Sport Submarine: A Build-Your-Own Electric Wet Sub Plan
A Mechanix Illustrated wet submarine with a foam core, fiberglass and epoxy skin, and electric power.
Sport Submarine is easily the most adventurous project here. It is a wet sub, meaning the rider is in the water rather than in a sealed cabin, and it is driven by electric power. The hull has a Plyfoam thermoplastic foam core covered in fiberglass and epoxy, laid up over a wooden mold of frames and ribbands. Eleven sheets explain the build. It is a project for experienced builders and trained divers who want something truly out of the ordinary.
Sport Submarine at a glance
| Detail | Sport Submarine |
|---|---|
| Type | Wet submarine |
| Construction | Wet sub: Plyfoam (thermoplastic foam) core with fiberglass and epoxy over a wooden mold of frames and ribbands |
| Power | Electric |
| Designer | William Steiniger and Jack Smith |
| First published | Mechanix Illustrated |
| Plan sheets | 11 |
An underwater adventure
A wet sub avoids the enormous engineering challenge of keeping water out. Instead, the rider breathes from their own diving gear while the sub provides propulsion and streamlining, making underwater exploration faster and less tiring than swimming alone. It is a fresh way to explore clear water for people who already dive.
The foam core with fiberglass and epoxy produces a light, strong and smooth shell. Building it over a wooden mold of frames and ribbands is a classic composite technique, and electric power keeps it quiet and clean, which suits gliding past reefs and fish. Eleven sheets of drawings cover the mold, shell and drive in detail.
The original plan sheets
These are the 11 original sheets, scanned from the magazine. For building, use the full-size PDF in the download section below.
Who designed it
William Steiniger and Jack Smith designed the Sport Submarine for Mechanix Illustrated. Their plan combines a composite foam-core shell with electric propulsion for underwater recreation. It is one of the most unusual designs to come out of the magazine's home-building pages.
Before you build
- Use it only with proper dive training and certified breathing equipment, and never dive alone.
- Wear gloves and a respirator when working with fiberglass and epoxy, and keep the workspace well ventilated.
- Waterproof every electrical connection carefully and test the system in shallow water first.
Download the plan
All eleven original Sport Submarine sheets in one file, ready to print or study closely on a tablet.
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