I just love the diversity of people that come to help build Seeker. From tall ship captains, to truck drives, to nuclear reactor design engineers. Everybody has a skill and knowledge that becomes part of the boat. Danial and Rob, a pair of engineers from San Antonio, Texas stopped by and we put them to work testing the ROV’s tether … Read More
Mast, Capstan, and Frames
The snow birds intent on being “First” in the warm ponds are working their way south along with the cooler weather. The main mast is off to be galvanized. And it’s fun to be back inside the hull. We’re double welding the plates on top of the lead and adding frames to reinforce the keels. The lightening holes look … Read More
I’ve always loved lightening holes.
Remember the flying sub in “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”? I have always loved lightening holes in aircraft, and now they will be a visible part of Seeker. It took the better part of two days but we got one of ten frames cut for the cargo hold. It was not one of our better weekends. … Read More
Breaking Wire and Machining a Capstan
That second capstan has been siting in the lathe from over a month, and Doug Stout a retired machinist showed up and not only completed the bore but showed us some really nice tricks. Tomorrow is the final fit up. The rest of us spent the day stretching and breaking ROV cable. Very surprising is how crappy Cat5 is and … Read More
Open House 2016 – Thank You!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! About 50 folks showed up for last week’s open house and we got a year’s worth of good vibes. Seeker is more that a boat, she is a crew and a following of people that love making things, building a better world and who love life. Thanks for sharing your love! Special Thanks to … Read More
Sailing on the “Schooner Ondine”, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Had a most Excellent day, sailing with Pat, Jeanine, and Lee on the junk rigged Schooner Ondine, which does day sails our of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Pat and Jeanine have been doing this for four years and also work on the tall mast ships and do sailboat deliveries. It was a pleasure to tap into Pat’s extensive experience … Read More
7 years in 27 minutes
Some ideas take root and grow faster than the weeds. SV Seeker is one of those ideas that started from a chance conversation about building a boat and getting it to the ocean via the Arkansas river. That was about 12 years ago and the though of sailing a boat I built across the oceans was something that scared me. … Read More
Low Cost ROV Tether and more…
Do-It-Yourself ROV tether for 21 cents a foot, (69 cents/meter) and 300 pounds (1300 Newtons) of load. SCORE! And we are looking forward to your suggestions for improvements. Thank you for your assistance!
The New Plan
The old plan was to have to ROV in the water this weekend and on display at the Tulsa Maker Fair in two weeks. ….I hate that plan. Deadlines suck the enjoyment out of most everything. I understand the need for them especially when other people are counting on you, but that is not the case. This was self … Read More
ROV Sonar – Part 6 and more
All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. — Ralph Waldo Emerson