[PSUBS-MAILIST] Sub Launch

Fri Nov 3 17:56:43 EDT 2017

Congrats Brian. First test out of the way and first contact with
authorities. Next time invite them down to help launch and be support crew.

On Nov 3, 2017 2:32 PM, "Brian Cox via Personal_Submersibles" <
personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:

> Hi All,
>               Launched my sub yesterday !  I launched at Channel Islands
> Harbor in Oxnard, CA .  We have our sailboat docked there so what I did was
> moved our boat over to the guest slips because the guest slips are right
> next to the launch ramp, that way I didn't have go to far to   motor the
> sub over next to the sailboat.  My plan was to keep it overnight and play
> around with it for a couple of days.  So we launched it from the boat ramp
> and it floated off really nicely, just like launching a regular boat.  I
> kept it there at the ramp dock for a little bit just to check the stability
> and all.  So when all seemed fine I got in turned on the juice and engaged
> the motors.  Everything ran great, I only ran the motors at maybe half
> speed and cruised over the guest dock,  the thing turns like a battleship,
> kind of a delay from when I begin turning the pods.  Anyway got it over
> the to the dock no problem, then I did a couple of U turns just to see how
> tight of turns I could make.  I could make reasonable turns much like a
> sailboat under power .  So my plan was to sink it all the way down to the
> hatch just to see where I was at .  The thing is a little ass heavy because
> I have most of my ballast weight concentrated way back in the bottom of the
> ferro-cement hull, so I think I need to distribute that weight out more
> towards the front to even things out.  I bled out quite a bit of air from
> my main ballast but the nose was still up quite a ways compared to the
> back .  So around this time the Harbor Patrol guy showed up , he turned out
> to be a real prick.  He was desperately trying to find something illegal
> about having a sub in the harbor.  So his first thing was , oh you can't be
> a hazard to navigation and  submerging sub is definitely a hazard.  I
> informed him I wasn't planning on submerging in the harbor , don't worry.
> So then he was literally flipping through pages of regulations trying to
> find something.  Anyway I told him I just wanted to keep it over night next
> to my sailboat and do some things to it.  So then his deal was oh well you
> have to physically drive the sub down to the harbor patrol office and get
> the permit, so I said ok fine no problem ( chance to do some testing !)  .
> Then he gets on the phone talking to the harbor master bla bla bla.  so
> then he decides he better call the Coast Guard.   so then the Coast Guard
> comes over, a whole boat load of them.  They started out pretty serious but
> then they became really intrigued with the sub and where asking about it.
> Well it turned into a love fest with the Coast Guard they were really
> getting into the whole submarine thing.  I let one cute little Coasty girl
> go inside and check things out.  Meanwhile the Harbor Patrol guy wasn't
> happy that Coast Guard was liking my sub.  So finally the Harbor Patrol guy
> decides that since my sub could not bump up against the dock and my side
> rails were actually bumping the foam underneath the dock rail that my sub
> was going to damage the dock and so I couldn't dock it over night.  So I
> said whatever fine , I'll haul it out.  My hauler friend had to come back
> down from Ojai ( a bout an hour away).  So he came back down, I then drove
> the sub back over to the launch ramp ( which was good since everybody got
> to see it move around) and then we retrieve it .    Quite a day!   learn a
> lot as far as what I need to still with the sub.
>
> Brian
>
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