Dean,Your 20 k is plenty to build a fabulous submersible along the lines of what Dan H did with "Persistence", and remember he quoted 12 k to finish. Also as he noted, you have the tools, desire...and most importantly....the time now to do this.
Rule of thumb for steel homebuilders, is $4 - $6, per lb of displacement for surface vessels. Hard to compare here as surface vessels have varying degrees of niceties and complexity. These subs, when done right, amount to the precise control of various tanks, plumbing and batteries through the water column. And as Alec notes, the materials are not exotic, nor do they need be.
The K350's design operating depth is just that... 350', they are as noted, tested unmanned to 5 or 600, depending on your nerve. There is a risk of losing it when doing this that must be contended with.
I've seen nothing else offered to the homebuilder in a 1 atm vessel, where your success can be as nearly assured as is practical, than the Kittredge design. Everything else simply amounts to experimentation. I see nothing wrong with that as long as it is acknowledged as such.
I envy your time...it is the one component I lack at present. Joe
From: Recon1st@aol.com Reply-To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] call it a double hydro hull Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2006 15:29:27 EDT In a message dated 10/18/2006 4:26:22 PM Central Daylight Time, Alec.Smyth@compuware.com writes: Put on the comic book or sci fi writer hat. Make the double hulled sub, butFREEZE the water between the hulls. Throw away both the inner and outer hulls, otherwise known as molds. Now dress as a commando, approach an enemy shore on a suicide mission, and conceal your sub after landing by letting it melt. Orcarry it with you and drink it. Hey, you wouldn't even need viewportsAlec you are right up my expertise here. I am a Marine Recon, (special forces) No one heres much about us, as we have not gone hollywood like the fish eaters(seals) And don't think yer ice boat is comic book. There actually have been plans to build even and aircraft carrier using this idea. As strange as it seems there are real advantages.As far as suicide missions, I will have to educate you. We never go on suicidemissions, we go on missions with veering degrees of expendability. Now back to hulls. My thoughts were a cylindrical hull would be something I would have to buy and it would be very expensive. Much more than me welding my own up. I am a poor folk and can only spend about 20,000 on my toy. Are you suggesting I could buy a cylinder hull all made up and stay in budget? I am looking at a max working depth of 400 ft (fresh water) and ONe thing I know I need to do at this point is spend much time going thru the archives, so I don't keep asking the questions you guys have answered several times already. a strong believer of big safety margins Semper fi Dean Ackman
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