RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] What's the biggest problem?

["Alec Smyth" <Asmyth@changepoint.com>]

...depends on your definition of "problem!"

In the narrow sense, my largest problem (so far!) was probably getting the pressure hull to be really round. Off the truck, one end of the cylinder was oval and the other was a teardrop. And as it was 3/8" thick, it was not very easy to change its mind about its proper shape.

In the a more general sense, the problem is the learning curve. Everything I'm building, I'm building for the first time. That means that everything just takes way too long. I've thrown out parts that took 18 months of to make. My mill-drill is on its third motor since I started this project.    

My lesson learned, in case its of use to anyone contemplating their first boat, is that if you have a custom, non-conventional design in mind, you will probably get there faster by building a boat from plans first (say a K-250) just for the educational value. Failing that, I think the smartest approach is to invest about 3 years in getting your design to the greatest detail possible before you actually order any material. OK, enough philosophical ranting. I have to get back to eBay to try and find all those confounded little parts I need for the VHF antenna/GPS antenna/fluxgate sensor/motorized micro video camera, pressure-compensated periscope-mast thingy that happens to be the challenge of the month!

Alec



-----Original Message-----
From: Michael B Holt [mailto:tlohm@juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 3:14 PM
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] What's the biggest problem?


Something I read triggered a question: what's the biggest 
single problem facing submarine builders?

It seems to me that, ignoring for a moment the fairly normal 
lack of enthusiasm we get from spouses, the biggest problem 
is the matter of the pressure hull.   

Comment?

A related note that may have caused me to think about the 
question:  In Jan Breemer's book about Soviet submarines, 
he reports that the CIA found that the Golf they recovered 
was not well built.   From page 168:  "Hull thickness varied 
widely, and welds were uneven and dangerously pitted.   Most 
surprising was the use of four-by-two wooden beams for
internal structural support."



MIke H.


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