How do you get a kayak to water without using a car?
The answer, according to two Marlborough Boys' College students, is by using a trailer attached to a bike.
Year 10 students Robbie Columbus and Angus Pauley, both 14, came up with their school science and technology fair project after talking to people about their everyday problems.
"We made a concept of carrying it on your bike and transporting it down to the river and in the theme of not using the car and being environmentally friendly we wanted to make it out of re-useable materials," Robbie said.
The pair are working with the year 11 students taking construction and mechanical technology, which is the first time the college has run the achievement standard.
Robbie said the trailer would be built mainly from plastic piping used in vineyards, which the college had managed to get for the pair.
They had only a scale model of the trailer and had done research and designs in their own time. More testing had to be done on how much effort was needed by the rider once the load was attached to make it as comfortable as possible.
Robbie said he enjoyed finding new solutions to problems.
"I quite like making the product and then testing it.
"It's a bit better than just plain old testing something that's already been made."
Year 11 student Tom Morgan, 15, was working on a security camera to catch taggers at night. The digital camera he bought over the internet had a motion sensor and used infrared lights to capture images of vandals.
He had created several prototypes for different parts of the camera, but most of the work he had done was research and planning.
Teacher Camilla McLean said the subject was a "thinking man's woodwork and metalwork".
"We give them a problem and they have to design something. The science bit comes in because they need to select the right materials."
Entering the science and technology fair was a great opportunity to win prizes and get scholarships, she said.
High-scoring projects at the fair will be entered into the Marlborough Science and Technology Fair in September.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
Works in progress : Marlborough Boys' College students who have designing and building entries for the Science and Technology Fair next month include, from left, Huw Ludemann 15, with a steam-powered boat; Tom Morgan, 15, with electronics for his security camera; Kerry Clapham, 14, with a trebuchet; Will Hart, 16, with a rocket; Robbie Columbus, 14, with a model of his kayak trailer; and Jared Silcock, 16, with softball pitching machine.
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