RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] pressure hull parts arrived

Yesterday was a big day, because my pressure hull parts were delivered. It was an interesting psychological milestone. I've seen hundreds of photos of pressure hulls, whether in books or right here on psubs. I've seen a number of psubs up close and personal. But it was still an absolute shock to see my own pieces in the flesh. I've spent years figuring out the specifications for these parts. I understand it from an intellectual perspective. However, in a way that's very hard to convey, in going from CAD files to tangible pieces of steel, everything got much bigger. I mean the parts are outrageously, unreasonably, egregiously... heavy. Presumably I will now gradually get used to it, and one day when I put the sub in the ocean it will probably "shrink" again. But for now, its OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS MONSTER! The idea that two trolling motors will move it seems preposterous.

I now understand why John Farrington's photos feature all those ingenious block-and-tackle arrangements. This is going to be some sort of Egyptian pyramid-building operation, and as subs go mine is tiny. Its evident the greatest danger in a psub is not flooding, fire, or implosion, but death in your garage by squashing.

The unloading process took three hours. It took an hour to get this beast off the truck and onto the ground. Then another hour to get it onto the dolly and into the garage -- I had to tow the dolly with my lawn tractor. The third hour I spent staring at it like a zombie.

cheers,

- Alec