Extreme weather houseboat floats in Silicon Valley backyard 

I admire this man on so many levels. I work with plywood daily. I have been woodworking for 5 years, and honestly I don't think I could do a better job with plans. The way he is crafting this is fairly well done. I think there are clearly parts he is not sure of what he is doing (as he admits) but his willingness to keep going, his drive, and his passion are mind blowing. I seriously have GOBS of respect for him.

Neat idea. But your port holes are wrong. They should open to the outside so when they are shut the water will push against them to help keep them sealed.

So many people are hating on this project and can't see the purpose. Fine, you can hate - but I do admire his stamina and determination which is a rare thing nowadays. Just because you can't see the point, please at least give him credit for going through the learning process.

This guy is a great husband and father. He sees the possible danger approaching and builds a way to protect his family ! Bravo Bud !

This guy is awesome. The world needs more people with his courage that puts action into an effort to realize their ideas for change.

I love this, to me this is more of an art project than anything. It's beautiful and the attention to detail is incredible.

In the first concept diagram, he showed a sort of weighted keel below it.. This is what gives a boat stability and, with a rudder, lets you steer it.. I'm wondering what's keeping this weighted properly.. without a keel, it'll just roll over and not be able to be steered anywhere.. Perhaps its added at the end? Though a keel also means it will be less impact resistant and could go "aground"... making pressure against a single part of the hull

At least his wife knows where he is LOL

That is awesome! And his philosophy about building it and people will come is on point, very inspiring. Thank you all for finding him and filming this.

Man that’s awesome smart, crafty guy. Very family oriented, exactly what America needs more of! Hats off to you bud!

With all due respect, this project has little to nothing to do with surviving tsunamis, and everything to do with creating abstract art. It seems clear the vessel is not a practical survival raft. But that's fine. The creator of this explored something and shared it with his kids. They will always remember their father built a cool wooden ship in their backyard.

worst case senario the kids get a unique club house or a custom guest room

Such a great idea!! How about use drinking water as ballast instead of sand?

No one critisizing him is doing anything themselves. He is a doer they are not

I love the crazy builds you manage to film. This one is great while being insane. Hats off to everyone involved.

When you get right down to it, it is a massive amount of effort for something with virtually no utility at all.

Something told him to build this. The Paradigm is shifting and this channel is helping to facilitate separating need from want. Chees

Don't get me wrong, that's a cool project, but I highly doubt it will protect him against the kind of mega tsunamis caused by asteroids like he's hoping it will, LOL.

Fantastic!!! What an amazing creation!!! You have put in a lot of hard work on this, and given us a model to use. Its like the guys who build houses that withstand forest fires. People don't give them credence until the impossible happens, and a whole housing tract burns down, except for... that one house built to withstand the fires! When the Tsunami happens, your family will be safe, and the neighbors begging you to take them into your boat in the raging waters. Well done! Very commendable venture.

My hat is off to anyone that is a free thinker and is not lazy. Chris is both. I would call this a work of art, learning, human interest and love more than anything else. Great video How many of you know it all critics out there can show us your one original thought or what you made or did about it ?

It probably shouldnt be made completely out of wood right...??

Just curious, in this design if you were to put it in water, what is to stop it from just rolling since you have a very round hull with no keel?

I wonder if it could be more like a gyroscope. Allowing the capsule to stay steady within and an outer hull that moves.

I really don't understand all the haters in the comment section? You people are just jealous... Let this man have his project and fun.. I understand his passion for an idea. I think this is brilliant, either it will work or it won't. I do believe this pod, boat, life raft craft or whatever it turns out to be, will be used in the near future. Earthquakes are increasing and the pacific coast of America is in for a rude awakening soon.. Better to be prepared and safe than sorry. Prepare for the worst and pray for the best.. Good luck with your adventure. I hope it does everything to your expectations....

design/build projects are such a fun way to learn

He must have one helluva patient wife!

