Wild ideas that stay afloat

When two friends put their heads together, sometimes crazy ideas happen.

For Chris Serabalis and Stephen Sullivan, it all started with fishing.

"How cool would it be to have a boat," turned into, "How cool would it be to build a boat?"

It didn't take long for both Springstead High School athletes and future engineering majors' idea to spread wings. Now their dream has blossomed into a great sea adventure toward the end of their senior year - to build a catamaran and take it on a 14-day voyage along Florida's west coast.

Now it's just a question of whether their dream can tread water.

Using science, ingenuity and some help from Springstead educators, both teens believe they can make it happen. Following two years of planning, saving and building the base of their boat, Sullivan and Serabalis agree their plan has come a long way from the designs and initial work completed in Sullivan's backyard.

Now that their catamaran is taking shape - located now on the Springstead campus - both seniors say their project will soon be ready for open waters at Hernando Beach.

"I think one of the main motivators with this is that everyone doubted us," Sullivan said.

"Yeah, people didn't think we were legit - but now that we have a product to show, no one is doubting us," Sullivan added.

Well, almost no one.

Sullivan admits his mother is still uneasy about him and his friend taking their project on the water. The only way she would agree is if someone supervised them while they were in the water.

Steven Barton, construction technology adviser for the school, said he fully supports both seniors' undertaking for the project and plans to follow them on their trip in his boat - if they and their catamaran can last on a two-day test drive.

"They're both very sharp and analytical - and I always try to encourage innovation," Barton said. "This is a major project, and the endurance it's going to take for them to do it is incredible. But they've both been slugging away at this for a while now, and we'll give this a good try."

For Serabalis and Sullivan, the project has become more than just building, sanding and applying coats of fiberglass. Since the boat will be powered by pedaling to move the propellers, the pair has had to turn to science for the answers. That means conducting experiments to figure how long they could pedal the vessel.

To determine that, Sullivan and Serabalis use lab equipment from the school to measure oxygen intake while riding a bicycle. They also map cardio and muscle fatigue.

The experiment isn't exact, but Serabalis said both he and Sullivan take turns strapping on a face mask and connecting wires to themselves from a recording device while they ride the bicycle around the track. After their ride, they can pool the data and use it to determine the optimum amount of time they should pedal and then rest.

Sullivan said the amount of muscle endurance involved can be daunting - and that's while riding a bicycle for a short amount of time on a track, not directing a boat in ocean water for a day.

"It's almost like we have a Gatorade commercial going on," Serabalis said. "But hopefully this data will help us figure out how fast and how long we have to pedal and how long we'll need to recover. Our test run will also give us an idea of what we're able to do."

One obstacle is that the seniors need help funding their project to help pay material costs and the boat crew that will follow them on their voyage. So far, the total project cost is close to $1,000, and they expect it to cost another $1,000 to finish.

Depending on financial assistance and other factors, the two plan to take their practice voyage sometime in late March before taking off on their 14-day trip in late April or early May.

In the short term, both seniors are entering their catamaran project in a regional science fair this week in hopes of making it to the state competition.

Meanwhile, Sullivan and Serabalis said they've enjoyed the experience of building the catamaran and that it put their engineering skills to use. Both plan on becoming engineers. Serabalis will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sullivan will enroll at Penn State.

For two friends who've played soccer together since middle school, the boat project is a chance for one more adventure before starting new lives as college students.

And what's one more crazy story between friends?

Want to help?
Want to help sponsor Chris Serabalis and Stephen Sullivan's catamaran adventure? Contact Springstead High School at 352-797-7010