Reaction ferries are really clever

On the river Rhine in Switzerland, there are reaction ferries: boats with no engine, no paddles, no onboard motive power at all. Here's how they work -- and a question about what other simple ideas are out there.

(you can find contact details and social links there too)

[TomScottGo]

I swear I'm not green-screened onto this: it's just weird lighting!

[PracticalEngineeringChannel]

I had never heard of these either. Very elegant.

[yjjk]

Never thought I'd see Tom Scott do a reaction video...

[PetrHosek]

It's basically a kite. A water-kite, but the principle remains.

[aolson]

There's a short story by Harry Turtledove called "The Road Not Taken" about FTL travel being incredibly simple and obvious, yet all humans somehow missed it.

[JohnDotBomb]

You should do a video on the Theory of Inventive problem solving. A Russian engineer spent his entire life studying patents to see how humans made solutions to stuff like this. It's now generalized into a few charts, and is really quite handy.

[leodimsch]

I think I saw you. ;)
a small correction: they do have paddles on board. just in case something happens.

I think the very few people who live in Basel use the ferris regularly. I only use them during the carnival or when I'm babysitting young children.

what are you doing in Basel? I hope you had a good time.

greetings from Basel
(I can actually see my house in the background 😂)

[deandeann]

My deceased uncle was the last person to operate such a ferry in my area, until it was destroyed by a major flood in 1936. He described how it worked to me many years ago. Under the ferry were 6 vanes (he called them vanes rather than rudders) and there was a lever (ie tiller) you moved in the direction you wanted to cross. It was the Androscoggin river in Maine, usa, it does not have that much current but the ferry worked fine.

[paradox...]

Growing up in Bern, Switzerland, I absolutely loved it every time I'd cross the Aare river in one of these ferries. (The one over the Aare near Bern is much smaller.)

[DragonBornish]

It's also a technique used in kayaks and canoes to ferry across rivers and other streams. Paddle against the current and angle your vessel towards the side you want to go to. It is great fun. :)

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Genius solution. Things like that can help river communities a lot.

[andrebartels]

I once traveled with the one with the colorful burgees on it. It's the "Leu" which is Baseldytsch for lion, and it goes from Kleinbasel near the Kaserne over to the foot of the Münsterpfalz. Traveling with a reaction ferry is very smooth, silent, natural and nice. There are associations that help keep the two ferries alive. Basels citizens are very fond and proud of their ferries. All in all, it's a very nice thing :)

[marsgal]

Here in British Columbia (Canada) we have a number of reaction ferries across rivers. We also have the longest free ferry trip in the world across Kootenay Lake.

[worldweary]

This is my favorite video of yours, Tom. The subject matter on its own is very interesting but I really like how you worded your final thoughts. What else have we missed? Its a fun concept to ponder.

[MING]

The Rhine ferry between Plittersdorf (Germany) and Seltz (France) works on the same princinple, transporting 100, 000 cars, 60, 000 bicycles and 30, 000 pedestrians per year.

[rowansheehan]

I ponder with this what have we missed question a lot. I love the feeling of envy when i see someone create/simplify something that I feel I was capable of also discovering

[colinfurze]

If only I could hook on to something in space that's not moving I could kinda wake board the world muhahaha.

[Geoff_G]

There are 5 reaction ferries in BC Canada. Each one also takes cars not just passengers.
They're at Lytton, Little Fort, Big Bar, McLure, and Usk.

[FakJackley]

That boat at 0:54 is just like "Nope."

[jeremystanger]

Powered boats can do this too. They can motor up against the current to match the speed of the current. That way they can be stationary with the land and yet move sideways! It can help manoeuvre in tight spaces (Though very few skippers seem to know how to do it, despite its simplicity and usefulness).

Funnily enough, it's called ferry gliding! And now I know why :)