Problem: Disasters most often strike without any warning, You are asleep in bed at 4 AM and will not even make it to your shelter. Solution: Build your shelter into your home like the bed that you spend 1/3 of your life in. Also, make it a Faraday cage to block ALL electromagnetic pollution, also totally filter and monitor the air (like the oxygen and pollution/pollen content etc) in your home where you spend 2/3 of your time. A stainless steel cylinder that closes in an emergency and is totally self contained with you strapped to your comfortable and soft bed. Under the bed is emergency food, water, a porta-pottie, battery for lights and communication and of course communication from radio (with shortwave, air, TV etc) to two way communication like FIRS for family to shortwave for help etc. Marine radios are nice too. Cell phones? Not so much. OH, and don't forget some Oxygen tanks under the bed as well as a solar panel, fishing and other emergency gear for land or sea life (like a solar water desalinator OR a 3 amp 40 gal a day desalinator that can also be operated by hand (extra water is a great item to trade with, it's gold in any long term emergency). Anyway, if you really want to be prepared,,, you should see the survivor sailboat I have designed and where on earth the safest place to be is. The number one way to always come out on top is to remember this: It is far better to avoid a war or disaster (at ground zero) than to win a war or to even survive a disaster vs avoiding it in the first place ie: don't live directly under a volcano and expect to outrun it's wrath when it hits dhaaa... same with other avoidable ,,, well you either get it or you don't... In any long term major disaster (like a world wide major solar flare that fries all electronics putting us instantly back into the dark ages,,, etc,,,), 90 % f people will be dead in the first month or two. Think about that. And the most dangerous thing after any such disaster are people, hungry, angry armed people soooooo being as far away from PEOPLE instantly increases your odds of survival. The tick is not to survive only but to do it in total safety, comfort and style so forethought, planning and action PRIOR to any such disaster is key to the solution as I know the best solution to be, designed by me LOL:-) What's in YOUR bag of solutions?

_"What are you doing here?"_ _"My wife asked me that too"_

survival pill, thats just to cool. don't waste any time listening to the guys that know more then you do, its apparent your enjoying yourself, learning and being a great inspiration to your boys and it looks just awsome. you go brother.

Hahaha what an awesome folly! I love it :D The fact that this guy just builds stuff without thinking it through makes it all the better. I mean the port holes alone, opening to the inside! If it isn't too heavy, he could also turn it into a fun boat you can put on a trailer to go camping / boating / living in.

great job Chris- there is a lot of irreverent response from the egos of the world, and also from those who are just trying to help, but you are on track and we all solve problems along the way. patience and persistence carry the day- "It is not the onlooker or the critic that matters, but really, it's the doer of deeds, the one in the arena that matters most." Theodore Roosevelt. This has to be for blue sea application as anything in a tumbling wall of incoming water is swept along similar to going over the falls. you have a knowing that propels you, and it will contribute wonderfully to the human race.

Interesting comments on here. If anything, it's a learning experience that this guy is going through...along with his two children. Perhaps this is more of a father and child journey than anything else. How many tsunami's have we experienced (big ones mind you) here on the West Coast of the United States? Even the other side of the 2011 tsunami that hit our West Coast was pretty small once it arrived. Yeah, it did "some" damage...but it was insignificant. The real question is: Will any of us, alive today, right now, ever experience a massive tsunami on the West Coast of the United States in our lifetime? THAT is the real question...and, will there be adequate warning for coastal residents and those on the lower elevations close to and in danger of being affected by a large tsunami, to get to higher ground or to at least to get inland fast enough to be safe? But I also had all of the same questions about ballast, as well as is it really big enough to accommodate his entire family in an emergency? How seaworthy will it actually be? For how long will he need it to sustain him and his wife and two children after they "safely" get into it and "hopefully" survive all the havoc and devastation that they would have to endure in such a violent event? Perhaps just raising his home up onto stilts (deeply embedded into the ground of course)...let's say, twenty to twenty five feet above the ground, should be adequate to survive a tsunami of large enough proportions. I've seen some amazing coastal homes on the North Coast of Kauai, Hawaii that are way up high above the ground to keep them above the tsunami zone. Some very expensive homes...mansions really. Not exactly cost effective for this gentleman I would assume. Still, his project is pretty cool looking. It's also interesting that his name is Robinson. Another thing that is interesting is that he hasn't devised a simple way to soak or steam his marine plywood strips before applying them to the curved hull of his emergency flotation vehicle. He probably could have avoided so many of his plywood strips snapping the way they have, if for a simple steam or hot water soak before application. This vehicle would make for (if anything), an overbuilt, but good movie prop for some disaster thriller. The port hole drafts on the outside of the hull look like they are either level or somewhat angled pointing downward toward the actual window pane. Is this going to be a problem trapping water against the window pane? You really do not want sitting salt water as it is quite corrosive over time. Granted, the rolling of the boat in general would probably allow any trapped water to drain from those inward and downward facing drafts to drain out. But overall, you want to make sure that any flat planes on any boat angle downward toward the outside of the boat, so it drains back into the ocean or body of water that the vehicle is floating in. Also, Mr. Robinson's argument about using human bodies as part of the solution to the ballast problem and/or system, even with people in full five point safety harnesses is a really bad idea. At this point, the boat is probably quite heavy, and any human bodies, which are also mostly made up of water, would not make for a very good ballast system in the event of a tsunami emergency. Any boat, sealed or not, should have a really good (scientifically and mathematically accurate) ballast to keep that thing from continually rolling and jostling around in rough water. Because of the tubular design of this boat, with or without a good keel, would not lend itself to good stability even in calm water. But in this vehicle's case...a well thought out ballast is paramount for a happy and healthy crew. There's nothing worse than being sea sick. I notice also that Mr. Robinson was struggling with lifting heavy parts up onto and into his project. He could also have built himself a simple block and tackle with which he could single handedly lift all those cumbersome and heavy wood components to save his back and other body parts, and it would also just be safer too. He definitely has the over-structure framework to support a block and tackle pulley system for his project. I have worked in plenty of prop shops and special effects shops where we have used block and tackle to get heavy jobs done safely and efficiently. In the end, I don't think that this project is crazy at all. It's ambitious, it's amazing, it's cool and it's a learning experience and it is also art in design. If I had the money and the space, I would love to work on an ambitious project myself. Thank you for sharing Mr. Robinson's amazing and ambitious project. We all learn from sharing.

