A new means of scouring the ocean's depths
Spymaster has unveiled the Orcasub to the superyacht market at the 2014 London Boat Show. The Orcasub is a two-man submersible capable of diving to depths of 2km.…
Spymaster has chosen the 2014 London Boat Show to unveil the Orcasub to the superyacht market. The Orcasub is a two-man, battery-powered winged craft that glides silently through the water. Each pilot is separately enclosed in the vehicle in a raised Perspex cockpit.
At 6.7m long, with a height of 1.524m and beam of 4.27m (2.133m with wings folded), the Orcasub is available in several configurations utilising either steel or titanium hulls. And as Spymaster’s Lee Marks told SuperyachtNews.com, the difference between the two materials is £1 million and $10.8 million, but this also equates to depth capabilities of 300m and 2,000m respectively.
Built along the principles of flight, the craft uses thrust, lift and drag, using its wings and a joystick to allow the pilot to bank, turn, curve and dive, reaching a top speed of 10 knots. There are also rudder pedals, compass and altitude indicator.
Each Orcasub is custom built in Vancouver to Lloyd’s Register classification requirements but Spymaster acts as Orcasub’s sole UK distributor. Like the new build superyacht market, Marks said that two to three orders a year would represent a huge success, whilst a minimum of one order per annum was the target. And, although the Orcasub could be stored on a vessel of 80m, Marks says the target market is yachts of 100m+.
“We’re currently having serious conversations with owners of two yachts currently being built”, Marks explained. “We expect to do business as a result of being at the show, as well as during it.”
And if an order is signed, “the owner informs that yard and we work with them right at the outset of the design process.”
A five-day operational course is available for the yacht’s crew as part of the price.
At 6.7m long, with a height of 1.524m and beam of 4.27m (2.133m with wings folded), the Orcasub is available in several configurations utilising either steel or titanium hulls. And as Spymaster’s Lee Marks told SuperyachtNews.com, the difference between the two materials is £1 million and $10.8 million, but this also equates to depth capabilities of 300m and 2,000m respectively.
Built along the principles of flight, the craft uses thrust, lift and drag, using its wings and a joystick to allow the pilot to bank, turn, curve and dive, reaching a top speed of 10 knots. There are also rudder pedals, compass and altitude indicator.
Each Orcasub is custom built in Vancouver to Lloyd’s Register classification requirements but Spymaster acts as Orcasub’s sole UK distributor. Like the new build superyacht market, Marks said that two to three orders a year would represent a huge success, whilst a minimum of one order per annum was the target. And, although the Orcasub could be stored on a vessel of 80m, Marks says the target market is yachts of 100m+.
“We’re currently having serious conversations with owners of two yachts currently being built”, Marks explained. “We expect to do business as a result of being at the show, as well as during it.”
And if an order is signed, “the owner informs that yard and we work with them right at the outset of the design process.”
A five-day operational course is available for the yacht’s crew as part of the price.
A scale model of the Orcasub, which was presented to the public at the London Boat Show.
Profile links
Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.
