Re: crude childhood submersible death-trap fun

[Dick Morrisson <rmorrisson@unidial.com>]

Mike,
Isn't a self propelled diving bell a submarine?

Have you seen the little underwater scooter called the B.O.B. (breathing
observation bubble, I think).  It is a sit down, mostly open wet sub that a
diver can ride around on (in?) that has a clear bubble to stick your head in
so you can talk and breathe normally.  The propulsion is an electric motor
driven prop.  It looks like the electric carts you see older or "mobility
challenged" folks riding around on, only it goes underwater!  You can stop
any time and climb off to swim around and just park it on the bottom till you
get back.  The bubble is small enough that air consumption to maintain the
bubble (during descent) will be small and excess air just bleeds off under
the edge when ascending.  And for those truly sedentary divers, how about
stuffing a lot more batteries and buoyancy into the base, adding wheels, and
just driving it up and down the beach to go to and from the water!  Anyway, a
simple version of this could easily be built by a handy person for not too
much money I would think.
Just a thought.

Dick Morrisson

ps: you asked ages, I'm 43 ( equal parts twenty something and sixty
something)

Michael B Holt wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 13:16:33 -0500 David Buchner writes:
> >What does this have to do with personal submersibles? I'm not sure,
> except
> >maybe just random recollections about the roots of crazy tinkering and
> >inventing and having people at the hardware store ask, "What are you
> going
> >to use it for?" And parents naively ask, "You boys aren't doing anything
> >dangerous, are you?" And how it's much easier for a person of my...
> >generation or whatever... to imagine and talk about doing something than
> to
> >actually spend money and work out problems and actually assemble it.
> >Possibly safer that way, too.
>
> I keep hoping that some of the old ideas will still be useful.    Looking
> back on what I did Back Then, most of what I was considering was
> NOT ill-advised, but it WAS beyond my financial and mechanical
> skills.
>
> My self-propelled diving bell would still work well in still and shallow
> waters.    Anyone want to talk about this?
>
> I'd really be happy if my son (or daughter) would express interest in
> imaginative shade-tree engineering.
>
> How old are we, here?    Anyone want to collect ages/birthdates and
> report?   (I will, if no one else wants to.)    I'd be willing to bet
> that
> this group is much more similar than it is different.
>
> Mike Holt
> --
>
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