Jon,
They are half horse motors with homemade bronze props. Hmm. They would certainly work in a vectored location, but will be substantially less efficient in reverse (my suspicion, not a certainty). You might wish for more motor one day. That's not a problem as a three-quarter horse, for instance, is exactly the same motor only longer. you'd have to redo the forward segment of the pressure can.
Personally, I'd think about using what you have until the money comes up, then build new cans in aluminum with a wet-mateable bulkhead-to-bulkhead cable so they can be changed on the spot. I do like the DW-2000 style though.
That said, you are bound by controls. They have to be intuitive enough to use one handed (or two footed). Aquarius has the pistol grip arrangement, Deepworker the other. Otherwise you end up with a control box that requires both hands, one elbow and your chin to operate, which would be about as tiresome as what you already have.
If you watch Alec's progress, it becomes very apparent that experience and careful planning are the key to changes like this. He put some money in, of course, but the head scratching probably cost more. And it was worth it. It would definitely be worth your while to spend a long week-end or two in D.C. talking with him and leaning on Snoopy while you do it. Most of my experience is based on as-built vehicles where other people did the cogitating. Also worth it.
As to thrusters, I'm leaning Alec's way. I've got a whole set of Kittredge units that will never go back on this K-350 of mine, and four Minn-Kotas in their boxes ready for upgrades. Payload savings alone will make it worthwhile. Plus, as we saw down here with Jim's sub, the Minn-Kota's kick a LOT of water. I think they may well be a viable alternative. Not just a budgetary one. And at a couple of hundred bucks apiece, you can afford spares and even think of the units as disposable. I'd love to have a buddy to do the motor controllers like he did. Boy, did that turn out slick, or what?
Vance
-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Wallace <jonw@psubs.org>
To: personal_submersibles <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Tue, Oct 18, 2011 8:43 am
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Kittredge Motor Housing help
Vance,
It was just a drawing of the penetrator for illustration, but you've
got the idea exactly. Strap/Chain wrench is exactly what I was
thinking about. I know sometimes you can put a 2 or 3 foot bar on
it and get some good leverage.
I've never much cared for the rotating motors even though they are
practical. Unless you have long arms, you have to scrunch down in
the conning tower to reach the controls and then lift your neck up
high to see out the conning tower. I'm considering mounting them
permanent rather than rotating. I could do that easily enough as is
just by locking them in place, but I wonder how they would perform
if they were mounted at a 45 degree angle (oriented up/down) similar
to the DS2000.
Jon
On 10/18/2011 12:29 PM,
vbra676539@aol.com wrote:
PS: The attachment
didn't come through, so I couldn't comment on that.