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