Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] How do you do it?

["Dan H." <JMachine@adelphia.net>]

Carl,
No doubt replies to your request will differ some.  I weigh these options
often with the work I do and don't use the same criteria each time.  There
are some basics that I always have in mind though.  Safety, cost, end use
and the end users abilities.

Safety; is a top concern, form a moral perspective, from a liability
prospective, or my own safety if only I am involved.

Every project has a cost.  It could be in actual finances, or personal time
commitment.  Either way a design that you can't afford to build isn't worth
the paper it's drawn on.  (To update that, the electrons it's illuminated
with)  Don't forget the costs of support equipment and consumables.

A design has to fulfill it's intended use.  Sometimes this can be modified
because of other limitations but it must at least fulfill it's minimum
practical use.

Lastly, the end user.  If that's going to be you, it's not to difficult to
consider but if you designing with others as an end user,  their abilities
and limitations have to be taken into consideration.

I chose not to design my own and to build a K-350 for the following reasons:

Safety:  It has been designed and the calculations have been done by people
and agencies I trust.  It has been built and tested and now has a proven
track record. It also has many safety features incorporated in it's design.

Cost:  I have a machine shop and the spare time to reduce the over all costs
to a level that I can afford to complete the project.

End Use:  I want to be able to go under water, see things, and have the
ability to retrieve small things.  I also want to be able to take along a
passenger once in a while.  Speed isn't a concern but ease of transportation
and launching is.

End User:  I will be the end user personally.  I know my skill levels and
inadequacies, so this part is easy too.  Although in the long run, I know
someday when I'm tired of it, this sub will be for sale.  (My wife already
warned me she doesn't want another flower pot.)  The K-350 two place with a
griper arm will be recognized by most prospective buyers and should be
easier to sell then a total home brew.

Hope this helps!  I apologize for being long winded.
Dan H.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Coalbunny" <coalbunny@vcn.com>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2003 5:38 AM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] How do you do it?


> When you guys have more than one idea on a sub design, how do you decide
> which to follow?  I have several ideas, and while they cannot do the
> same job as the other, they are all unique.  How do I decide?  If it's
> based on cost, I'd have to design all three thing to get that decided.
>
> I'm lost.  Someone mind guiding me?
> Carl
>
> --
> "Indeed, desire is the seed of thought, the prime force that activates
> the mechanism of the mind." -- Kama Sutra
>