Cheap, Down and Dirty Mailbox

[cfarrington]

Hello Salvor6,
I have a custom built Crusader with a Yanmar diesel engine and I am looking to build a mailbox/blower for it. Single screw draft is appox. 4 ft. Do you know where I can get a blueprint or working plan for building a mailbox? I have never built one before but have seen them in operation.
Thanks for any help or suggestions you may be able to provide me.

Chris Farrington.

 

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[Salvor6]

Hello Chris. I have never seen any blueprints for a blower. I built mine by eyeball.

 

[OBN]

I have yet to finish mine (should be this fall for me) but here is some video of ideas I have collected. Mine will be more of a deflector similar to a trolling downdraft baffle.

 

[garren]

I have yet to finish mine (should be this fall for me) but here is some video of ideas I have collected. Mine will be more of a deflector similar to a trolling downdraft baffle.

Awesome OBN! I see that my humble blower made it into your video!

I'm glad this thread got revived. I should have my tanks back from hydrostatic and visual in about 2 weeks and plan on getting back to this project. I'll hopefully have several updates before this summer is over.

 

[bobinsd]

I would look at the possibility of capping the outflow with a reduction cone with a 4-5 inch diameter. Using a large hose clamp, attach a 10-12 foot flexible hose like that French drain stuff, add a secure handle(s) at the exit end and you can blow away to your heart's content, and not have to wait for a hole to be blown. If you use a"Y" at the cone output, 2 guys can operate.

 

[maipenrai]

One of the best threads I have seen, full of good ideas. This is what Treasurenet should be about.

 

[garren]

I would look at the possibility of capping the outflow with a reduction cone with a 4-5 inch diameter. Using a large hose clamp, attach a 10-12 foot flexible hose like that French drain stuff, add a secure handle(s) at the exit end and you can blow away to your heart's content, and not have to wait for a hole to be blown. If you use a"Y" at the cone output, 2 guys can operate.

I have seriously considered this. The wreck that we're working on is a big jumble of timbers and blowing straight down doesnt get all the silt in the "pockets" between them. I think a flexible hose would be the answer to cleaning between the timbers.

 

[Boatlode]

I read a horror story about sand and debri going into the water intake and stopping up the impeller...How about wrapping panty hose around that part of the motor to reduce the size of debri that can get in there.

One of two things will happen.

1) Pieces of the panty hose will get sucked in and create a water blockage inside the engine. Result: engine overheats.

or

2) The panty hose will get full of silt and block the intake. Result: engine overheats.

I see no way to avoid silt eventually blocking up your outboard cooling system. So be prepared to do a lot of water pump repair.

 

[Salvor6]

I have heard about a remedy for the sand intake. Use "elephant ears" or earmuffs that you use to rinse out your engine and run a short garden hose to the bow. If that's not enough, hook up a bilge pump to the hose.

 

[OBN]

My thing is working a shallow area, maybe in 3 to 4 feet deep water and needing less then 16 to 24 inch moved but a very large area.
Just trolling around with the blower at a 45 degree angle moving sand maybe all I need, but I have been thinking along the lines of a jetski also with a
downdraft fitting similar to what is used on the hydro flyboards.

 

[garren]

I have heard about a remedy for the sand intake. Use "elephant ears" or earmuffs that you use to rinse out your engine and run a short garden hose to the bow. If that's not enough, hook up a bilge pump to the hose.

Thats what we did and used a bilge pump...worked like a champ. You can get a quick glimpse of it in the video I posted last year.

 

[Salvor6]

Garren please repost that video here. I can't find anything from one year ago. I can't even find anything I misplaced last week!

 

[garren]

I can't even find anything I misplaced last week!

Ha! I know how that goes! Here's the vid again. In some of the shots you can see how clean the water is coming out of the exhaust tube on my engine. The end of the video is only a quick glimpse of the hose run to the front of the boat and the battery running a bilge pump. I had looped the hose over the steering column to take up some slack. I didn't want it to end up in the prop like the first prototype of the mailbox...lol...that can be seen in the video as well. Be sure and change the video resolution to 720 HD. Youtubes default resolution makes it look pixelated.

On a side note, the music is some original stuff by my good friend Clark Bandy. Not to insinuate that we're outlaws...but if the shoe fits

 

[aquanut]

Loved it all garren!

 

[garren]

Here it is...the end of Summer again and I'm just now getting back to this project. I went diving today on the wreck site and the hole we blew last Oct. is still there...thats the only place I'm finding anything. I didn't use the mailbox today but we are going to have to keep blowing holes if we plan on finding anything else. The overburden is so thick. One thing I noticed is that, down deep in the timbers, is a very soft, like melted ice cream, slimy silt. this is where the iron and other objects are. The overburden is like cliche...hard packed rock, shells and a silt like clay. Its hard to even dig through with my hands...but the mailbox blew through it like it was nothing. I think I mentioned earlier in the thread that I'm almost positive we are in the engine room area. Here's some pics of what I pulled out today. I think the lever/ gear shift is pretty cool...anyone recognize it? The old news articles are conflicting. Some say steamboat while others list it as having twin diesel engines. Did steamboats run on diesel engines in the 1920's?

Sorry for the grainy cell phone pics...I didnt feel like digging out the good camera...I haven't had SCUBA gear on in a while and forgot what a butt kicker it is when your not use to it...

 

[Digg Mo]

That's some really cool finds. Any idea what the pot/bucket with the handle was used for? Can't wait to get back to the site for more relics.

 

[garren]

I have no clue what the little tank is. At one time it was solid. Whatever it is it was plumbed in and had pressure on it. We need to hurry...nights will be getting chilly soon and the lakes gonna cool down. You know I'm a sissy when it comes to cold water.

 

[MPH200]

Garren have you made it back to the site this year?

 

[garren]

Garren have you made it back to the site this year?

I wanted to but got tied up on another project. There's still hope though. Me and some friends have been talking about squeezing in a few dives before it gets too cold.

 

[MPH200]

I wanted to but got tied up on another project. There's still hope though. Me and some friends have been talking about squeezing in a few dives before it gets too cold.

I was hoping you had returned. We still have plenty of warm weather.