Conference vicki::boats

    What about some type of surface support team and/or markers? 
    I could see the potential for a real disaster if you were to
    surface as another boat passed overhead!
    
    Rick

    Nah, Rick, they just fire a torpedo to clear the surface before they
    proceed.
    
    <g>
    
    John H-C

    
    re: .1&.2
    
    	Actually, the vessel I described doesn't need a support team above
    because the pontoons are always afloat and quite visible. But, with a
    real submarine that's a valid question.

    I saw the vessel you're talking about on "Beyond 2000" on the Discovery
    Channel one night.
    
    Seemed like it would only be useful in tropical waters. Every place
    interesting in these rich NE waters, both salt- and freshwater, would
    be *very* dangerous for a device like that. (You need to get a little
    too close for comfort to see anything.)
    
    John H-C

    
    	The "subs" that are actually just a glorified glassbottomed
    	boat are expected to be big in the clear water tourist field.
    	The multi-million $ cost of a real submersible such as those
    	in Hawaii operated by Aquarius also cost about 750K per year to 
    	maintain.  To get around the insurance, safety and pilot 
    	issues for carrying passengers in a submersible, the market
    	is beginning to see pseudo-subs that are a lot simpler to
    	maintain and finance.
    
    	The unit I'm expecting to be involved with is a 2-man
    	dry sub with 600 feet capability (4:1 safety factor).
    	While most small subs have a max speed of 1.5-3 kts, this
    	one is suppossed to kick out about 8kts, since it's design
    	intent was to be used in a rescue capacity for quickly
    	finding and bringing drowning victims to the surface for
    	resucitation attempts.  
    
    	The unit is about 10 ft long, 6 feet tall, 5 feet wide and
    	this one will have one manipulator arm.  By next year when
    	it gets a real workout, it'll have surface to submarine 
    	comms, and if we can find a decent inexpensive system, there
    	will be distance and bearing transponders on the sub, so that
    	the surface craft can track the sub and "protect" it while	
    	surfacing, and guard it from possible fishing craft lines.
    	
    	This is new to the market both as a product, but also in 
    	the fact that it is relatively low in cost (as subs go) and is 
    	built of composite materials.  I expect product marketing will 
    	start in early '92 after finishing field tests with the dive market 
    	targeted along with rescue groups.  
    
    	The one I'll be playing with will be used for search/recovery
    	and research with it's homebase being Lake Champlain (on the
    	NY/Vermont border) which has a max depth of 400 feet.
    
    	Should be an interesting time ... 
    
    		and forget the torpedo's ... I understand we're having
    		a sale on Polaris missles
    					:-)
    	

    So, Ed, whatever happened with the submarine?
    

    
    	can you say " production delays " ?
    
    	the mfg made some design changes that cascaded into other
    	changes.  So to date he has more into our sub than we're 
    	gonna pay for it.  We have one more (I hope I hope) problem
    	to get past regarding the manipulator mounting that is gating
    	delivery.  Of course it's the machine shop that's delaying 
    	everything ;-)  
    
    	of course he's more than happy to refund our deposit ... but
    	for the time being, we're hanging in since the $ back gives
    	us nothing.  
    
    	it is a mite more to it than what I made it sound like, but
    	we decided the potential outweighs the grief (or so the theory
    	goes).
    
    	so I'm patiently waiting and watching the summer tick on by
    
    	
    	

    
    
    September Hemmings, under non-auto,  270ft Submarine, ex Royal Navy.
    No price. 
    
    		- A.J.