(Rollover to see internals)
This is a concept for a wind-up racing boat. That children can use to race each other in the bath tub or swimming pool. The toy will use the same internal mechanism for each boat; however, there would be different types, shapes, and colors of the boats available for sale. The paddles will also be interchangable, so children will be able to exchange them and see which ones make the boat fastest.
The internal mechanism is fairly simple. It utilizes a torsion spring to store energy, while a ratchet only allows the paddles to rotate in the forward direction. A worm screw and a gear will be used to change the twisting motion in the horizontal plane to the vertical plane of the paddles. The paddles will then rotate propelling the boat forward.
The boat will be made of plastic with rubber insulation in some places to assure that it is waterproof. The boat must be light and balanced to a certain extent to assure that the boat will be capable of floating. The internal mechanism will all be the same as previously stated, so that they can be mass produced and inexpensive to produce. The most likely part to break would be the paddles, which is another reason that the paddles are easily interchangable. Overall, this toy would be lot of fun for young kids between 5-9 for a relatively inexpensive price.