Submersible Sailboat?

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by uber33t, Apr 24, 2005.

  1. kach22i
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    kach22i Architect

    I posted one of those, the Schat-Harding ff1200.

    It does not solve the sea sickness problem of rough seas though. Which I think was the big idea of this thread in the first place - to get under the waves.

    Would these be any better?


    U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy interdict two semi-submersible vessels
    http://themaritimeblog.com/193/us-coast-guard-and-us-navy-interdict-two-semi-submersible-vessels
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    http://www.thegmanifesto.com/2008/12/cocaine-traffickers-submarines-semi-submersibles.html
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    MORE:
    http://www.marinebuzz.com/2008/09/1...-submersible-spss-increasing-threat-from-sea/
    [​IMG]


    Yes, even more.
    http://www.armybase.us/2009/05/uss-simpson-ffg-56-intercepts-colombian-narco-sub/
    [​IMG]
    A sailor walks past homemade semi-submersible vessels, seized on land by Colombian authorities from drug traffickers, at the Bahia Malaga Navy base, on Colombia’s Pacific coast, March 26, 2009 (AP)

    http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/01/new-law-harpoon/
    [​IMG]
     
  2. kach22i
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    kach22i Architect

  3. portacruise
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    portacruise Senior Member

    Survival boats mostly do keep you alive under adverse conditions, even though you may get slammed around or get sea sick. Subs that can keep you alive even under ideal conditions at 200' down for 72 hours are not a trivial construction and adding wind power only increases the difficulty.

    Seems like I recall a Japanese chap that did sail or peddle a teardrop shaped craft across an ocean though. Only the top foot or so of the teardrop was above water as I recall.

    OTOH, not to worry, look at what this guy did:

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-in-inner-tube-completes-first-lazy-transatlant,2440/

    Porta
     
  4. Squidly-Diddly
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    U-boats carried massive lead keels in addition to battery blanks, IIRC.

    I believe this was mentioned in "Iron Coffins" when the U-boat was on surface patrol in a sever storm.

    I remember it took a little bit on my part to understand why they would purposely add so much extra weight for the sake of weight...why not just make the ballast tanks smaller.

    Anyway, seems any sub will have a lot of stability built in from either batteries or ballast, so hoisting a mast and sail on a typical surfaced sub would work.

    Also figure you will have port and starboard tanks which could be flooded or emptied to keep the mast more upright in a strong wind.

    Since most sail boats are pretty slow, even sailing while submerged with a streamlined mast's lower section dragging through the water could work.

    Have the submerged lower section of mast serve as an inverted lee-board. I guess it would also be the natural place for a narrow conning tower.

    One big advantage, no windage.

    I seem to remember from submarine narratives that staying at Periscope Depth wasn't a problem in all but the wildest conditions, but those were subs of well over 1000 tons and 150+ft long.

    Crazy as it seems this idea has some merit.

    Only practical drawback is the main advantage of a sailboat("free" energy), is going to be more than offset by the cost of sub apparatus, at least for the first 500,000 miles of powered submarining.

    But I'm also a big believer that not just computers, but all things mechanical are getting better and cheaper at an exponential rate (and I've noticed the "Energy Crisis", peak oil, etc hasn't been solved).
     
  5. Submarine Tom

    Submarine Tom Previous Member

    Porta,

    That's my brother!

    -Tom
     
  6. Submarine Tom

    Submarine Tom Previous Member

    Diddly,

    Why not just run 1000 foot lines through the water, past the surface to a large kite and drag your sub along?

    That's what my other brother is working on right now!

    -Tom
     
  7. Squidly-Diddly
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    S-Tom, the whole combo of heavy keel, conning-tower fin/board...

    zero windage and "sea kindly"(at periscope depth) is all about sailing up wind while underwater.
     
  8. EuroCanal
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    EuroCanal Junior Member

    Attached Files:

  9. kach22i
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    kach22i Architect

  10. portacruise
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    portacruise Senior Member

    Which one? Anyway he's not heavy, if he's your brother. Hee, hee. Not to be said of any sub contraption.

     
  11. Submarine Tom

    Submarine Tom Previous Member

    You're right, he ain't heavy, density of just over 1, being salt water an all...

    -Tom
     
  12. Dave Gudeman
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    Dave Gudeman Senior Member

    fake submarine?

    Does anyone else think that video looks fake? You don't lower a new submarine system into the water with someone inside and immediately take off on its test voyage with no pause for system checks. Right after it gets off of the trailer there is a cut to a new scene that looks like a model. The water just doesn't behave right for full-scale waves. If you try to look inside, the windows, there is no sign of the pilot moving.

    During the underwater scenes, there is a close up of the pilot through the window and you can see him clear as day. But in the entire rest of the video, you can't see him through the windows. There is always something obscuring him.

    This looks to me like a very well-done and expensive fake involving a full-scale mock-up that mounts on a trailer and actually floats, and a radio-controlled model.

    Anyone else suspicious of it?
     
  13. Scremndemon
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    Scremndemon New Member

    Your sailing Idea

    Intresting
    Working out the problems of your freeboard, draft and LWL as well as the LOA wouldnt be hard. A masthead that could be raised and lowered and self retractable sail would do. If you figure the boat not ship is some eighty ft. long tou would need a masthead to be almost 2/3 that high so making it where it could be telescoping as well as folded and fixed backward could be figured out. Of course it would be affixed to the conning tower. When raised and unfolded the Jibstay could be unfolded and maybe a spinnaker could then be added for extra sail. It would be cumbersome and hard to sail but hey free energy. If the Japaneses could carry aircraft on their upper decks in a water tight compartment launch and retrieve them Im sure that sails could be added to a sub. Don't let some of these people with no vision discourage you in using you imagination and being inovated. How do you think we got where we are now?

    Allen
     
  14. Scremndemon
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    Scremndemon New Member

    Your sailing Idea

    Well here we go
    Looked up available surplus subs and wow you gota allot of weird ideas out there. I see allot of bad concepts like sub yachts made of concrete and so on. Please, think outside the box. If you want something to just go under water buy a used DSV and have fun. As far as going for any time under water and going to any depths get a surplus military sub and look out for the gov and the red tape because they will think that your out to run drugs. Lets think about what you want and what you want it to do and what you have to work with. Living quarters ( comfort). Every thing you do in your own home that you could do at sea. Then desighn that into a sub. take into affect multiple propulsion systems such as deisel and electric and sail. Fuel storage batteries and sail displacement. life support systems such as fresh water air purification and waist water removal. the engines can run with diffrent types of fuels. batteries can be recharged not only by the engines but with folded solar cells that can be deployed on the deck during top water runs. at least a 100' depth capability to out last storms. emergency back ups at least 3 per system. Safety, Safety, Safety! A total hull redisighn of the hull and its componants. It's kinda like a gyrocopter gent's. It flies like a plane and a helicopter but the controls are neither the same. desighn it to be self maintained and simple in concept using technology that can be purchased and found. Dont desighn yourself into a hole. take into affect every bad thing that could happen and desighn a way out of it. Build it in your mind put it on paper and then figure out every way to destroy or inable it then think of how you can improve it to survive, and there you go.
     

  15. BATAAN
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    BATAAN Senior Member

    I'm a special effects professional who has done lots of miniature work with water and this is not a model.
     
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