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Re: Trolling Motors



Hi,

I know this is a "dead horse" by now but the concern over the shaft seals is a
safety concern.

One of the techniques the US Navy practicies for casualty drills (holed hull,
you just sprung a leak) is to go to full power and point the sub upward. The
hope is that you can make it to the surface before you take on so much water
that you never will make it. As a side benefit of heading for shallower water,
the water pressure is less thus there is less water being forced into your
hull.

The option of powering to the surface requires a good shaft seal on your
trolling motors because it is your motors that provide the motive force. They
conk out you don't go.

Of course there are other techniques in case of casulty. Like blowing main
ballast tanks or dropping ballast. These however have their own problems. Like
blowing main ballast is dependant on sea pressure and volume of blow air
available. Will you get enough positive bouyancy fast enough to make it to the
surface. Dropping ballast is mechanical and could jam. The motoring to the
surface approach gives you three options to  make it to the surface instead of
just two.  
 
Even in a wet sub the motoring to the surface techique is important. If you
get a leak  at 120 feet. How fast can you bail? You might be 150+ before you
get clear of the sub.

Regards,
Ray

>Gary Boucher wrote:
>>    I am curious here.  Could someone tell me how the failure of a trolling
>>motor at depth be considered fatal?  I keep seeing these posts that refer
>>to danger and risk etc.  Is this with a semi-dry sub?  Why would blowing a
>>seal be so dangerous?
>
>Thank you. That's what I was wondering: Umm, gee - it's just the motor.
>What's the big deal? So, he stops going. I don't see how that's anything
>but annoying and disappointing, unless he's trolled out farther than he can
>swim back when the motor conks out, and there's nobody around to help...
>
>By the way, Martin: very clever. ("Trolling" for emotional responses...) 
>:-)
>
>Martin Sanderse wrote: -----
>>Albert Long wrote:
>>> All I know about this is, don has been using the evinrude for some time
>now
>>> at depths of 700 ft. !!! <snip>
>>> I guess you either try it or you don't... I'm going to try it, when I do
>I
>>> will let you know how it works for me,
>
>>On the risk that Albert is just trolling us for emotional responses:
>>
>>How about testing it without risking your health first?  OK guys, let's
>>think of a good
>>testing method before we have a long post-mortem discussion.  That way if
>>he wants to
>>kill himself his family can't say he didn't know how to test the thing.
>		------
>
>
>---------
>David
>buchner@wcta.net
>http://customer.wcta.net/buchner
>Osage MN USA
>
>