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.