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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] enquiry - Surface Propulsion



Hi,  I think if you're going to be operating a small sub you would most likely need to have a surface tender boat near by,  that boat could supply the sub with a battery charge.  Another option would to moor the sub over night and have a generator in a small boat charging all night; large capacity gas tank.  Or another option that would be logistically unrealistic, would be to have a second battery pod that could be changed out.  Or have a second sub that was all charged up, just trade subs and charge the one not being used.

Brian Cox
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Buchner" <buchner@wcta.net>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2003 6:40 AM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] enquiry - Surface Propulsion


> (I got a couple weeks behind again.)
> 
> Everything Ray said about not using a gasoline engine makes sense (I 
> wouldn't trust myself to not get blowed up messing with that). But it's 
> a shame, because it would be so handy. For instance, going 
> all-electric, with a generator to run during surface cruising so you 
> don't run down your batteries? Do they make small *diesel* portable 
> generators? One you could lift out topside and start up?
> 
> What would it take to make a gasoline *outboard* run after being 
> submerged? Is there any feasible way of fitting all its openings (air 
> intake, fuel cap, exhaust port, am I missing some?) with valves? And 
> sealing up all the electric parts with a thick coating of some kind of 
> glurp? Is this just a hopeless fantasy?
> 
> On Wednesday, September 17, 2003, at 03:35 PM, DBACKIDS@aol.com wrote:
> > Regarding using an all electric design or a surface tender:
> > Electric: you could easily put cheap solar panels on the top of you 
> > sub to provide extra power.
> 
> You'd have to float out there a LONG time to put any useful charge 
> into a deep cycle battery. That, or have a few hundred square feet of 
> panels you could fold out and float on the surface. Which, come to 
> think of it, would be really, really cool. What a guy needs is a 
> space-program-surplus outlet, with some of those high-power intricately 
> folding panels...
> Right now, it's overcast - and I'm taking in less power than I'm using 
> by reading e-mail on a laptop, and running the aquarium filter. I'll 
> have to start the generator later. I'm not saying it's not magical cool 
> free energy -- it's just not *that* magical...
> 
>