[PSUBS-MAILIST] new sub project

Mon May 25 19:37:58 EDT 2015

Hi Cliff,
Thank you for your input, there is much to consider. I am not sure that I want such a big challenge.  It may be possible with full length ballast tanks that can be locked into position with a wide stance.  If the ballast tanks have sufficient volume to have  1/2 of the tank above the water line it may work.  I think I will make a scale model before I bust out the welder :-)
Hank
On Mon, 5/25/15, Cliff Redus via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] new sub project
 To: "Personal Submersibles General Discussion" <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
 Received: Monday, May 25, 2015, 4:09 PM

 Hank, I
 share your interest in driving psubs designs smaller to make
 them easier to deploy, transport and fabricate. Sg.  Pepper
 is sill one of my favorite psubs.  I went through many
 design calcs on a design much like your describe with the
 ability of a small 1-atm central pressure hull to pivot
 relative to MBTs pods that remain horizontal while trying to
 meet constraints of ABS.  What I found is that ABS is not
 kind to small psubs like this.  I found that it was almost
 impossible to meet the minimum  GB-CG constraint without
 using mercury to radially shift CG on the fly which is
 against ABS rules. The other issue I found problematic is
 trying to meet the ABS minimum free board rule and the loss
 of surface stability on these designs if you retain the
 ability to rotate.  For these micro psubs, excessively tall
 humans like Sean (ha ha) kill surface stability when you
 get in and out in an emergency situation on the surface.  I
 think it is  possibly doable if you ignore ABS freeboard 
 and mercury rules. In the spirit of KISS, much beloved in
 Alec's new boat,  I finally gave up on trying to pivot
 the pressure hull and have been working on a small psub in
 which the pilot remains vertical and tilted forward but
 without the ability for the pilot to rotate the boat. 
 Batteries pods  hung low at the pilots feet generate
 very nice CG-CB spread  to enhance stability but make it
 harder to launch with conventional trailer arrangement. 
 Also without the ability to pivot, much like a scuba diver
 does is going from a surface orientation to a submerged
 orientation, visibility becomes an issue unless you live in
 Roatan.
 To me,
 there is lot of romance to designing and building a 1-atm
 self contained DIY psub much like the old JIM atmospheric
 body suits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JIM_suit but
 it is not going to be easy.  Sean, at one time, I think I
 remember you being interested in designing a one atm. body
 suit.  Did you ever make any progress on this?
 Hank, at
 the speed you fabricate stuff, I suspect you will have all
 this sorted out and a boat in the water by time I finish
 this email.  Let us know how you come along with the
 concept.
 Cliff

  From: hank pronk via
 Personal_Submersibles
 <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
  To:
 personal_submersibles
 <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> 
  Sent: Monday, May 25,
 2015 3:10 PM
  Subject: Re:
 [PSUBS-MAILIST] new sub project

 Alec,
 Any ideas or criticisms are welcome.
 Hank           

                                 From:

                             Alec Smyth via
 Personal_Submersibles
 <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>;                    

                                 To:

                             Personal Submersibles General
 Discussion <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>;         

                                 Subject:

                             Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] new sub
 project                            

                                 Sent:

                             Mon, May 25, 2015 12:28:28 PM   

                             Sounds
 good, tiny and light is a major plus - particularly as you
 have a boat that can get you to a dive site and over the
 side. 
 Alec
 On Sun,
 May 24, 2015 at 11:12 PM, hank pronk via
 Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
 wrote:

 Alec,

 I am not thinking flyer at all.  The water clarity would
 not support the speed.  I am thinking of a simple tiny
 light sub that can launch anywhere even off the deck of my
 boat.  It is just a though right now.

 For now I am enjoying my what seems gigantic bow dome.  The
 visibility is unbelievable, the modification cost and effort
 has been well worth it.  As a bonus, my payload is back to
 500 lbs plus.  I had to fill the sub with steel plates to
 get it to sink.  :-)

 Hank  --------------------------------------------

 On Sun, 5/24/15, Private via
 Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
 wrote:

  Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] new sub project

  To: "Personal Submersibles General Discussion"
 <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>

  Received: Sunday, May 24, 2015, 10:38 PM

  Indeed! Except mine went

  vertical only for emergency exit rather than as
 standard

  procedure.  It was not going to have any freeboard to
 speak

  of in vertical mode, so you would climb out in a hurry
 and

  watch her sink from under you. The method of going
 vertical

  was dropping the emergency weight, which was located at
 the

  very front. More than the front actually, it stuck out
 and

  constituted your crash bar. The sub was a
 "flyer",

  a poor man's Deep Flight. I had her 90% complete when
 I

  bought Snoopy, and the flyer project sat untouched for
 many

  years while Snoopy took up all my time and served as a

  classroom. The sub I'm finally finishing up now
 recycles

  the flyer hull, but redone to be conventional. Well,

  conventional in the sense of having ballast tanks and a

  conning tower - she's actually a pretty bizarre beast
 as

  the folks who come to the convention will see! My
 conclusion

  was that a flyer must be great fun but requires both

  unusually clear water and a vessel capable of
 laun!

   ching the sub at the dive site.
 If I owned a

  mega yacht and cruised the Galapagos, a flyer would be
 just

  the thing. But what I'm aiming for now is radical

  simplicity, whereas the old one was all touch screens,

  servos, PLCs, and such.

  Best,

  Alec

  > On May 24, 2015, at 7:31 PM, Jon Wallace

  via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>

  wrote:

  >

  >

  > Talk to Alec, he was building such a

  design years ago before he acquired SNOOPY and
 ultimately

  decided against it...but I don't recall why.

  >

  >

  >> On 5/24/2015 6:31 PM, hank pronk via

  Personal_Submersibles wrote:

  >> Yes,

  you float it to the dock side, then tip it vertical to
 get

  in, close the hatch, tip it horizontal, and your
 away. 

  Saves building a CT that my 200lb sexy frame can fit
 into

  :-)

  >>

  Hank--------------------------------------------

  >

  >

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