Dry stack, boat parking is a well-established feature in the lives of the small boat owning community. The concept is that, rather than leave their boats float in an expensive marina exposed to the elements and subject to fouling problems, they get them lifted and stored ashore when not in use.
Come the time they want to use the boat, they notify the stack park owner, who launches the boat, prepares it for use, and the owner drives it away to benefit from all the joys associated with boat ownership
The system works well, and as a business model, it thrives in tropical waters where protection from wind, waves, sun and fouling agents are in abundance.
New twist
Now there is a new twist to the story. U-Boat Worx a submarine manufacturer and vendor, based in the Netherlands is to offer a similar service for submarine owners who use their subs and are based in Curaçao.
The Dutch island off the coast of Venezuela, is a favoured destination for scuba divers, given the clarity of the water and the abundance of underwater life. With the advent of the new mini personal submarines from U-Boat Worx, Curaçao is attracting more customers, wanting to explore the underwater beauty is the island has to offer.
Recently launched into the market. The U-Boat Worx Nemo is a two seater submarine that is similar in size and weight to a small double boat. On board a superyacht it has the same footprint as two jetskis side by side. It can be towed by a truck and launched from a trailer and can dive to depths of up to 100 metres
Compact and lightweight
Nemo mini submarines are the lightest submarines built to date. They have a single lifting point and can easily be placed on a flat surface without the need for a cradle or davit. At only 2,100 kg the Nemo 1 is the lightest manned submersible ever conceived. With its low-profile lines, the submarine stands only 1.48 metres above the deck. The Nemo 2 – the two-seat variant in the series weighs only 2,500 kg and is only 1.55 metres high. The mini sub’s lightweight and compact credentials create a turnkey solution ideally suited to yachts of all sizes. However, complementary beach launchers, towable car trailers, floating submarine houses and small support crafts have been developed to support submarine mobilisation.
They are the only series-produced submarines in the world. Whereas custom submarines are built-to-order. The NEMO is readily available, and you can now become a Nemo owner starting at € 545,000 (Ex. VAT).
U-Boat Worx Curaçao is offering to lift ashore, store and maintain any submarine they sell. All the owner needs to do, is notify the base he wants to use his Nemo and the U-Boat Worx substation near Willemstad takes care of the rest. Once an owner has finished diving. He returns his sub to the substation, and it is lifted out of the water, dunked into a freshwater swimming pool and stored ashore until next needed.
All the necessary post dive checks are completed by substation technicians, who also ensure the Nemo is maintained in a stack ashore in storage during the submarine owners absence
The system works well and as more owners buy into small submarine ownership so the business will expand
Once submarine ownership was only possible for those who owned and operated their own superyachts, which acted as motherships. Now with a Nemo costing less than a Cessna light aircraft, and in many cases, less than a designer-dayboat, submarine ownership is catching on in a big way and dry stack storage for submarines will become a common feature in the worlds, hottest underwater dive locations.
