Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] wet sub design

[DJACKSON99@aol.com]

Hello Mike

I think that hull will do fine, but I can think of some problems you'll have to work around if you have not done so already.  A hull with a smaller cross section would go faster.  Mine sweeper hulls seem to be a favorite.  The less water you have to push out of the way the better it is for speed.  Trolling motors with their standard props will only do about 3 knots.  You can use props with greater pitch, but that may overload and burn out the motors.  Multiple motors that can be controlled separately and will give you better maneuverability but you have to maintain 4 motors and 4 speed controllers.  Consider using one or two motors and using dive plans and fins for direction control.  These can also achieve the banking turns when used like ailerons on an airplane.  If your ballast does not move around then when you stop or release the controls the craft would naturally reestablish an level plane.  Here are a few links you might want to look at:

http://www.psubs.org/pic/minesweep.html
http://www.bionicdolphin.com/index.html
http://foxxaero.homestead.com/indrad_064.html
http://www.deepflight.com/
http://www.nauticalniche.com/undersea/integrityaquaglider.htm
http://www.nauticalniche.com/undersea/reefranger.htm
http://www.odyssea-sub.com/
http://www.psubs.org/pic/wet.html
http://www.diveironeagle.com/hydrospeeders.htm

Best wishes and keep us appraised of your work.  --Doug Jackson


In a message dated 10/20/2003 8:32:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time, mike@bornclassified.com writes:

> Hey all, I have a question.  I'm thinking about making a wet sub, out of
> none other than a fiberglass boat. what do you think?  it's 13 feet long, 5
> feet wide, and is kind of a twin hull design, with each hull 12" wide on the
> inside.  I'm thinking of putting a total of 6 batteries, 3 on each side, in
> lexan boxes in each of the hulls, that will run 4 trolling motors, 2 in the
> front, 2 in the rear, the two front ones being used for stearing <ie,
> up-down, and left-right movement>   I want this sub to look not only cool,
> but also have a low profile so that it will go faster. (i'm thinking +10
> knots).  I plan on rigging up lights and sonar as well.  I'm still working
> on a ballast for it, but I'm thinking foot pedals to push a bag of air from
> the left to the right hand side, and vice versa - well, that would be for
> banking the craft when i want to turn.  I want to definately take advantage
> of all three dimensions, and make this thing hydrobatic rated (do they even
> have that, such as an airplane rated for aerobatics? ie, being able to do
> barrel rolls and the such).  Anyway, I welcome all comments, as I'm about
> ready to kick down 450 bucks for the hull, which by the way is totally
> virgin, fresh from the mold.  Oh, I have a pic of the boat on my website:
> www.bornclassified.com/boat.htm  (without the L)
> 
> anyway, tell me what you think, cuz I just went and checked out this boat
> this weekend, and actually seeing it, and touching it, 
> well, its a lot
> different than looking at in on the computer, ya know?
> 
> thanks!
> 
> Mike