What’s the most elaborate display of wealth you can imagine? A massive yacht that’s more like a luxury floating hotel? That would have been our answer too, until we laid eyes on the latest concept from submarine builder U-Boat Worx. The company wants to give the obscenely wealthy the best of both worlds with a luxury superyacht that can also dive to depths of 198.12 m.
When it comes to vehicles that don’t primarily use wheels, submarines have always felt more or less unattainable, even to the super wealthy. Buying a private plane is easy if you’ve got the funds, but submarines seem relegated to researchers and the militaries of the world. U-Boat Worx wants to change that. Back in April, the company revealed the Nexus, a nine passenger submarine with a bulbous “transparent elliptical pressure hull” providing unobstructed views under water. In May, the company followed that up with its Under Water Entertainment Platform, or UWEP: an underwater banquet hall that can take up to 120 passengers to depths of 198.12 m.
U-Boat Worx’s latest idea, revealed at the recent Monaco Yacht Show, is its largest and most ambitious watercraft yet. The 37.49 m long Nautilus is first and foremost a luxury superyacht, with amenities that include four state rooms for guests plus a main suite for whoever’s footing the bill, a dining and lounge area set below the water line with large viewing windows, quarters for up to six crew members, and a full galley.
The Nautilus also boasts an expansive sundeck with a freshwater pool, a bar, and an additional outdoor dining area. But all of that can be retracted and sealed away, because this superyacht can also dive to depths of 198.12 m for up to four entire days. Its cruising speed drops from nine knots on the surface to four knots when fully submerged, but for those who can’t endure a storm or choppy waters, the Nautilus can simply dip below unpleasant weather and either ride out a storm or navigate to calmer waters. That alone might be its biggest selling point.
Other features that help justify the Nautilus’ starting price of $US25 ($35) million and the 30 month wait for it to be built and delivered include an all-electric tender boat that can be used for day trips or delivering scuba divers to dive spots (because it also doubles as a submersible). The yacht’s also got a diesel-electric power system that provides a range of 3,200 nautical miles, which is just shy of the maximum width of the Atlantic Ocean.