Plumbing a submersible

I’ve always struggled with plumbing as it seems there is never enough space to work. I’ve discovered that plumbing a half scale submarine interior is even tougher than regular plumbing. The ribs of the submarine are only 8” apart and everything has to be done from the outside which made it extra tricky. It took a while but I did manage to get in all of the hoses and taps and it looks nice and busy inside the cockpit of the sub. Even so I managed to get everything on my list finished, plus a few extra tasks as well. The entrance tube, control pedals, rudder stick and dive levers were also fabricated and installed today. A quick rough coat of the sculpting epoxy was first applied to the outside of the submersible (it will get a detailed finish coat later) . Then I pressed a smooth finished coat of sculpting epoxy on the inside. The only way to reach the inside was through the ten inch diameter portholes. I worked by touch for the most part as I applied the epoxy, then I would peek in and see how it looked, smoothing as necessary. The lower section will be a little easier as I will be able to reach in from the front. The painters will do up the top half if the interior before I finish the bottom of the sub to make things a little easier (I hope). I am gone on a road trip all next week but I suspect that my ears will be burning as the painters take my name in vain as they work.

plumbing installed.png

Sub standard

I had a blast working on the little fish submersible today. I managed to design and build the captain’s chair, mounted the back bulkhead, top fin and tail. I also fabricated and installed the two portholes. It’s coming along nicely! Tomorrow, I’ll work on the access hatch, all of the controls and maybe even install some fancy plumbing. We’ve all heard the term substandard. In this case the sub standard is very high!

sub progress day 2.png

Custom Design & Construction