[PSUBS-MAILIST] Radical Idea

[BluWtrSailr@aol.com]

Ping, Ping, psubers detected...

Ahoy there...I guess I'm the new guy on the dock.  Charles is the name, 
accomplished amateur boat designer and builder.  Semi-new to computers and 
new to the net.  Newborn to subs.
I have watched this group for about a week and have visited every section of 
this page.  I salute you all on your thought-out contributions and would like 
to say this is a very intellectual page.
First, let me say that I will not put a fork in my eye nor shall I allow 
anyone else to do it. He he.
Secondly, I have given thought of creating my own personal sub plans and 
building it, but it seems that I have a lot more to learn than I did when 
designing my own 28 footer schooner.  Jeez, I thought keeping it afloat was 
hard enough. Now I find myself looking around the physics of a sub and think 
that chit just became harder because I have to make it sink and then float.
I believe very strongly that the universal language is mathematics and 
everything in the universe is pure mathematics. So, I will make every effort 
to relate everything involved to established mathematical theories and 
formulas.  I hope that this is not an error on my part.  I don't rely too 
much on the fudge factor.
I have a design idea, radical I believe because I have not read it nor seen 
it anywhere, yet I believe it may be mathematically correct.  However, 
(because of the fork in the eye thingie) I would like to obtain some feedback 
before I put it down on paper.
Try to picture this.
A 2 man, 16 foot sub.  A pod of appropriate size to float with its payload 
plus the displacement and payload of the sub. The framing will be 2.5 x 3 
pipe, 1/4" wall.  One pipe will run down the center line of the sole, 
longitudinally, from stern to bow, and will form a rocker at the bow.  Think 
of it as the spine of a boat, or a keel, and the bow will not be endcapped 
but much more like the bow of a boat without the sharp connection, way more 
rounded.
The framing for the deck of the sub will be the same dimensions, running in 
the same direction, but there will be two frame members instead,  about a 
foot apart and they will connect to the rocker at the bow and will form an 
upside down u at the stern and connect to the sole frame about 5 feet from 
the stern thereby creating a "box" for an aft cockpit, which will be self 
draining and can be occupied when submerged or not.
This sub will be suspended by a 30' cable (that is the depth I am designing 
the sub for), which will be attached to a winch on a pod.  The sub will be 
"snorkel type" and will have all air hoses, ballast and breathing, wires and 
control switches from pod to sub.  In other words, compressor, generator, 
solar panel, batteries, gasoline,  and all other mechanicals will be in the 
pod above (except for steering and such) and all controls will be in the sub 
below.  The system will be redundant and the sub will be able to rise if all 
or any failures occur at the pod.  Is a matter of fact, the sub will be able 
to rise even if all tanks are full.  The cable will be there only to control 
depth and will not be used to "pull" the sub up , only suspend it, and will 
be winched in when the sub is to be attached to the pod by a "trailer" bar.  
Can I call it that?
The sub will have 4 trolling motors attached as will the pod to maximize 
keeping the pod and the sub lined up when submerged and for greater turning 
whether linear or on its axis.  The sub will also have a motorcycle engine 
which will propell the sub when the pod is attached to the back of the sub to 
run on the water.  A removable fuel line will be attached to the sub from the 
pod when the sub is not submerged so that fuel can be fed to the MC engine.  
The only hazardous material on the sub will be human.
Now the skin.  Back to the frame.  The frame pipe being square will have a 
groove ground out along its exterior for its entire length at a width of the 
designed skin thickness of the sub.  This groove will allow me to take 
4x8x1/16 sheets of metal (which will be cut to desired length) and insert 
them into the top and lower groove in layers, like LAMINATING, until the 
required thickness is obtained, which will make the handling and welding of 
material much simpler and will produce a sort of horizontal elliptical shape 
for the sub (cross section).  This shape will be continuous from stern to 
bow, except by the bow where it will be more rounder and the stern which will 
be more square by the cockpit.  OF COURSE, EVERYTHING WILL BE WELDED AND THE 
SOLE PLATE, DECK PLATE AND ANY FLAT SECTION WILL BE THICKER THAN ROUNDED 
SECTIONS. Yes, I plan to reinforce in the interior every x feet, by also 
laminating to required thickness.
Okay, there it is.  Actually, it's more complex than this but I figure this 
is enough for the minds of this group to analyze and feed back.  I welcome 
all suggestions and criticism and appreciate if everyone would help me to 
keep the fork out of my eye.
Anybody think its radically correct and dooable?  Hopefully, with enough feed 
back and help, I will put the plans on the board real soon and make them 
available to the group for scrutiny and personal use if they desire...free of 
charge of course.  Questions? Comments? Critisism (Ahem, constructive 
please)? Limitations?

Capt. Charles