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Crews produce new nose design for watercraft
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| The Fathom, the first successful prototype of a submarine and surface-cruising powerboat hybrid, is being modified to gain additional surface speed, possibly up to 40 knots. The craft, created by Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design LLC, weighs 15 tons, is 13.5 feet wide and 36 feet long. It is the brainchild of Lake City resident Reynolds Marion. Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter |
Private security company shows interest in Marion’s hyper-sub invention.
By MICHAEL MITSEFF
mmitseff@lakecityreporter.com
LAKE BUTLER — For now, the focus is on practicality, not pie-in-the-sky dreams.
Now that Lake City resident Reynolds Marion has achieved his life-long dream of designing and building a successful prototype of his combination submarine and surface-cruising powerboat, his focus has shifted to more practical manufacturing concerns.
“We’ve received a lot of inquiries about ordering a boat, but we still have to make it through a critical challenge: we must prove that we can actually build and deliver a production model,” Marion explained, from the Hyper Sub’s base of operations in Lake Butler.
Marion estimates the research and development costs to begin manufacture and delivery of a production boat may easily approach $3 to $5 million.
“We’ve entered into negotiations with a top-tier engineering and design firm,” Marion said. “Through those negotiations, we may see that cost covered.”
Once the Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design LLC clears that hurdle, which he believes may happen as early as mid-March, the effort will be fully-funded to manufacture and deliver production models of the hyper-sub.
It has taken Marion and his team about five years and two “grueling” months of successful in-water tests, that included 21 successful submersions of Marion’s prototype, the Fathom, to reach the production stage.
“We’re not taking our eye off the ball,” Marion said. “We completed a punishing five-year build and the team is starting to recover and refresh themselves to reach our next goals.”
The Fathom is now back in Marion’s garage being fitted with a re-engineered bow.
“This modification should be completed in March and additional dives will be made to ensure that the modifications do not impact submerged performance,” Marion said.
“All the math indicates that this boat is capable of a surface speed of 30-40 knots,” Marion said. “We can unofficially set several world records with this boat once we get it back in the water, sometime in March.”
From there, the sub will be brought back to the garage for its final painting and installation of its new interior.
“When this last phase is completed, a date and location will be selected for a public debut of the finished submarine,” Marion said.
Marion said that if the team can get the research and development costs of manufacturing taken care of and get the surface speed up to specifications, they will be in a position to launch the hyper-sub’s international debut.
In January, Marion received a letter of intent from Mi2 International to purchase the first four production models of the hyper-sub. Mi2 is an international special operations group and global training solution provider for both governmental and corporate clients located around the world.
It maintains representative offices in the Dominican Republic, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Denver and Florence, Colo.
“Mi2 is a company with vision,” Marion explained. “Mike (CEO Michael Padilla-Pagan) and his people are proactive because they know where this is headed.”
According to Padilla-Pagan, when he saw the hyper-sub in action last year during testing at Kingsley Lake, he saw the future of underwater security.
“My first comment was that I need this technology to support our customers needs, as well as future needs in this changing global security climate,” Padilla-Pagan said. “The sub will fit our services and capabilities that we provide on a global scale. We are looking forward to working with Marion and his team to really define the sub’s capabilities.”
Padilla-Pagan said that among other tasks, the hyper-sub will be ideal for oil platform security, disaster response and maritime security and rescue.
“Our view is that the hyper-sub is a pioneering submarine company whose vision is to make the underwater world accessible to everyone.
“Our company looks for the most technologically advanced solutions on the planet,” Padilla-Pagan explained. “We want to help our customers to feel safe and we achieve this by amalgamating cutting edge performance and technological advances with pioneering creativity of our partners, like Marion Hyper-Sub.”
Marion said that the plans to go ahead with the manufacture of production models does not mean that the U.S. military has lost interest.
“Let’s just say there is ongoing interest, but right now our quickest successful path is to pursue commercial interests,” Marion explained.
“If they get involved with us now they would be funding us and that may interfere with our intellectual property rights, even though the military is showing an ongoing interest, it’s better for us to develop an off-the-shelf boat now and then go back to the military for what they may need.”
As interest in the hyper-sub increases, Marion foresees setting up a stock exchange to allow shareholders to sell some of his or her stock purchased over the past several years.
“As we achieve our goals the value of the stock will continue to grow. That gives our partners the ability to use their shares to benefit them and get some of the equity out of the company,” Marion said.
In spite of the culmination of his life-long dream of creating a submarine that no one thought could be built, Marion said that he still isn’t ready to celebrate just yet.
