The Jackal Submarine: Testing Stage Two, Prep #1

In this update I'll show off a few different things that have been happening in preparation for the second stage of testing, as well as changing up the blog style a little.

Since the last update I've been stripping paint from the hull. It was rather thick paint, probably enameled too. I used paint stripping gel to soften each section, then cleared the majority of it with a paint scrapper, and after drying it with a rag I went over it with a wire brush attachment in the power drill.

Then came the kill-rust undercoat, and once dry the first coat of kill-rust "ocean-color" top coat. This paint will be okay for the all the testing, once the sub is finished, I'll sand blast the hull and coat with a marine grade paint.

Also I've been cleaning and sealing all the threaded joins on the water pipes. At the moment the front two sections are sealed and in place in the sub, ready to be bolted down.

The battery brackets were also painted and this evening I bolted them in and took on the grueling task of dragging two massively heavy batteries into place. Each battery weighs about 31 kg. The terminal lugs have been ordered for both batteries and once they arrive I will begin wiring up the power and recharging system.