[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries



Hi Brian.
 
I believe you might have misunderstood me. I never said underwater firearms are illegal per se.
 
Actually what I said was....."You might run into some legal problems if you design and use an underwater firearm...."
 
The reason I said that is because firearms are both federally and state regulated. They are regulated differently from state to state (I won't EVEN mention my opinion on that, as everyone breaths a sigh of relief! Lol.)
 
Federal law says that any device that is designed to expell a projectile using the propellent gas force of a chemical reaction explosion, is a firearm.
 
I checked with the local coast guard branch and they told me that the state law of Florida says you have to be at least nine miles out in order to discharge a
 
firearm from a boat. I explained to them that I was speaking of discharging a speargun which by using a cartridge would be technically a firearm. So in Florida you could use a cartridge
 
speargun firearm to spearfish if you were at least nine miles out.
 
This may not be the same if you are in another state. That is why I said you MIGHT run into some legal problems using
 
an underwater firearm. It just depends on how far out you are and what state you are in, and even what country you are in. Since the laws differ all over, it would be best to check what your
 
local laws are before buying, making or using a firearm speargun. Since air or rubber powered spearguns are not a firearm, using either of them would not be regulated as a firearm.
 
They would fall into the same catagory as a BB gun or slingshot. Remember though that same areas do not even let you use a rubber powered speargun.
 
Brian, when Cliff said..... "Once speared, at least in my experience, most fish dive.  The two bars mentioned above will capture the piston and cause the fish to "ratchet" down to somewhere below the sub where they will dangle until the sub surfaces and they are manually captured.  Worst case, they flail around above until expired, eventually sinking through the ratcheting mechanism to dangle below the sub.  I plan to surface after a couple of shots to keep the sharks from benefiting from all my hard work."
 
Cliff had mentioned his plans and I assumed already addressed and overcome entanglement issues and he plans to surface when a couple are on the line. This isn't to say he might never get snagged on something. The weight of his P sub might break the line if that
 
happened though. But it is a concern.
 
 
You questioned Brian, of some way to send the fish to the surface after spearing them with a non line attached free spear, .
 
I have never used a system like that personally but you can attach a float that is attached to your speargun line. Some people just inflate a small baloon to their line. When you spear the fish you detach the line and the float carries the line to the surface
 
where it can be picked up. You then attach another ready made line to your speargun and continue spearing.  I know that does not answer your question of automatic activation of a float for floating a free spear without a line, but it's all I know. If I find anything that
 
automatically activates upon a hit and floats a freespear I will be sure and mention it to you.
 
Kindest Regards,
Bill Akins.
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian Cox
Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 12:27 PM
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Anyway, that is very interesting that you have thought out some type of speargun device from a sub. 
 
        Since my first realization that I could actually build a working sub I started thinking about what I would like to use it for.  Research is always an option, but ocean farming as alway peaked my interest.  It's something that is starting to happen in different parts of the world now on a limited basis. 
 
   With sport spearfishing there are limits on how many fish you can take and what species are in season and so forth.  I personally have only spearfished out at our local islands with a Hawwaian sling with only mask and snorkle.    But what I'm wondering is., Bill you said that underwater "firearms" are illegal,  what it you shot a air powered spear at a fish that you are going to eat ( not a protected fish) and the spear is not connected by a cable. ( It seems like if you had a cable you might be asking for entaglement problems.)    Would it be possible once the spear penetrated the fish that a small air pladder could be activated which would send the fish to the surface?
 
Brian
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 4:01 PM
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

