Quote:
Originally Posted by MartinClan
What I want to know is how he went from building kit cars - to submarines. Wouldn't have thought there was a lot in common there...
Robin
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I haven't found the full video yet but there is a documentary about one of Paul's submarines.
An extract of the transcript starts to explain how and why Paul got into this industry......
NARRATOR: Paul's design combines a conventional steel aft section with a forward pressure hull made of transparent acrylic plastic. It won't be strong enough to dive as deep as Alvin, but it should still be able to descend a thousand feet and more, deeper than many military submarines.
And Paul's design has another striking advantage over most mini-submersibles. Alvin is typical of small submarines, in that it can only be launched from a large support vessel, the Atlantis. This means that each dive costs tens of thousands of dollars. But Peter's sub, the Alicia, will have, in addition to an underwater electric motor, a long-range diesel engine, which will allow it to operate independently on the surface, like a conventional motor boat. It looks good on paper.
The historic port of Plymouth, on the south coast of England: it's from here that the Pilgrim Fathers first set sail for America. It's also home to designer Paul Moorhouse's workshop.
Peter's given Paul a budget of just $1.5 million, not much to build something as complex as a submarine. Custom-made parts are expensive, so Paul's plan is to source as many components as possible from ordinary hardware stores and auto suppliers.
In this spirit, Alicia will be powered by this modified truck engine. It's a lot cheaper than a custom-built marine motor.
PETER ROBBINS: If we had unlimited money, then it would simply be, "Build it." We have to be much more delicate and much more careful. I don't have unlimited funds.
NARRATOR: Sticking to the budget will be tricky, but Paul has handpicked a small team of multi-skilled specialists, including Richard Dawson. Richard and Paul have known each other for years, and they share another obsession.
Before working on submarines, Paul and Richard designed and made kit cars together. They are used to stretching a budget and improvising. They know that sometimes the right part can come from the unlikeliest source.
The other common thing is they both leak water
Preview of the film here....
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/preview/i_3319.html
(the end of this clip is worth waiting for
)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/alicia/
P.S. i seem to have gone off topic but it was my thread anyway
