If you attended last year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, then you may have seen the daily demonstration dives that U-Boat Worx held with one of its personal submarines. The subs have been attracting the attention of megayacht owners looking for a different type of watertoy, and no wonder.
The newest model, the C-Explorer 5, should capture attention as well. As the name suggests, it’s a five-seater model, including the pilot, though a five-guest configuration is available, too. Just like the other personal subs the company offers, there’s a 360-degree acrylic pressure hull, so that you and your guests can see a good deal of the undersea world as you’re exploring. The C-Explorer 5 is fitted with 12-inch, sunlight-readable PC displays for a variety of information. Further options include manipulator arms, sonar (either forward-looking or advanced 2D or 3D), a tracking system, and an HD camera.
Regardless of options selected, the C-Explorer 5 should be capable of eight hours of autonomous operation. U-Boat Worx also says that its underwater speed is about 2.5 knots, while its surface speed is 4 knots.
Pricing depends upon the depth rating to which you want your model to comply. U-Boat Worx is making a 100-meter-rating (328-foot-rating) standard, priced at €966,000. Two-hundred and 300-hundred-meter models are in the works, though pricing has not yet been determined.
Allen Spehr
I was wondering if you could help rescue the soccer team trapped underwater in a cave. Your company would forever be remembered as the company that rescued those trapped boy scouts. It would be the best publicity you could ask for. Your sins look small enough to pull it off!
Diane M. Byrne
While it would seem ideal, the sub (and other watertoys suggested by other readers) is too large for one part of the cave. There’s a section so narrow that a person with a scuba tank cannot get through. But let’s all hope for the best for the boys and their coach.