Ugears Tugboat

As you may have noticed, we love the seas and marine devices inspire our creativity. The idea behind the Tug was to create a fully functional mechanism, but with a certain amount of spunk, so that it was both practical and interesting… and it also had to be a vessel of sorts. We like to think that many of you enjoy seeing how gears work, just as we do. Therefore, the detailed hull of the Tugboat has been opened up to show the wonderful mechanism in operation. That way, the most important technical features we implemented in this model will get all the credit they deserve. It is driven by a rubber band motor, where the tension of the bands is translated into movement of the gears. The reduction wheel transfers energy to the drive wheel and then further to the asymmetrical pair of wheels.

The asymmetry of the pair of wheels gives the model its unique way of moving, mimicking a boat rocking on the waves. Meanwhile, the work crank produces a specific sound similar to the sound of an old-fashioned but still very popular diesel engine, which still drives many boats. The key to wind the motor is blocked by a ratchet gear. There are two control levers, one of which stops the mechanism and the other starts it – the stop or start levers. Use two ropes with hooks to connect small cargo models with wheels or a paper boat to your Tugboat and transport it. Your boat will sail one and a half to three meters on a wind-up, depending on its load and surface area.

Product dimension in mm: 285 x 120 x 185
Package size in mm: 378 x 170 x 32
Number of parts: 169
Estimated assembly time: 3 hours