“There’s still too many things that I can screw up.
“I haven’t had that big ‘Wow’ euphoric moment because there is too much work ahead, and I always wanted to create an international company too, so I am halfway and now is not the time for letting up.
“All the elements that we need for this thing to take off seem to be lining up for us,” Marion said.
Now that Lake City resident Reynolds Marion has achieved his life-long dream of designing and building a successful prototype of his combination submarine and surface-cruising powerboat, his focus has shifted to more practical manufacturing concerns.
“We’ve received a lot of inquiries about ordering a boat, but we still have to make it through a critical challenge: we must prove that we can actually build and deliver a production model,” Marion explained, from the Hyper Sub’s base of operations in Lake Butler.
Marion estimates the research and development costs to begin manufacture and delivery of a production boat may easily approach $3 to $5 million.
“We’ve entered into negotiations with a top-tier engineering and design firm,” Marion said. “Through those negotiations, we may see that cost covered.”
Once the Marion Hyper-Submersible Powerboat Design LLC clears that hurdle, which he believes may happen as early as mid-March, the effort will be fully-funded to manufacture and deliver production models of the hyper-sub.
It has taken Marion and his team about five years and two “grueling” months of successful in-water tests, that included 21 successful submersions of Marion’s prototype, the Fathom, to reach the production stage.
“We’re not taking our eye off the ball,” Marion said. “We completed a punishing five-year build and the team is starting to recover and refresh themselves to reach our next goals.”
The Fathom is now back in Marion’s garage being fitted with a re-engineered bow.
“This modification should be completed in March and additional dives will be made to ensure that the modifications do not impact submerged performance,” Marion said.
“All the math indicates that this boat is capable of a surface speed of 30-40 knots,” Marion said. “We can unofficially set several world records with this boat once we get it back in the water, sometime in March.”
From there, the sub will be brought back to the garage for its final painting and installation of its new interior.
“When this last phase is completed, a date and location will be selected for a public debut of the finished submarine,” Marion said.
Marion said that if the team can get the research and development costs of manufacturing taken care of and get the surface speed up to specifications, they will be in a position to launch the hyper-sub’s international debut.
In January, Marion received a letter of intent from Mi2 International to purchase the first four production models of the hyper-sub. Mi2 is an international special operations group and global training solution provider for both governmental and corporate clients located around the world.
It maintains representative offices in the Dominican Republic, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Denver and Florence, Colo.
“Mi2 is a company with vision,” Marion explained. “Mike (CEO Michael Padilla-Pagan) and his people are proactive because they know where this is headed.”
According to Padilla-Pagan, when he saw the hyper-sub in action last year during testing at Kingsley Lake, he saw the future of underwater security.
“My first comment was that I need this technology to support our customers needs, as well as future needs in this changing global security climate,” Padilla-Pagan said. “The sub will fit our services and capabilities that we provide on a global scale. We are looking forward to working with Marion and his team to really define the sub’s capabilities.”
Padilla-Pagan said that among other tasks, the hyper-sub will be ideal for oil platform security, disaster response and maritime security and rescue.
“Our view is that the hyper-sub is a pioneering submarine company whose vision is to make the underwater world accessible to everyone.
“Our company looks for the most technologically advanced solutions on the planet,” Padilla-Pagan explained. “We want to help our customers to feel safe and we achieve this by amalgamating cutting edge performance and technological advances with pioneering creativity of our partners, like Marion Hyper-Sub.”
Marion said that the plans to go ahead with the manufacture of production models does not mean that the U.S. military has lost interest.
“Let’s just say there is ongoing interest, but right now our quickest successful path is to pursue commercial interests,” Marion explained.
“If they get involved with us now they would be funding us and that may interfere with our intellectual property rights, even though the military is showing an ongoing interest, it’s better for us to develop an off-the-shelf boat now and then go back to the military for what they may need.”
As interest in the hyper-sub increases, Marion foresees setting up a stock exchange to allow shareholders to sell some of his or her stock purchased over the past several years.
“As we achieve our goals the value of the stock will continue to grow. That gives our partners the ability to use their shares to benefit them and get some of the equity out of the company,” Marion said.
In spite of the culmination of his life-long dream of creating a submarine that no one thought could be built, Marion said that he still isn’t ready to celebrate just yet.
“There’s still too many things that I can screw up.
“I haven’t had that big ‘Wow’ euphoric moment because there is too much work ahead, and I always wanted to create an international company too, so I am halfway and now is not the time for letting up.
“All the elements that we need for this thing to take off seem to be lining up for us,” Marion said.
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