Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.

Rick,

Im a bit of a train guy as well as sub guy so yes, I was aware that locomotives were in fact diesel / electrics.

I am leaning towards the diesel / electric method in an effort to keep things as simple and reliable as possible. I see shafts,bearings and clutches as sources of mechanical breakdown. In the end, the cost would likely ballance out anyway if a person was to factor in maintenance and replacement of these parts. The thought of messing around with them once they are installed is not appealing, pretty tight quarters in there.

At this point, I'm still in "dreamer / planner " mode, wondering if I can get the funding together to make something like this happen. There are many other factors that I'm thinking about as in simply being able to transport and launch a sub that weighs about 7000 lbs. (but that's a whole other topic). I need to come up with a financial proposal for the board of directors (my wife) which is what I'm trying to figure out.

By the way, I'm about 3 hours south east of North Battleford. Quite arguably as far away from the ocean that a person can get. .....I'm looking at making the sub for fresh water lakes anyway.

Thanks for the response.

Myles.

----- Original Message -----

From: Rick and Marcia

To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org

Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 11:52 PM

Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.

Hi, Myles - anywhere near North Battleford?

Thanks for all the warm sub thoughts. You have now entered the hallowed halls of the I-wanna-dive-around-the-world-in-a-sub crowd.

Rather than re-inventing the wheel, I'd opt for the diesel electric model myself and for much the same reasoning as you presented: simplicity.

It works in subs and locomotives well enough. Many people don't realize that locomotives are not diesel operated they are electric. Those chugga-chugga sounds are diesel generators.

Rick Lucertini

Vancouver

----- Original Message -----

From: Myles Hall

To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org

Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2005 1:19 PM

Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Another nutcase here.

Hello all,

   Like all of us here, I have this wierd fettish with subs. U-Boats are my "thing". (Peter Madsen is cool in my book) I have dreamt of building one for years but always thought it beyond my scope. That was until I stumbled upon PSUBS.org. By tuning into discussions and reading everything I can get my hands on, I am coming to the realization that "normal / average" (perhaps that isn't the right term) people build these things and not some excentric millionaires or something. (you know, the same guys that take solo hot air balloons around the world). Over the period of several months, my confidence has grown to the point now where I tell myself, "I could build one of those." The group here at PSUBS is indeed "special". I admire each and every one of them for following their passion, whether they bring it to fruition or not. The guys that actually get something in the water have really accomplished something unique.

Does anybody have any thoughts on direct drive diesel / electric propulsion ? I am still contemplating whether that is the way to go, or whether a guy should use the diesel / electric as a generator to power the thrust motor ? I like the direct drive method for it's added efficiency, price (Only have to buy one motor/generator instead of two, one generator and one thruster) and generally more "U-Boat" like, but I am wondering if the engineering required to get the shaft connected in line with the clutches and bearings through the pressure hull while maintaining pressure hull integrity is worth it. (what does it take to seal that shaft ?). I also have concerns with the mechanical dependability of the two clutches that would be required. (Could be a real bugger to get in there for maintenance and replace). The other way would simply mean connecting an external electric thruster to the battery source that is being charged by the diesel which I believe would be easier to do. (Am I right here ?).

   I'm more interested in building a 1ATM U-Boat resembling sub that has decent surface performance rather than something that will dive deep. I'm aiming for an operation depth of 35M.

Thoughts / opinions on propulsion ?

Myles Hall

Saskatchewan Canada.