Homemade lift bags

[FireRescue]

Has anyone here ever made there own lift bags. I was thinking about making a couple smaller open bottom style bags and see how well they work.

[Salvor6]

I have made many homemade lift bags and used them successfully to raise sunken houseboats on Norris Lake, TN. You can make a simple one out of an Army duffelbag. Turn the bag upside down and insert a 30 gallon plastic trash bag to make it air tight. I also used "uke" tubes, innertubes for truck tires. I put them inside the hull and partially inflated them because they expand so much when they surface.

[FISHEYE]

You can also use waterbeds as lift bags.They come in all sizes.A friend of mine in the wash DC area used them to raise up several vietnam era PT boats that the navy porpoisly sunk in some bays along the potomac river.Or for small object lifting use truck tire inner tubes.Just cut a 4 inch hole in the tube on the outside.Fish a rope around the inside for something to tie your object too and fill with air.the excess air will escape thru the hole on the bottom as it rises to the surface.Its a poor mans lift.I have a commercial sewing machine.I thought about making lift bags.You could use the quick air release valve out of a old scuba bc to put in the top of the bag.Just make them out of canvas and paint the inside with some kind of a rubber paint.Like maybe neoprene glue or even contact cement.