf?
It will usually will not tumble because there is weight on the bottom and
the string to hold up the bottle. So my educated guess would be that it
wouldn't tumble.