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The Bogus Batoid Submarine is Wooden, not Yellow (Video)

This is a "wet" submarine. It doesn't try to keep water out. You wear SCUBA gear while pedaling it. And yes, it is powered by a person pushing pedals. That motion, through a drive train, makes manta-style wings flap. This explains the name, since rays are Batoids, and this sub is a fake Batoid, not a real one. It's a beautiful piece of work, and Martin Plazyk is obviously proud to show it off. He and his father, Bruce, operate as Faux Fish Technologies. Follow that link and you'll see many photos, along with a nice selection of videos showing their creations not just in static above-water displays, but in their natural (underwater) element. Meanwhile, here on Slashdot, Martin tells how Faux Fish subs are made. (Alternate Video Link)

44 comments

  1. only read the title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    don't care

  2. I smell a fake by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    There's something fishy about those subs...

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
    1. Re:I smell a fake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, there IS! It seems to be based around my styrofoam batoid. Mine IS waterproof and is powered by flattus. You'll dive no further than is safe, guaranteed by engineering.
      The drawback seems to be the amount of cabbage one must consume to get under at all. The combustion chamber and jet drive work well, butt it still carries an unflattering noise, which will scare any fish off and occasionally the heat melts the batoid.
      (OW, seriously, this has me posting Anon Cow, but there is no box to uncheck and I am signed in. OMG, its a conspiracy to drive everyone to the beta site!)

  3. Um... okay...? by Morpeth · · Score: 1

    it's a fake real what? I care why?

    --

    'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
    1. Re:Um... okay...? by i+kan+reed · · Score: 2

      You care because that's how roblimo feeds his family. Video ads of products.

    2. Re:Um... okay...? by Morpeth · · Score: 2

      Part of the problem is the synopsis is so poorly written, I wasn't sure what I was reading about or why.

      --

      'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
    3. Re:Um... okay...? by Roblimo · · Score: 1

      i kan(t) read:

      You know very well that Tim hits various events and videotapes whomever or whatever he considers interesting. If we were paid for running "video ads," each one would be clearly marked "ad" or "sponsored content."

      Should we interview you? Know someone else we should interview? Email me with contact info. Maybe we will.

    4. Re:Um... okay...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, the guy is not selling. It's not a video ad, unless you count the improbable possibility of he selling an untested sub (I'm not saying it doesn't work). Also, I hope no dolphin gets angry at one of these. Dolphins can kill sharks by hitting them at high speed.

    5. Re:Um... okay...? by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      I just came here to figure out what the hell this story was about only to find everyone else is in the same boat (pun not intended)...

    6. Re:Um... okay...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Know someone else we should interview?

      James (Jim) Plamondon. He started a lot of this tech product evangelism stuff, and he's now based near me in Western Australia.

      I could even do the interview...

  4. Submersible or Submarine by Talderas · · Score: 1

    Assemble pedants! Which is it?

    --
    "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    1. Re:Submersible or Submarine by AK+Marc · · Score: 2

      Neither. It's a propulsion assist. Really huge and expensive flippers.

  5. Why not just swim? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With all the extra mass of the ship, is this really more efficient than just strapping on some flippers?

    1. Re:Why not just swim? by LesFerg · · Score: 1

      With all the extra mass of the ship, is this really more efficient than just strapping on some flippers?

      At this stage it just looks like a special-interest art project, or a sculpture you can sit in. Video of it being used in more than 1 metre of water would make this more interesting.

      --
      If I had a DeLorean... I would probably only drive it from time to time.
    2. Re:Why not just swim? by Chelloveck · · Score: 1

      That was my first thought, too. But remember, this is a Maker Faire. 90% of all projects shown off are special-interest art.

      --
      Chelloveck
      I give up on debugging. From now on, SIGSEGV is a feature.
    3. Re:Why not just swim? by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      With all the extra mass of the ship, is this really more efficient than just strapping on some flippers?

      At this stage it just looks like a special-interest art project, or a sculpture you can sit in. Video of it being used in more than 1 metre of water would make this more interesting.

      Wet subs aren't new, and they can be far more efficient because the shape can be much more hydrodynamic than the human body, thus eliminating excess energy expenditure. They can also be used to haul more tanks around, or rearrange your tank to be more streamlined.

      Wet subs ain't new, even human powered ones. They've come in all configurations as well - from ones where the diver is just sitting out to ones with canopies. Usually they're for really small torpedo subs, but there are wet subs used by the military that are meant to carry 3-4 SEALs.

    4. Re:Why not just swim? by dohzer · · Score: 1

      But just imagine all the extra compressed-air you'll burn through!
      Oh... wait.

  6. DIY submarine, you say? by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    There's easier ways to drown yourself.
    yeesh.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    1. Re:DIY submarine, you say? by TangoMargarine · · Score: 1

      Especially considering that it's in no way meant to be watertight and you're already wearing SCUBA gear, sounds accurate.

      --
      Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
  7. I reconsider my position by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    hey, that's actually a aesthetically pleasing deathtrap!

