Energetic Subs and Dolphins

[gustable]

Hello: My name is Gus, and I just discovered Boatdesign.net...what a great resource

I'm really more of a submarine and wave energy person, but one thing I've been working on is a submersible sailboat design. I know its very unorthodox, but imagine the comfort of being able to dive underneath Hurricane Edward as he comes gallumping across your bow.

The goal then is:
-A relatively standard sailboat design for yachting comfort
-A safe submersible design for ease of use and recoverability

Challenges have been:
-Mast design and stowing
-Hydrostatic versus Hydrodynamic submarine travel (i.e. ballast versus Deep Flight and the Bionic Dolphin.)
-Weight
-Pressure Hull Integrity.

Thus far I've done weight and strength calculations comparing different materials including FRP. Currently I'm looking at a steel pressure hull, encased in a fairing of some as yet unknown material, a telescoping mast that stows aft to expose a periscope within, and fly by wire controls to allow all tanks, fins, keel, rudders and other protrusions to be attached only to the "breakaway" fairing, such that the pressure hull may remain intact, even in case of a collision and external material damage.

In college I helped to design a sailing yacht with a single spinnaker and a unique design which I performed the stability and dynamics calculations for. I also have some experience with wave energy platforms, but when it somes to sailing vessels I am a plebe.

Hope to induce some interesting discussion here.

[sailsnail]

Submarines have been built out of ferrocement and that would be my first choice (but maybe that's just because I have a ferro boat). I have thought of this concept but not seriously. Diehard, bluewater sailing requires any cap'n to be a working meteorologist and once you get there weather becomes an ally: gets you where you want to go and lays you up in the most interesting places in the world, albeit against your initial will.

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