You know you can buy a second hand lifeboat real cheap right?

Wow. I am a carpenter and i like it. It doesn´t matter when it´s finished. It matters that you start to make your idea real. Sorry about my bad english. Thumbs up from germany!

Very ingenious and pretty creative. And as long as you're spending time with your family, it's even better...besides, you never know what the future holds

at first i was going to scold you Kirsten and say all of the negative stuff hat goes along with that statement. When really after watching the video in its entirety it FORCES one to have an opinion. It is polarizing. One either digs it or hates it right? I believe this kind of build is completely necessary. As it gets us all to begin problem solving. To ask the questions needed. In the end it may well be this build that gets us to a solution... well done. very hands on approach to an idea that may have stayed on paper in the ethos? Cheers Kirsten. MM

For a man with little to no experience working with power tools, epoxy, plywood, this is a great first attemt. Circles, spheres, and domes are the strongest man made structures know to man, a keel in a 360 roll from a tsunami would fracture the structure so using humans in a five point harness for weight in the lowest part of the pod is smart.Check! Getting pounded with large debris would be absorbed using that ten inch solid foam, wood made into small squares supports would probably survive most of the tsunamis. Check! Its getting pushed into tight spaces and maybe going under water is where the danger can be, its not a pressure tight submarine so the most time under water would be around an hour, so maybe a few air tanks and breathing regulators would help. Remember that when a tsunami hits, your being pushed further inland not out to sea, so a few thick plastic strips would take some of the grinding and impacts, kinda like the bike helmet you said. Looking forward to see it completed, but I know it will never be %100 finished to your evolving thought process, nothing is ever %100, maybe completed but not finished.

if a tsunami washes this up to shore it won't survive for a seconded, if your out at sea most any boat will survive a tsunami so he built this to survive surf? doesn't make any sense to me...

He's an engineering wizard! For never having built a boat before, that was damn impressive. 👍👍 Well done sir!

One of the coolest most inspiring projects I've ever seen. We'll done!

I'm pretty sure you need a permit to build anything that large in his backyard especially if its in the People's Republic of Kalifornia

Im not as smart as this guy to design and build a pod like this, so I bought a house on a hill, problem solved and no pissing in a bucket.

This thing is gonna roll so hard in the water, you'll puke up next weeks dinner

The amount of skill and patience to bend this plywood is incredible. I hope he would build a real boat to use for pleasure someday. I am sure the boat he would make would make would be awesome.

As an Engineer, I'm both impressed and infuriated by this guy. I'm impressed with his problem solving and resolve, but his inefficiency blows my mind.

Did he say he had an arts major? I can see that.. it's cool looking but probably wont really work. Also, did someone understand why he didnt just buy one?

the problem with this design is that you need it to flip while it gets hit by a tsunami but when the tsunami is over it needs a keel in order to swim properly. so you need some kind of foldout keel, which is only on the outside. but a strong keel could harm the structural integrity of the boat. Maybe you can attach 2 foldable outrigger. So it wont flip and if you span nets on them you also increase the living space on the boat

Gees people , the kids loved it , kept him out of the bars , expresses artistic exploration , has family safety in mind , keeps him around the house and Mom knows where he at yet keeps the mess outside . Christ any of you nic picking wannabe's think of that ?

guys there's multiple points to this story. Look at the awe and joy in his childrens eyes. This is a cool concept and idea that he brought to life himself. ( bad ass hobby ) idk if it would hold up against a bombardment of waves, but it is pretty inspirational.

