Claude helped design the upgrade to a homemade pontoon boat
Photos of parts with dimensions, CAD screenshots, questions about strength and stability. Claude showed a real grasp of boats, materials and how parts connect as the design evolved.
Done withClaudeSpotted· by HN user neomantra· Oct 15, 2026
Result Later modelled in code with Claude in the loop
“Last week I used Claude extensively to design the upgrade to my homemade pontoon boat.”
Spotted: found in the wild. Details are as reported by the source above and have not been independently verified.
What they did
Described the upgrade in text and uploaded pictures of hat channel cross-sections with dimensions and screenshots of their CAD drawings. Asked Claude about strength, stability and how the parts relate, and evolved the design with it. Later they modelled the boat in code with the Cadova CAD library, in a loop with Claude Desktop.
How it went
Claude showed real understanding of boats, how parts relate, the kinds of physical connections and the properties of materials. The code-based model wasn’t perfect, but it was interesting.
Try it yourself with Claude
I'm upgrading my [DIY project]. Here are photos of the parts with dimensions and screenshots of my CAD drawings: [attach]. Explain how the loads flow through the structure, where it's weakest, and what would make it stronger or more stable. Suggest specific materials and fasteners, and tell me what you'd want an engineer to double-check.
A starting prompt written by Agents in the Wild. Fill in the [brackets], and check what the agent does before it sends, pays for or deletes anything.
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