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Hi Frank, Yes, the Kittredge sub’s rotating
thrusters can push the sub down and then be set pointing slightly “up”
to hold depth as the sub moves forward. (Some K-sub owners that dive negative
do this in reverse- they point the thrusters slightly down to hover as they
move forward. This also works fine but can kick up the bottom. Plus, the sub
sinks if you lose power). The addition of a vertical thruster just makes it
easier. Once the correct depth is reached, you just lower the speed on the
vertical thruster until the sub levels off at that depth. Then just let that
thruster turn at that slower speed for the rest of the dive. One surprising thing that I found was that
the torque from the vertical thruster is strong enough to put the sub into a
slow rotation and cause it to constantly turn to port. It descended in a slow
spiral. My solution was to move the thruster to the bow and angle it slightly off
of vertical to counter its torque. A long time ago, I used to trail an
antenna and buoy on the surface but found this to be a real hassle- I like the
releasable type that Alec has much better- that’s my next upgrade. Greg C From: owner- Hi Greg. I believe ABS requires subs to
be slightly positive buoyant and most hi-dollar subs have the "power
down" feature. The ability to "hover" is advertised on some
subs. It makes a lot of sense. The slight difference in buoyancy could be
regulated with the hard ballast tank if a subber has the vertical thruster to
maintain depth. The thrusters on the K
boats can be rotated to vertical, right? Then with the motor in reverse, it
pulls you down? I have my two side thrusters set up like that, but it's
probably not as convenient as having a fixed vertical thruster. My first few
sea trials will show what works and what needs attention. The released
buoy and rescue line was mentioned a while back. I think Dean was contemplating
it, and Brent had a few ideas on it too. That sounds like a pretty
straightforward means of affecting a rescue. If I remember correctly, the idea
of a grapple hook and "receiver " socket was discussed, with a cable
leading the hook into the socket. I thought it would be
pretty standard to have a little buoy attached to the sub and you just kinda
drag it around with you, mostly so your surface crew can keep an eye on you. It
wouldn't need to be much, and the line would be small enough to just break off
if it got tangled in something. Maybe like some strong fishing line or
something. Dean had a good idea the other day on a little buoy that was just a
turned down closet rod with fishing line wrapped around it so when released it
just floats up and the fishing line un-spools off the rod. Simplicity at it's
best. Frank D. |