Submarines for a crazy novice

[Lecter]

Hi how you all doing.
please bear with me, half an hour i'd never looked at a forum so i'm kinda new at this.
i know nothing about boats (well not compared to what i've just red, i'm not loaded, nor do i own a boat or live by the sea.

So here's a crazy turn, i wanna design and build my own submarine!!!!!!!!!!!!

other than seeking profesional help (i do know i'm insane) can anyone offer me any advice.

[D'ARTOIS]

You are not the only one. The subject "submarine" has been over the counter earlier. Matter of factly, there are a small number of companies that do make them, for various purposes.

As you are apparently a novice, in whatever aspect, I have so my sincere doubts about the usefulness of such topics as designing a submarine - where lot's of money is involved to get even something on the drawing table.

In these cases, it is just waiting for accidents, so to speak.
Nevertheless, some small submarines are made and used for little diving purposes and it is not said that it is impossible to build one, provided you have the knowledge, experience and, the money to buy the first two.

I know only of military - navy type of submarines. Drawings of the older pre-war vessels are available in the public domain, but even then, such creatures are beyond the funds of normal people.

Those playthings you might find in the diving magazines are even so expensive and if you can hold of a set of drawings then you are just on the first step of a long journey.

There are a few basic rules in designing sub's but also they can be played with.

I know of the story of a few guys in Holland, many years ago, who were busy to construct a submarine based on a pre-war Italian design of a mini-sub.
They were both engineers with high skills and in no time they had the military Intelligence on their little (back) yard who were highly interested in their developments.
All with all, this vessel got finally in the water and not long after the launching, the vessel sunk due to the malfunction of a pump. The guys could come out and the result of their adventure was a sunken boat and a lot of money plus waisted energy over the years.

I would say, try first to make a floating vessel, before you think of something that sinks and has to emerge.

[yipster]

have a look at the psubs ( personal submarines ) website. more than you may think build their own. they got quit an active forum also you may try out.

[D'ARTOIS]

Yes yipster, you are correct (as always), I have seen some designs - miniatured U-boot technology, nevertheless I am surprised.

Ok: A subnarine in general has a positive buoyancy of 16-18% - this is a standard rule - of - the - thumb. This is not difficult to achieve except if you want to create some real livingroom, like in the Nautilus of Jules Verne. Than it becomes a problem that only can solved by huge ballast in tanks and permanent ballast. The less water you need to pump out, the smaller the size of the pumps and ballasttanks. Secondly, you need trimtanks, forward and aft, diving cylinders to blow your tanks in order to submerge. You need also a fillingstation that can refill your airtanks. And a lot more.

[yipster]

i'm not allway's right Brian, whish i was

second your thought "try first to make a floating vessel"

[jehardiman]

Lecter, submarines are the most subtle of all marine vehicles. They must be done correctly and, if they are screwed up in any way, have the capability to kill the occupents. Before embarking on such a plan, get a good reference on the subject of submersible design, and understand the interplay of the design factors. I would recommend Manned Submersibles by Busby ( known as "the purple book") or Submersible Vehicle System Design by SNAME ("the orange book").

Remember, in the submarine game a low volt light circuit can kill you.

[Lecter]

Thank you for your responses, i'm supprised nobody has told me i'm crazy.

This is the very, very, very, very early stages of my reasearch and you've all been verry helpfull. if anyone else has anything to say i'll be back soon, look after your selves while i follow up these leads.

THANKYOU.
talk to you soon

[Lecter]

Yipster i did spot your link back to here, but i'm strugleing to find what you said, is this right?
http://www.personalsubmarines.com/
i've tyied the search utility at the bottom of the page and all my results are randome and varied. i've tried searches including the word 'forum' but i just get computer hardware retailers ect.

i'm really sorry i must be getting really anoying now.

[Sander Rave]

Hi lecter,

What's your ultimate goal? Maybe you can stick by a floating vessel with a submergable cockpit? You can have your panorama view, when sight is clear you still have your vertigo
Best of both worlds...

You're submerged and still suffer from sea sickness ;-)Have fun,

Sander

[Lecter]

GOTTCHA!

www.psubs.org

[Lecter]

Sandera Rave i like your way of thinkin' and how sea sikness is an advantage ;-)
Shame i'm too yampy to settle for that, well permanantly anyway. i'm interested in a suface vessle as a learning curve and i probebly won't spend as much as i could, but it's something to think about.

Does anyone spend extended periods at sea? if so what volume of space would you recomend for food per person per week?

[D'ARTOIS]

Depends on how long your voyages are, for my Med run I have for about three weeks food on board, bread vacuum bagged, everything that has short lifetimes, is stowed in the bilges and the canned food etc. is in a drawer. I cut my travel in 4 legs: 1 - Dover; 2 - Falmouth; 3 - La Coruña; 4 - Gibraltar or Malaga; then the last leg. At each place I stop a night and buy fresh stuff. For two persons there is always space enough for food, although at sea you eat twice as much do to the calories you loose.

[jehardiman]

Originally Posted by Lecter

Does anyone spend extended periods at sea? if so what volume of space would you recomend for food per person per week?

Standard provisioning

.......................lbs/man/day.........lbs/ft^3

Dry......................3.20....................34
Freeze..................1.11....................39
Chill......................1.65...................29

Potable Water consumption is ~ 5 gallons/man/day including kitchen and wash or ~1/gallon/man/day drinking only