Marine

Nemo personal submarine gets big price cut as production ramps up

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After delivering the first Nemo personal subs last year, U-Boat Worx is getting volume production rolling
U-Boat Worx/Gavin Newman
Exploring a shipwreck in the U-Boat Worx Nemo private submersible
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Diving down with a splash
Tom van Oossanen/U-Boat Worx
U-Boat Worx offers Nemo accessories including a car trailer
U-Boat Worx
A bright, tiny dot in the vast sea
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Nemo sunset
Tom van Oossanen/U-Boat Worx
Launching the Nemo 2
Tom van Oossanen/U-Boat Worx
Swimming with the fishes
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Dropping ...
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Seeking out some pretty color
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Lounging out
Tom van Oossanen/U-Boat Worx
The handheld controller delivers easy, flexible navigation that lets the pilot enjoy the experience
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Lighting up a new discovery
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
R&R on the U-Boat Worx Nemo personal sub
Tom van Oossanen/U-Boat Worx
The U-Boat Worx Nemo — now available for the slightly less ultra-wealthy
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
Nemo 2 cockpit
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
The Nemo 1 and 2 are powered by four electric thrusters
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx
After delivering the first Nemo personal subs last year, U-Boat Worx is getting volume production rolling
U-Boat Worx/Gavin Newman
View gallery - 17 images

The last time we looked at the U-Boat Worx Nemo submersible, it was April 2020, strange days when every single person on Earth would have loved to torpedo deep down into the sea in search of purer surroundings. Unfortunately, the production start was listed at the time as a vague "when market demand has been met." Oh, and the price tag was $1 million ... so not many people were going to fulfill those underwater fantasies, anyway. Fast-forward to September 2022, and both hurdles have been cleared ... to a point. After launching the Nemo last year, U-Boat Worx has commenced volume production and cut the price nearly in half. Sure, that's still a very expensive water toy, but now at least some decamillionaires can rub bubbles with the billionaires joysticking their way around the subaquatic depths.

U-Boat Worx held the official premiere of the Nemo close to a year ago at the 2021 Monaco Yacht Show and has since delivered the first models to customers. While the company's other subs are built to order, serial production was always the plan for the Nemo. U-Boat Worx is ramping up production now with the goal of getting 1,000 subs in the water by 2030.

The production increase enables U-Boat Worx to drastically cut pricing. While the €590,000 (approx. US$599,000) Nemo 2 base may not read much like "low, low prices" to the average Joe, it represents a nearly 40 percent drop from the model's original €975,000 price point ($990,000 at today's exchange rates). That's nothing to scoff at in the submersible space, where seven- and eight-figure price tags are expected.

Swimming with the fishes
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx

Those who don't mind going it alone can get the single-occupant Nemo 1 for €545,000 ($553,000). U-Boat Worx says the new pricing makes the Nemo the most affordable submersible on the planet, and we'd have trouble arguing the point — where prices for such vessels are publicly listed (or at least begrudgingly available to needling journalists), they always seem to exceed $/€ 1 million.

Both the Nemo 1 and 2 house passenger(s) inside an air-conditioned transparent acrylic bubble for truly immersive views of the water and sea life all around. The handheld Manta controller lends video game-like ease to maneuvering the vessel and adjusting output from the four electric thrusters. Both Nemo variants can move at speeds up to 3 knots, dive down to depths of 330 feet (100 m) and deliver up to eight hours of operational autonomy. The Nemo 1 weighs 4,600 lb (2,100 kg), while the Nemo 2 comes in at 5,110 lb (2,500 kg).

The handheld controller delivers easy, flexible navigation that lets the pilot enjoy the experience
Gavin Newman/U-Boat Worx

Looking at the prices of the Nemo subs, it's reasonable to expect that an overwhelming number of buyers will own their own yachts for use as launch vessels. For those who don't, U-Boat Worx offers a line of accessories such as beach launchers, vehicle trailers, small support craft and floating submarine houses. The Nemo can thereby be launched from the shore or a boat ramp as well as from a yacht.

U-Boat Worx offers Nemo accessories including a car trailer
U-Boat Worx

U-Boat Worx plans to have the Nemo submersible readily available from stock starting in 2023. Each buyer can choose to undergo two-week pilot certification training at U-Boat Worx's Curaçao Sub Center, alongside their own yacht or at their private premises.

Source: U-Boat Worx

View gallery - 17 images
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7 comments
Spud Murphy
Another environmentally wasteful toy for the rich and selfish, like the world needs this sort of pointless waste of resources. Of all the things a startup could come up with, they come up with this? How about developing a low cost, safe electric vehicle for the masses, or a low cost, well insulated home for disaster relief, homeless etc. But I guess there's not the same amount of money in building things that actually help those who need rather than those who want, want, want, is there...
RobertElliot
We've had the "Mile High" club. Except that is now so common it isn't worth mentioning - how long before we have the "Mile deep" club.??
TpPa
RobertElliot if your thought comes true, they better bring extra oxygen.
I can imagine having your new toy spotless for you have a perfect view, then 1/2 way their you realize you forgot the cooler with food & drinks. So you stop at Walmart quick, within 5 minutes you have 10 of our do what you want kids climbing on it, pushing their faces into it, fingers and sticky hands all over. One better leave the biggest of the 2 occupants with the car with a paddle for butts. Yup waste, but looks like fun
Rocky Stefano
Looks way too cramped for space. I'd need to be able to stretch my legs out. That couple both look like they're holding fartings in aside from being rammed in there.
GregVoevodsky
Oh Spud, thanks for raining on my party. When I get mine, I will invite you for a ride if you can act civil and kind rather than nasty and jealous. Oh, and I hope you don't mind taking a ride in my private jet with John Kerry or Leonardo DiCaprio out to my private helicopter and then out to my yacht either in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean depending on the time of year. Do you like movies, perhaps Festival de Cannes 2023 next year? Oh and bring your yellow mustard for your Dodger Dogs (we do keep them in stock for our American guests), however, we only have Grey Poupon.
ljaques
A beautiful and tiny craft. I'd love to go exploring in one, and would settle for joining the 100M deep club. Mile deep is gonna cost ya mid 9 digits, I'd think.
I'd sure want a longer tongue on that short trailer, though. 3 or 4 more feet might do. Kudos on U-Boat Worx dropping the price, not that many of us might ever own one.
Andy
I would like to see an affordable version for police and fire departments to execute under fresh water search and recovery operations.