The 2-seater personal submarine was recently debuted by C-Quester at Monte Carlo after the success of their earlier single-seater. Fully electric, the CQ-2 keeps cabin pressure at one atmosphere, meaning you can travel up and down with no decompression issues. A charge will last you 2 1/2 hours underwater, and there’s a bunch of safety systems including enough air for 36 hours in the case of an emergency. A four-seater model is expected soon.
The first submarine was built by a Dutchman in the 1620s, constructed from wood and leather and able to travel around 15 feet below the surface. Clearly, things have come a long way since then, but it seems the Dutch are again leading the way in bringing a personal submarine experience to the market.
After the success of the single-seater C-Quester, Uboatworx has released a twin-seater version, the CQ-2, allowing drivers to share the submersible experience.
The CQ-2 has four 36V electric motors (two for drive, one each to send the sub upwards and downwards) delivering a total 101lbs of thrust and the batteries should be good for around two and a half hours after a full 14-hour charge. Like its single-seat brother it can easily be launched from a yacht or trailer.
The control system is designed such that if you know how to drive a boat, you’re most of the way to being able to drive the CQ-2. Nonetheless, part of the sale price includes a dedicated and mandatory four to six day intensive course to make sure you know how to use it. In the course, you’ll learn about submersible navigation theory, weather systems, currents, stability, the various systems built into the craft, and the controls of the vessel. The company will only sell into markets where they have a trained service mechanic and a qualified trainer to run the pre-delivery course.
Owners can upgrade the external lights (it's dark down there) from 50 W to 250 W, buy a cradle for your toy, put special protective dome covers on it, purchase special cables for lifting it out of the water via crane, or add an underwater communication set-up, and you can have it in any colour scheme you wish, so it’ll fit in perfectly with any yacht or garage décor.
Pricing is a bit under a quarter of a million US dollars – so the target market is fairly clear. As a leisure toy it’s just a bit more expensive than a decent Porsche, and a damn sight more exclusive. Look for a four-seater to be released in 2008.
Uboatworx are seeking distributors around the globe – only a few spots are currently taken and there’s a lot of warm holiday resort locations still available as we go to press.
And given that the mile-high club is all too easy to join nowadays, those looking for a more exclusive experience can now go for the mile-LOW club.