Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] fascinating stories

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

Interesting Doug, very interesting!

I've pondered the same thoughts also.  I too, with little facts to back them
up, think your on track pointing out the difference between the romantics
and the engineers.  But, there is one other important trait that you alluded
to in the paragraph starting with;
> Another thought is that once folks build the boat, they leave the group,
or at least become less active.

Not to say that these folks are takers and not willing to share, but
speaking from experience, they tend to be goal driven.  It depends what the
goal is.  If your goal is to search for some particular treasure, then when
you find it, your done and heading for a new adventure.  If you goal is
simply to build a sub, then you've essentially achieved your goal on your
maiden dive.  Sure, sometimes goals get connected as they did for Mark, but
not usually.  Again speaking for myself, looking back, my goal have taken me
in many diverse directions rather then one straight heading.  I'm defiantly
goal driven.

For now, the most I have to share are stories about getting my K-350 to
where it is now, three quarters finished.  I promise, later I will tell some
stories of my simple diving adventures, boring as they may be, but I know
that I'll tire of diving too, and be on a totally different course someday.
Maybe UPWARD next time!  ;-)

Dan H.

----- Original Message -----
From: <SeaLordOne@aol.com>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 4:44 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] fascinating stories


> Thijs,
>
> When I first joined this group, I asked myself, where are the stories? I
assumed that people who are passionate enough about diving to build their
own submarines would "flood" the site with interesting stories of their
adventures. But that has not been the case, in my assessment.
>
> One hypothesis is that most folks are still at the design and engineering
stage of their boats, so they have no stories yet to tell. But I don't see
data to support that hypothesis. There are quite a number of folks on this
site who have in fact had those adventures...but they do not talk about them
very much. They continue to discuss the engineering of the boats. I
sometimes wonder if they are more interested in operating their boat, or
designing the next one?
>
> That hypothesis suggests that many of the folks on this site are more
interested in designing and building their boat than they are about
operating it. That might explain why people who already have their boats
keep talking about design issues. We may have a lot more "engineers" than
"romantics". I am a romantic. The only reason I am willing to do all of the
math is because I want to be a U-Boat Commander, a Captain Nemo. I just may
not be typical of this group. This group may have more "engineers" than
"romantics". (Not to say these are mutually exclusive categories: John
Holland and Simon Lake were both).
>
> Mark Ragan spoke at the PSUBS conference this year. He built a K-350,
which led to searching for the Hunley, which led to writing books on the
Hunley, which led to moving to the excavation site of the Hunley to become
the Hunley Historian in Residence at the Museum. Something like that. He
traced this theme, how one thing led to another, and concluded by telling us
that if we simply build our boats, the adventures will come along. He too,
it appears to me, is a romantic. To him, and to me, the psub is not the
goal. The adventures are the goal. The psub is just the bridge (no pun
intended) to get me there.
>
> Another thought is that once folks build the boat, they leave the group,
or at least become less active. Perhaps you need the group a lot to design,
you need them less to build and test, and you hardly need them at all to
operate and maintain.
> I don't know.
>
> Just a few musings. Perhaps I need to share a few Undanuted stories? Or
would "the engineers" roll their eyes at me and steer me back to the math,
like a wayward grade school student who had not done his homework?  Just
kidding!
>
> Doug Farrow
>
>
>
>
>