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Hello everyone,
I just joined the PSubs list and thought I'd introduce myself. I'm in the
Tampa Bay area of FL and go sailing whenever the boats are working. When not
repairing the sailboats, I'm fixing the Jeeps and trying to get some camping
done when it's not too blazing hot.
One of my goals is to create a one to three-place sub. capable of
descending to 500'/250psi. I only really want to go as deep as 250'/125psi and
maybe 400'/190psi on occasion. I just figured on 500' as a safety
measure as there is no place within the submersibles range from the Tampa Bay
shoreline that approaches 500'.
I'm on a tight budget, and don't have the capabilities (or even the
desire) to shape steel and aluminum to meet my needs. I don't even plan to start
building on the sub. for at least 5 years, but would like to get the design as
thought-through as possible. However, I believe a composite hull of fiberglass
and wood (a combination of strip-planking and plywood) would be more than
sufficient for such shallow depths.
I've been considering a "cab and chassis" design, where pressure
hulls are removable/interchangeable on the same chassis. This way turning a
1-place sub into a 3-place sub would only require building a new pressure hull
with identical mounting points. The control system would obviously have to be
sufficient for the largest pressure hull that could be mounted to the
chassis.
For the pressure hull, high-visibility is a must both above and below the
pilot. I've been wondering about the feasibility of using aircraft cockpit
canopies as transparent sections of the pressure hull. Does anyone have
information on this?
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