BMF concept boat winner announced

By IBI Magazine

An innovative combined sports boat and submarine has won the BMF concept boat award, a design competition organised annually by the BMF to find a product that encourages new waterborne activities, like kite surfing, or that satisfy a previously unfulfilled need.

HRH Princess Royal awarded first prize in the competition to the craft's designer Ray Harvey (pictured) at a ceremony at the London Boat Show today.

The Sport Submarine concept is for a diesel waterjet-propelled 5m x 2m craft capable of transporting two fully-equipped divers at up to 35kn on the surface, which can submerge and become a fully-functional submarine.

Once submerged, the craft is powered by twin 5hp electric thrusters, and has a maximum speed of 5kn, with an endurance of two hours at this speed. The maximum operating depth is 100m, well beyond the 50m limit of most sports divers. Harvey believes the design will not only be of interest to the recreational diver, but will also have commercial and military applications.

With no pressure chamber being required for the crew, the cost will be far less than for a conventional submarine. Harvey told IBI that his concept craft should really be seen as "a high-end sports boat with a few extras", suggesting a likely price for a production version in the region of GBP20,000.

He added that the original concept had originated with a SCUBA diving friend who had been concerned that the RIB he used for diving would still be there when he surfaced. From this fear emerged the idea of the diver taking his boat with him under water.

Harvey, an established naval architect and superyacht designer, said that the major problem he faced in developing the new craft, "was changing from surface to underwater operation". A significant technical development that made the concept feasible was the trend towards smaller diesel engines.

Having won the GBP5,000 BMF prize, Harvey is now working towards building a prototype of the Sport Submarine and is seeking support from boatbuilding industry. Although the initial concept is for a two-person craft, the design is capable of being expanded to eight seats, with tourist operation in areas like the Red Sea being a possibility.

(14 January 2004)