[PSUBS-MAILIST] Sub Launch

Sun Nov 5 13:46:14 EST 2017

CONGRATS on the launch Brian! ~ Douglas S.

On 11/4/17, Steve McQueen via Personal_Submersibles
<personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:
> That is what I meant.  Thanks for sharing.
>
>
>
> From: Personal_Submersibles [mailto:personal_submersibles-bounces at psubs.org]
> On Behalf Of Brian Cox via Personal_Submersibles
> Sent: Friday, November 3, 2017 8:15 PM
> To: Personal Submersibles General Discussion
> <personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
> Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Sub Launch
>
>
>
> Steve,  Not sure what you mean by "registered?   I did have California boat
> registration.
>
>
>
> Brian
>
> --- personal_submersibles at psubs.org <mailto:personal_submersibles at psubs.org>
>  wrote:
>
> From: Steve McQueen via Personal_Submersibles
> <personal_submersibles at psubs.org <mailto:personal_submersibles at psubs.org> >
> To: "'Personal Submersibles General Discussion'"
> <personal_submersibles at psubs.org <mailto:personal_submersibles at psubs.org> >
> Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Sub Launch
> Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2017 19:56:45 -0400
>
> Brian, congrats!
>
> One question, was your sub “registered”?  If not, do you think that would
> have given you more credibility and therefore less grounds for the harbor
> patrol guy to hassle you? Did the coast guard show interest in your
> registration status?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve McQueen
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Personal_Submersibles [mailto:personal_submersibles-bounces at psubs.org]
> On Behalf Of Brian Cox via Personal_Submersibles
> Sent: Friday, November 3, 2017 5:31 PM
> To: PSubs <personal_submersibles at psubs.org
> <mailto:personal_submersibles at psubs.org> >
> Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Sub Launch
>
>
>
> 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  _______________________________________________ Personal_Submersibles
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>