The guns will be "fired" from inside the sub (charging a pressure reservoir, locking it out, and then redirecting the air to the "chamber" of the gun), all done with normal steel pipe and ball valves.  A piston located forward of the chamber will push the spear out of the barrel and between two rods spaced far enough apart to allow the spear to pass but not the piston.  The key to keeping the spear straight is using one or more sabots inside the barrel, since the piston will be much bigger than the spear.  The sabots will keep the spear aligned until it exits the barrel and the piston will push them out to clear the barrel after a shot (for possible reloading?).  A short length of steel cable is wound around the piston and anchored to it.  Once speared, at least in my experience, most fish dive.  The two bars mentioned above will capture the piston and cause the fish to "ratchet" down to somewhere below the sub where they will dangle until the sub surfaces and they are manually captured.  Worst case, they flail around above until expired, eventually sinking through the ratcheting mechanism to dangle below the sub.  I plan to surface after a couple of shots to keep the sharks from benefiting from all my hard work.  I am pretty sure I can build a gun for about as much as a decent hand-held pneumatic gun (<$300.00).  The motivation for all this is the idea of spear-fishing at 1Atm for SEVERAL HOURS at a time with no concern for dive tables, being able to survey a fishing area without eating into dive time, having the ability to patiently wait for prey, not worrying about how big a fish is and if I have enough air to fight it ( I got real stupid once and shot a 35lb barracuda with little air left in a single tank @ 80ft, the dive master rightly refused to let me have a second dive that day), and dramatically increasing the amount and type of fish caught (provided I get the gun right!!).  This type of hunting fits unbelievably well with a psub.  The sub only has to be able to submerge to certain depths (in my case, about 120' maximum, normally 45-90'), manuever for very short periods of time, and hold a somewhat stable position for 30 minutes or more (fish are curious, they will come to you).  I've speared most of my fish sitting on cross braces on oil platforms, trying to conserve air by not swimming around too much.  My son's a commercial diver and he literally has to push them out of his way when he's doing hull cleanings, prop maintenance, etc.  I think they will flock to a sub, especially if it's "just sitting there" with a basket of crushed barnacles on top of it:).
Best Regards,
Cliff
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org [mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org]On Behalf Of Brian Cox
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 4:14 PM
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Cliff,
         How are you going to spearfish while you're inside the sub?   How will you retrieve the fish?  Are you thinking reeling them back into next to the ship?   I haven't totally figured what type of spearfishing unit I'm going to use.
 
Brian
 
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:04 PM
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Good Question.  I actually have a few of reasons.  Putting them under the seats gets them conveniently out of the way but still easily accessible for change-out (from a support boat), eliminates several cubic feet of cabin space that would otherwise have to be displaced by adding more weight, doesn't add to the complexity of the shape of the pressure hull, and minimizes the amount of "second skin" that I will have to add to smooth the outside shape since I intend to spear fish with pneumatic spearguns mounted on the sub.  I don't want fish on steel cables getting tied up on battery pods, motors, etc.  Due to the distance I have to travel to fish, I have resigned myself to building a towable sub.  For practical reasons it will have to be as small as possible and somewhat planeable(sp?) when towed.  I think I hit most of the reasons.
Thanks Again for your Input,
Cliff
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org [mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org]On Behalf Of Akins
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 1:12 PM
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Cliff,
Why not just put your batteries outside the cabin in battery pods? That way you don't have the problem to begin with.
Kindest Regards,
Bill Akins.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 3:12 PM
Subject: RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Actually, that's what prompted my question.  I blew a car battery up trying to jump-start the wife's car.  Fortunately, I had been using a skill-saw in the garage moments before and was still wearing safety glasses.  After a really fast shower I retrieved the safety glasses and noticed that they were literally dripping with slimy acid residue, I still get chills thinking about it.  Since this occurred while attempting to charge the battery, I was under the assumption that charging was the culprit.  Yours is the first time I've heard of a battery exploding while under "normal" load.  I'll probably go with the AGM batteries and put some lockable 1/8" steel plate between myself and the batteries anyway.  Not sure what I can do to ventilate the gases in the event of an explosion, I was planning to shut down all electrical systems, switch to emergency air (scuba regulators/mouthpieces), and get to the surface asap.
Thanks Everybody,
Cliff 
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org [mailto:owner-personal_submersibles@psubs.org]On Behalf Of HUNTR2@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 1:19 PM
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Discharging Batteries

Hi Cliff,
About sitting on batteries in a sub...  Have you ever seen/heard one explode?  It CAN happen while discharging, especially if there is a poor or corroded connection at the battery pole enough that when you pull a fairly large current, a spark may occur.  Last summer my son got in my pickup and went to start it.  I had been driving it 15 min. earlier.  When he hit the starter, the battery exploded under the hood with a sound of a deer rifle shot.   Acid went all over the engine compartment, the battery was split wide open, and luckily, there were no dents in the hood.
 
Moral of the story... IF you have to have them in the compartment with you... make sure you are shielded from an explosion, BUT make sure there is still ventilation to allow any explosive gas to dissipate.  PS   Of course, my pickup didn't have hydrocaps!