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Chris
Master Diver
Posts: 495
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:44 am
First Name: Chris
Location: Coos Bay Oregon
Contact: Website

Aquascooter

Mon Apr 17, 2017 12:13 pm

https://youtu.be/lDod3DgGva4

So I picked up this scooter from the lds for $10. Had a stuck piston. Good use for wd-40. After contemplating how to equalize the pressures in the tank, flywheel, and exhaust, I finally found the perfect use for my poor quality second stage. Some rubber hose, two part putty stick, and troublesome gopro, I was ready for a swim. I found out at about 20 feet the breathing air is dense enough it runs like its super charged. It gets a real deep throaty sounding exhaust and runs stronger. But if you turn it off below ten feet, you can't pull the starter hard enough to restart. You have to go back to the surface. I vented the ignition chamber to the air intake, and the gas tank to the exhaust chamber. Ive had it to 40 feet, but I'm afraid of busting a piston or rod if I go deeper. It doesnt seem verry worried about conserving air, though. 100cf usualy gives me over an hour in that lake. Aquascooter cuts it back to about twenty minutes.

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antique diver
Master Diver
Posts: 2210
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:50 pm
First Name: Bill
Location: North-Central Texas

Re: Aquascooter

Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:55 pm

What a hoot! I never even thought about running an internal combustion engine scooter underwater. Great inventiveness (is that a word?) on your part, and
can't wait to see what you come up with next.:D
The older I get the better I was.

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Bryan
Plank Owner
Posts: 5279
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2005 11:40 am
First Name: Bryan
Location: Wesley Chapel Florida
Contact: Website

Re: Aquascooter

Mon Apr 17, 2017 3:26 pm

A+ on the effort.....

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk
Doing it right should include some common sense, not just blindly following specs and instructions. .Gary D, AWAP on SB

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EHowe
Master Diver
Posts: 209
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 2:59 pm
First Name: Edward
Location: Chicago

Re: Aquascooter

Tue Apr 18, 2017 8:56 am

Now that is cool 8)

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Aquascooter

Tue Apr 18, 2017 11:02 am

That is amazing. I'm trying to figure how you did it. Caught a glimpse that looked like the 2nd stage regulator was hooked to a snorkel. Where does the exhaust go... Out through the propeller?
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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Chris
Master Diver
Posts: 495
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:44 am
First Name: Chris
Location: Coos Bay Oregon
Contact: Website

Re: Aquascooter

Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:48 am

Ya surflung. The thick area around the propeller is the exhaust chamber. It comes out a check valve in the bottom. This all started when I was thinking of making a scooter out of a trolling motor. I was going to use a second stage in the bottom to auto equalize going down and vent coming back up. Then started thinking about aquascooter. I had always thought of filling the flywheel cover with oil. Then I started putting that thought together with the trolling motor idea. The regulator would always keep the air intake chamber at ambient pressure. So I tapped a barb fitting into the flywheel cover and ran a hose up to the snorkel. The exhaust will always be ambient pressure or slightly higher, so I tapped in another barb and ran that to the gas tank vent. The only thing I'm unsure about is the fuel air mixture. Liquid does not compress, so it should be getting the same volume of gas as at the surface. But the air is more dense at two atmospheres, so I'm thinking it will have more oxygen than it's supposed to and be running lean. Maybe next time I'll bring my screw driver.

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SurfLung
Master Diver
Posts: 1763
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:03 pm
First Name: Eben
Location: Alexandria, MN
Contact: Website

Re: Aquascooter

Wed Apr 19, 2017 1:15 pm

- Thanks for the explanation. I have to compliment you on thinking it was even POSSIBLE in the first place. Congratulations on your ingenuity.

BTW - I have a friend who tried to make a scooter out of trolling motors. He said they couldn't take the pressure when he dove them to any depth. Next time I see him I'll have to tell him about your ideas for using a 2nd stage reg to pressurize.
SurfLung
The Freedom and Simplicity of Vintage Equipment and
Vintage Diving Technique are Why I Got Back Into Diving.

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Chris
Master Diver
Posts: 495
Joined: Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:44 am
First Name: Chris
Location: Coos Bay Oregon
Contact: Website

Re: Aquascooter

Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:13 am

Some people on YouTube were asking for pictures on how I did it, I'm finally getting around to it.
https://youtu.be/Zbk8tAu27vY

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