    But I still think this is more impressive.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  8. Any woodworkers around? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 1

    My experience with boat maintenance is (thankfully) limited; but I do know that wood tends to shrink and swell rather cheerfully as its moisture content changes, and that larger wooden vessels tend to suffer some 'play' from the hogging and sagging induced by wave action and any changes in relative buoyancy as cargo load changes from voyage to voyage, hence the fine naval tradition of oakum, tar, and endless manual labor lest you die a watery death.

    Thinking of that, the pictures of a whole bunch of curved ribs(in what look to be several varieties of wood) forming a cylinder/cone thing with loads of joints that is expected to be immersed during use, caused me to immediately start imagining assorted ominous creaking, stress fractures, and hull geometry issues that you'll have a heroic time hammering out.

    Is the coating adequate to prevent that sort of thing? Are they using some carpentry-fu of the same type that holds wooden barrels and wheels together? Will it in fact be a disaster in short order?

    1. Re:Any woodworkers around? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He says it's built using the same methods as building a canoe, so presumably it's ok. Besides, this thing is only likely to see small dips in the water and spend the vast majority of the time just being pretty on land...

    2. Re:Any woodworkers around? by swb · · Score: 1

      I see a lot of 50+ year old wooden runabouts getting used on the big lake near here. I think they require maintenance but have generally figured out how to build them.

    3. Re:Any woodworkers around? by viking099 · · Score: 1

      Many of the common woods used in boating are full of natural oils that prevent water from penetrating. Teak, cypress, and cedar are among those. I didn't RTFA (or would it be WTFV? whatever), so I don't know what they made theirs out of.

      Of course, the natural oils only act as an inhibitor, and if the wood spends any amount of time in the water, it'll still need maintenance. Clear finishes look pretty, but need loads more work than a good paint or epoxy coating.

    4. Re:Any woodworkers around? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I think you've really nailed it here. Wood is a poor choice for something like this, because a boat only has to be aggressively sealed in certain places, but this is exposed to water everywhere. The best choice I can think of is probably polycarbonate, which has the added advantage of additional resistance to sharkbite. Plus, you know, it's transparent. That would be seriously cool. You can sand and buff out the inevitable scratches. Barring that, I'd use sheet Aluminum. Heck, I probably have enough for the job right here, since it doesn't need to be any heavier-weight than necessary to prevent deformation.

      Now, if only I had some bending equipment, I could get some heavier sheet than what I've got (.025 6160, IIRC) and make some ribs. I suppose I'd also want a recumbent Aluminum bicycle to start with.

      Frankly though, I would just use a prop. Which would not be nearly as cool. So this is still cool :)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Any woodworkers around? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a wet sub, exact fit doesn't matter as long as the exterior can be kept smooth.

  9. Paint that wood yellow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If we're lucky a Slashdot editor's head will explode.

    If we're really lucky that explosion will be videoed and a Slashdot story posted.

    I doubt it would be duped, though.

  10. The Hunt for LOST October by turkeydance · · Score: 1

    let's all go to Sweden!

  11. News for nerds by Skarjak · · Score: 2

    Man, you people are so grumpy. How is that not awesome? And that's certainly more relevant to this site than the lines to buy ice at Burning Man...

    1. Re:News for nerds by m2shariy · · Score: 2

      It is just a decoration. It has no practical function. Trying to use it under water would be a major hurdle and likely very dangerous.

    2. Re:News for nerds by camperdave · · Score: 1

      It is just a decoration. It has no practical function. Trying to use it under water would be a major hurdle and likely very dangerous.

      You say that as if it's a bad thing.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  12. Hooray! by SeaFox · · Score: 2

    Instead of wearing myself out kicking my legs swimming and pushing myself through the water, I can now kick my legs peddling and wear myself out pushing myself and a humongous piece of wood through the water with me.

    1. Re:Hooray! by advocate_one · · Score: 1

      it's streamlined so there's a lot less drag...

      --
      Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
    2. Re:Hooray! by SeaFox · · Score: 1

      If you watch the video he gives the sub a top speed of two miles per hour, and equates it with a fast walk. I bet someone can swim faster than that on their own, and it would be a better (full body) workout, too. So it sounds like a lose-lose situation to take the sub.

  13. Batman and Robin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The partners made a "bat-oid" and the senior partner's name is "Wayne". That means their work shop is the bat-cave.

    1. Re:Batman and Robin by camperdave · · Score: 2

      The partners made a "bat-oid" and the senior partner's name is "Wayne". That means their work shop is the bat-cave.

      I suspect the designer's secret identity is Aquaman.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  14. Like Manta Rays by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You care because the thing supposedly moves like a manta ray, and the way manta rays move is one of the most beautiful things in the universe.

  15. Built-in SCUBA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the video, the guy says that the SCUBA is built-in and, I think, that you can carry extra tanks.

  16. Can't Resist by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 2

    This is a "wet" submarine. It doesn't try to keep water out.

    Yeah, that's as funny as a screen door on a submarine.

  17. that answers that... by ihtoit · · Score: 1

    ...I was wondering what the Swedish Navy were chasing. Russian submarine, my arse.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  18. It's not yellow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then where are we going to live?

  19. We all live in a Yellow Submarine by stinkyjak · · Score: 1

    A Yellow Submarine A Yellow Submarine

  20. This is confusing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can It go underwater?