For heavy lifting the 1/8 could be used as a guide as you suggest 
and that is an earlier thought.
This time I am looking at adding the weight forward to also help a 
balance problem. I am
heavy in the aft but not overall. I am thinking the cable, in many 
cases would be sufficient
to pull it up or at worst be used for a heavy duty guide 
cable.
 
the 1/8 looks  like about 1700lb break @ 10lbs weight and 
3/16 3700 @ 21 lbs 
the spool device I am sure would be another 25lbs or 
so
 
If I put some weight forward I can go with a heavier main motor pod 
and will not have
to air compensate it. 
 
Oh the webs I spin
 
In a message dated 2/5/2009 1:38:39 P.M. Central Standard Time, 
ShellyDalg@aol.com writes:
  Hi Dean. I think an 1/8 inch is way too small. We discussed this last 
  year and it's a good idea to have the ability to pull the sub up, but carrying 
  a spool/cable assembly on board will require a pretty heavy 
  set-up.         
       One idea tossed around back then was a float and 
  cable like you had planned, but the cable is used as a guide for 
  lowering a "clamp" that would be capable of attaching to the sub to pull it 
  up. That way the heavy "clamp" is carried on board the surface craft where 
  it's not exposed to sea water, doesn't add any weight to the top of the sub, 
  and can have a thick cable strong enough to pull the sub free from mud or 
  minor entanglement. Just lifting the sub alone may not be enough if it's in 
  the mud or hung up on something.
      It should be pretty easy to fabricate some type of 
  "hook and latch " device that the clamp can drop onto ( guided by the 
  float/cable ) and then be able to pull really hard if the sub got stuck. An 
  1/8th inch cable would then be enough if used as a guide.  Frank 
  D.
  
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