Rationale Report

Criteria	Glass Bottom Canoe	Fully Glass Vehicle	Vehicle with Glass Bowl on Bottom	Glass Flat-Bottom Vehicle
Ease of Use	S	-	S	+
Aesthetic Appeal	+	+	-	+
Manufacturability	-	-	+	+
Low Weight	+	-	+	-
Energy Efficient	-	+	-	+
Safety	-	-	S	S
∑+	2	2	3	4
∑-	3	4	1	1
∑S	1	0	2	1
Net Score	-1	-2	2	3
Rank	3	4	2	1
Continue or Combine?	No	No	Combine	Yes

Alternative solution number one is the glass bottom canoe shaped boat.  The advantages of this boat are that it is easy to design and light weight.  The disadvantages of this design are that it would be extremely difficult to manufacture and it is not very energy efficient.  Since the canoe has a rounded body, the entire body would need to be made of glass.  This would be difficult to manufacture, maneuver, and would also make it heavier to propel through the water.  There are other glass bottom canoes that have been made.  Figures one and two show a glass bottom canoe.

Figure 1- plexiglass bottom canoe

Figure 2- plexiglass bottom boat

 

Alternative solution number two is the completely glass cube vehicle.  This idea is certainly feasible but not as easily done as the rest.  The advantage of this boat would be that it would be completely clear in the water. The fish and marine life would not see it and be scared away, thus giving you a more accurate estimation of what creatures are living there.  It would be a very aesthetically appealing vehicle.  It would have a very modern and technologically advanced look to it.  The disadvantage to this vehicle is that it would be very difficult to manufacture.  It also uses more glass than the other alternative solutions.

Alternative solution number three is the vehicle with the glass bowl on the bottom.  Initially this is the design that we were going to go with for our final solution.  However we realized that the cons outweighed the pros.  While the bowl on the bottom would keep the boat balanced, it causes a bigger hazard.  If the boat hits a rock the bowl could crack and shatter.  Also the bowl would create a glare from the sun in some spots while the camera is rotating.

The final solution is the glass bottom boat with a flat bottom.  This vehicle is easy to use, has an aesthetic appeal, and is easily manufacturable.  It is not as low eight as alternative solutions number three though.  This solution is much less likely to break if it hits the bottom since it is flat.  The boat would be floating in the water so it would not come into contact with shallow rocks. 

After considering the pros and cons of each one of these solutions, the one that my team and I chose was the glass bottom boat with a flat bottom.  This came in first place in the ranking chart.  It has the most advantages in building and using this solution and was the most energy efficient.  It has an aesthetic appeal because it is sleek.    The bottom picture shhows the final solution.