Taking physics on the road

Cathy Ellis loves riding her bike and kayaking. Now thanks to three young islanders she can combine two of her passions. Middle Schoolers Tashi Litch, Kajeton Bullock and Henry Miller spent three months building kayak trailers that attach to bicycles.

Cathy Ellis loves riding her bike and kayaking. Now thanks to three young islanders she can combine two of her passions. Middle Schoolers Tashi Litch, Kajeton Bullock and Henry Miller spent three months building kayak trailers that attach to bicycles. Their labors are all part of an applied physics course taught by Brett McFarland.

“For people that live in Eastsound, it’s a great way to get their kayaks to the water,” said McFarland who teaches the course as part of the OASIS program at the Orcas Island School District.

Every Wednesday morning for three hours, the three youths learn various physics topics and literally build things based on those ideas.

“We have been looking into strength of materials, as well as strength of different types of glue joints with wood, and these have led us to building bike kayak trailers,” said McFarland.

The kids spent their mornings testing and bending wood to ensure it could handle the weight of a kayak.

They plan to sell their trailers to islanders like Ellis who live near boat launches. So far they have built two trailers, but they plan to enlarge their business if there is a demand.

The frames are built from red cedar and weigh between 17 and 23 pounds.

“Ours has a single person unloading design,” said Tashi trying to persuade Ellis to take his trailer – which he built with Kajeton – for a spin.

Meanwhile Henry proclaims that his design is superior because it has an outer support beam in case the rider gets too close to a fence.

“And I built it alone,” added Henry.

McFarland said promoting their works is all part of the fun and exploration in the class. After carefully examining each device, Cathy told the boys, “they are both beautiful and interesting.”

For Ellis, the bike trailers signify one less car on the road and a lot more joy for her personally. In the end she chose the trailer built by Tashi and Kajeton.

“It’s just so fun carrying my own kayak,” said Ellis after mounting her bike with the new trailer and kayak in tow.

For more info about the OASIS program, visit http://oasisk-12.org/.