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"One
passion to another, one good idea to the next - that's pretty much
how he's always been." - grandson, Ryan Delano |
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view Platt's auto-biography
| view accompanying forward |
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"GIT"-ROT
- 1964
The beginning of Platt and Betty's gainful self-employment.
This is an epoxy-based product used to stabilize and repair
dry rotted wood. You may very easily have seen this product
in a marina, it's still in production today. Shown here is the
original product and packaging. |
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Wire
Plank - 1969
This invention was one of Platt's more serious early endeavors.
Wire Plank was used to make medium weight steel frames around
which Fer-A-Lite was applied to form very strong yet lightweight
hulls. Only recently did Platt decide to sell the intricate
automatic welding device that produced the long rolls of Wire
Plank. |
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Fer-A-Lite
- 1972
A trowelable fiberglass mix forming a lightweight rock hard
substance that Platt used to build boat hulls and many other
things. |
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Str-r-etch
Mesh - 1975
This was a light, moldable steel wire weave used to build boat
hulls and other structures. The steel frame would be surrounded
by Fer-A-Light or a similar compound to form extremely strong
surfaces. |
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Styro-Flyers
- 1981
This hobby became much more serious when it was published as
a full color punch-out book of toy airplane designs. These designs
transformed the Styrofoam containers from fast food restaurants
into amazing model airplanes. |
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Geodesic
Lightweight Airplane - 1981
This is where the Geodesic Boats concept was born. Platt built
a fullsized airplane fuselage using the techniques and materials
highlighted on this site. The fusellage is in a museum somewhere,
though it never was given wings or flown. |
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"Dippa"
boats - 1982
These boats included the Puddle Dippa, Double Dippa and most
interesting, the Folda Dippa. The Folda Dippa was a fiberglass
canoe that could be disasembled into two nested pieces that
would then be strapped on ones back! |
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Geodesic
Airolite Boats - 1982
By now you surely know what these are - ultra-lightweight boats
of all kinds. |
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Light
weight boat building Strong Back- 1982
Just a clever way to build a very strong support on which to
build a boat. It consists of two thin boards and two cardboard
sides glued/stapled together. It's light weight makes it very
easy to flip the boat during construction. This picture is where
Platt demonstrates how strong it really is. |
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The
Motorcycle Fairing! - 1983
Never intended for anything but his own use, Platt built an
egg-like removable cover for his motorcycle for use in light
rain or cold weather. This unusual looking device drew the attention
of local papers - and surely that of anyone who saw him drive
by! |
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Ultra-Hut
- 1983
Originally Platt built an arched structure using a wooden framework
covered by heavy plastic to store vehicles and as additional
workspace. Then he realized that the process could be better
facilitated using huge metal arch segments. Ultra-huts have
been used as garages, huge boat shops and to house a very long
fish hatchery! |
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Jiffy-Sail
- 1988
Platt was intrigued by the tear-resistance and strength of Tyvek
since it's inception. It comes as no surprise that he found
a use for it as an inexpensive do-it-yourself sail. |
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Styrofoam
Steam Box - 1989
Not a new invention, just a clever and inexpensive way to thoroughly
steam ribs for greatly eased boat building. This device is described
in the boat plans for home construction and use. |
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Clamp-Its
- 1990
A simple, inexpensive adjustable spring clamp used to hold ribs
and stringers in place while assembling a wooden boat frame.
The original set he built by hand on a wire bending jig using
spring steel. |
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Evolution
- The next step? - 1997
This is a tiny book about Platt's theories and observations
on human evolution. Though abstract, his theories suggest that
less is more, and that smaller people are proportionally stronger
and would require a small fraction of that which we do today.
An interesting short read. |
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Crystal
Boat - 1998
Highly unrecommended due to the tremendous difficulty to assemble,
this is a completely see-through version of his Geodesic Boat.
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