This is what happens when you have a CNC router and a CADCAM, Your mind races and Plywood becomes a whole different animal.. *That is Beautiful work* ..

No keel? You'll survive the storm only to barf to death.

You could build a deck for pooping...a literal poop deck haha! Seriously though when my grandpa was rescued from North Korea by the US Navy, there were so many refugees on the ship that the indoor plumbing was overloaded. So the majority of the people had to relieve themselves over board. According to him "refreshing but somewhat freezing experience."

you can always also build smaller models to "think it through" right? I mean I have a lot of respect for what he has done so far and the courage. But I think he may end up with something that costed a lot of money and time which he could have spent different with his family (like building a recreational boat). Because I think it will nicely float if you only think of the water in a tsunami. But he maybe forgot about all the heavy trash mixed in the tsunami-water, that will hit his boat hard. If one remembers the images of Japan with big fishing boats being smashed against houses... I seriously doubt that his wooden boat would survive this.

I admire Chris so much. This is a super cool idea and it looks like a lot of fun to make/use. Keep exploring, dude.

I love how aware he is of the processes involved in discovery, and troubleshooting. very smart guy.

Freaking death trap. If a tsunami is strong enough to reach there, it's strong enough to stretch that thing around a telephone pole and snap it in half. You stick an automatic inflatable raft to your roof and possible a hot air balloon with a super huge blower fan tip give you a jump; or hit the road and take your chances. Unless that thing is framed out in steel and sized for 2 or 1 person; it's impractical and not sufficient for the purpose for which it was designed. Roll it down a hill. If it survives a 40 degree slope for 300 feet; it could possible withstand a tsunami. But if it's over those roofs, and that thing gets picked up and smashed against something. ..toast. drop it 5 feet on one side, I bet it ends up looking like a bad Jenga move. It's not the water in a tsunami. If it was just water, you could swim until it went down. It's all the debris that gets swept along with the water. You basically have to build a demolition Derby submarine. And i don't see wood doing well against brick, steel, and concrete. I would market it as a kids spaceship play house that could possibly double as a flood or tsunami shelter. Throw some solar panels on to and you got an awesome club house, survival hut/boat.

Could it withstand a tsunami smashing it against a building? Cars? Because that's what happens during a tsunami. One roadside sign puncturing it, and it's finished. Tsunamis are like bombs, but bombs of water. The debris they produce has to be contended with.

Someone send this dude the Tsunami videos with the water on fire because of the spilled gas/oil and stuff... Take a picture of his face. LOL

Extremely Cool , It took Extreme thought and persistence to achieve this model , I am Very proud of his ingenuity thanks for sharing

Fantastic and ingenious! Looks wonderful!

cute, but you wouldn't catch me in there.

I wonder if he will get the boat in the divorce

I like it. Design an escape pod based on an escape pod. it's beautiful.

I know a lot of people are hating but I'm happy for this guy very creative and intelligence.

CAN YALL STAP HATEN ON THIS MAN I THINK THIS IS REAL COOL AND THAT HES A GREAT MAN GOT REAL TALENT MORE THAN I DO CUZ IM JUST A RANDOM COMMENTER.btw great work man 👌😃

How does it resist the Ocean saltwater ?

I'm sorry, but a $10,000 used fiberglass sailboat would be more seaworthy and useful in every way. There's no need to start from scratch. These problems that this guy is struggling with were all solved hundreds of years ago.

I love this! A pro-active, lateral approach to a problem. It's got me thinking about building something in ply. Love it! Many thanks. For all the naysayers: I'd rather be in this than my car! It wouldn't guarantee your safety but you'd have a better than average chance of surviving relatively unharmed. For all those knockers, I'd like to see your faces and your extraordinary designs for surviving a tsunami? Oh dear... you don't have a clue do you? So many mockers who know everything but can't get off their backsides to have a go. hahahaha

Its so lovely....thanks, lots and lots of patience in it.

Crazy impressive build!

