Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Just toy subs again...

[David Buchner <buchner@wcta.net>]

On Sunday, July 6, 2003, at 10:00 PM, Paul Suds wrote:
> Don't feel bad David, I haven't contributed much in the past 
> year...been too busy, but I'll try. About that toy... you weren't in 
> the tub while playing with it I hope? Something that small could get 
> lost :)

...not to mention the danger of injury or entanglement, from whirling 
propellers. No, I wasn't in there with it. In fact, it was in the cast 
iron tub in my yard, where I test all my subs...

On this subject, I seem to have picked up another collecting-hobby, by 
purchasing every toy sub I see. I have also ordered from American 
Science & Surplus a 13" long Gato class sub with a little motor and 
adjustable dive planes, that's supposed to be able to dive (though I 
can't figure out what will encourage it to come back *up* before the 
battery runs out).

And last winter, I sorta accidentally bought a radio controlled one on 
eBay last winter, that uses noisy little pumps to rise and surface, 
*and* for propulsion. It's slow and not very exciting (it needs its 
snorkels sticking out of the water in order to pump out ballast), and I 
wonder if maybe I should have whatever fun with it this summer, and 
then pass it along to one of you guys to enjoy for a while -- it's 
kinda bulky, and takes up valuable closet space.

But it is educational, after a fashion. It's got me wondering whether 
it would pay to use pumps to empty big MBT's -- instead of lots and 
lots of compressed air. One would use thrust to get to the surface, 
open a vent to let air in, and pump the water out to get freeboard. I 
suppose you'd still want one good blast of air available, though - in 
case you had no propulsion and still felt like getting to the surface.