Nothing quite says "I'm a Silicon Valley software engineer with more money than sense" like sinking untold thousands of dollars and hours into a project you decided to haphazardly build without making plans or calculations for a disaster that has never occurred where you live. As a mechanical engineer, it really pisses me off to see someone spend so much time, effort, and craftsmanship into something so impractical and poorly planned. I wish my income came close to what he's spent.

What is this boat for , again?

I've always thought about making a personal Boat/watercraft using giant industrial ABS pipe then finding a source for old WW2 style glass or Lexan aircraft nose cones that could be retrofitted. That seems like a much less labor intensive cost effective and maybe durable base structure that will never rot. I may have just given away my million dollar Idea?

Chris uses his creative energies to 'get the ball rolling.' A good bit of 'inventing' is try and try again, as with Edison searching for a filament material for light bulbs. I found it to be fascinating to follow along with his modular construction ideas. At some point, he may realize that 'Survival' does require a 'house' of amenities: water supply, waste management, even air handling; never mind food and heating or cooking capabilities. It will then prove to have been practical or necessary to have used a comprehensive systems approach to the initial design; one that also considered displacement and buoyancy and whether or not propulsion and steering would be necessary to surviving high water events.

I think you are incredibly I venture and thinking of others, offering practical solutions and being another inventor that will go down in history!

Is it just me or does this guy seem like he doesn't adequately plan things out? build a sphere then realizes why boats are not spheres. Talks about impact insulation, when during an impact the occupants would slam on the wooden walls.

You had to research to realize that spheres are horrible shapes in the water?

"...and then keep stacking them until we ran out of yard. And then that's how we know how long the boat is." So, the boat is one yard long, then? ;-)

The sketches @ 1:30 looks like doodles a kid would make with crayons but the build itself is out of this world cool looking. It also reminds me of an *emergency pod or lifeboat*

Wonderful! Really terrific idea and project. And it's neat that you can camp in it between floods :) Seriously, very impressive. Excellent design.

This is probably the most useless thing I've ever seen anyone build. If there was a mega tsunami, this guy would die inside that thing. It would essentially turn into a giant cement mixer.

That is one very expensive whim....there's tens of thousands in materials alone.

Awesome project. Tom's artistic side sure shines through. Would never fault him for his dedication and motivation. Truely a beautiful construction. But claims he's not a doomsday prepper? I dunno about that lol. Your average Joe doesn't build an Ark in their backyard to protect against a mega tsunami caused by the sky falling down and destroying the planet.

Very impressive effort! Now you have a prototype/mold to create it in carbon-fiber like it should be!

I'm impressed with anyone who envisions something and then builds it, especially with their own hands; so big kudos to this guy. That being said... I wonder how many people who are surviving on the water's surface, hanging on for dear life, this thing will kill as it plows through.

He reinvented the wheel, what a waste of time. That shit wouldn't hold up in a tsunami.

People with too much money and free time.

1:05 tsunamis wiped-out the dinosaurs????? WTF

Super strong structure---add a pair of pontoons, a walk way around the top and a power source---the neatest boat at the dock!!!!!

Very cool, but my treehouse for the kids! Built well, but how many years util rot and bugs eat it away back to the ground?

Reminds me of Noahs ark, I would bring a woman from each continent = you are set!

looks like a cool piece of art not a functional boat, if the goal was to make a ship capable of surviving extreme weather he should have gone for a submarine.

crazy patient but not danger

You're AWESOME! I wish you much success. God only knows... Your Design could well end up saving the lives of multitudes some day. I so appreciate people like you; people who work to HELP Mankind. God bless, guide and protect you and yours, always! ✨🙏🏼

nothing crazy about being prepared. Love the boat home hahaha

For everyone out there shitting in this guy's design my question is what's your plan for a tsunami? Yeah this boat needs a keel, but he pointed that out in the video. Yeah this design cost time and money to build and it may not work, but at the beginning of the video he also pointed that out, saying maybe the next man or the one after that may figure it out. Plus, when you ride down any road road and look at some rich asshole in a car that costs 80 grand, how could you hate on this dude for spending his money on plywood and screws to spend his time to try and build something that may save a life. Most of you need to put down the cheetos and pick up a hammer if you want the right to comment on this dudes post, but you won't because you are all "Idea People" who never have or will make a difference in this world. PS I think this is my second post, the first was a long time ago about BBQ

In Silicon Valley, I think his first concern would be earth quakes.

I'm sorry this is a guy with too much time and too much money. Only way to survive a tsunami is to get the hell out of it's way.

Beautiful craftsmanship

Wooow oh my god incredible work! Congratulations.