How I Built A Homemade Submarine

Learn how Steve built a fully functional homemade submarine and the work that went into making it possible. We will be releasing more exciting videos showing the submarine in action at deeper depths!
See Andy's Sub, which created the inspiration to build my own: • Used Propane Tank Beco...

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

NOTE: The Vice Grips you saw, were used because that footage is of our unmanned dive trial. It's designed to be sealed from the inside. SUBSCRIBE to see our DIVES this Summer! 🤿& Other Awesome Videos as well, such as: 👉 Our Live Stream Q&A after 8M Views and 6K comments. It's 40mins, but I cover a lot of questions: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6HLmn-LaKqFj80 👉 The 911 Call On My Submarine (Based On The True Story): kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYqadISleKeSea8 👉 How A Scale Model Became A Real Submarine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3PaZH6Noc-hl7M 👉 I Put A Periscope On My Submarine!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKvbo5WVmt6Sh6s

[@TrueHelpTV]

Imagine you're fishing and this starts to drag you around and pop out of the water...

[@raymond3478]

I hope it was designed with Playstation controllers

[@znail4675]

I got an idea for an improvement! Add more viewports so that you get a panoramic view around.

[@shexdensmore]

Wouldn't the vice grips potentially cause uneven pressure and wear?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Vice Grips were only used during the first unmanned dive trial, which is that footage. As it's designed to be sealed from the inside. They're only essential in the first couple feet underwater actually. The water pressure makes the pressure even throughout and acts as its own clamp.@@shexdensmore

[@ammarubinmusthofa566]

Please don't go exploring the Titanic with this

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

A very sad story with Titan. I had friends with people they knew on it. It's construction was flawed from the beginning. That aside, this will never see depths deeper than what average scuba divers go.

[@justalexgaming2232]

oh so u got jokes now 😂😂

[@The_mctwisted_gamer]

Yea @ammarubinmusthofa566 is right we do not need a another tighten on our hands Edit. All jokes aside he’s crazy but I don’t think he’s that crazy

[@Scxjunkie]

I’ve gotta say, this is probably a better design with some added braces

[@oddish3022]

The average submarine doesn’t go that in depth into the ocean

[@speleotrog]

Ex Navy R&D structural engineer here. Recommendation for future such design efforts: ALWAYS round the corners of all openings in hull (or even aircraft) structures. Stress concentration is the concern. Theoretically, unrounded (squared-off) corners cause INFINTE stress concentration (think infinitely-high stress) ... practically, of course, imperfections, strain effects, and whatever, limit this to just much higher unknown stresses. Deep-cycle fatigue is the concern here ... if the stresses are really high, it doesn't take that many dive cycles to cause cracking problems. So, it works OK for a while, but then it cracks. Submersibles (obviously) can be catastrophically affected by this sort of thing. Inserted windows should also have rounded corners - weird things can happen at those square window corners. Round openings and inserts (windows) are best and that's why they are typically used.

[@eternity303.]

Dang gonna comment to make sure this is seen

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

I've addressed this in my Q&A video in much more detail, but in short, the design has been assesed by an engineering company and due to it's shallow depth use, is deemed safe. The square viewports were chosen on purpose with these concerns already in mind.

[@speleotrog]

I guess I should have said "retired"!@@Junkitup

[@Za7a7aZ]

Square windows was proven to be the design flaw of an early passenger airplane ✈️..it took em a long time to figure out why these planes were going down.

[@bennybongosbigolebonanza894]

Yeah like the Titan bro.

[@user-kn6sz8ji1j]

As a former US Navy Submariner that served aboard a Los Angeles Class nuclear powered attack submarine, I applaud the enthusiasm & effort. Even so, submarines provide plenty of opportunity to get injured or killed. Flooding, fire, loss of propulsion & depth control, collision with undersea mounts and vessels, and in the case of the US Navy submarines nuclear radiation, are just a few of the hazards. Familiarity, safety & the combatting of casualties were heavily stressed during Submarine School in New London, Connecticut. I highly recommend that you request and go on a tour of the Navy's Submarine School. Perhaps you'll be able to sit in on a class. Each student in my class did a free ascent with a Stenke Hood (a hooded air pocket that enveloped our head and shoulders) from a chamber as if exiting a sunken submarine. While it was done at a depth of about 80 feet, we were told that the max-depth of such an ascent was 300 feet. I reiterate, the dangers are very real...I was onboard during a collision, a fire, mechanical failure, and more. No submariner wants to see a fellow submariner get injured, or worse killed! Please be safe and NEVER cross that line. In closing, have you ever considered transitioning to model railroading? God Bless.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks for the comment and service. I have a few navy friends, and the stories are always interesting. Safety is always #1. The Stenke Hood free ascent sounds interesting. As a PADI diver, Dry Suit Certified with self reliant training I can imagine it would be an experience. A just did a live Q&A video going into more depth on many aspects including safety. Cheers. P.s. No lol, no model railroading.

[@SVSeeker]

Congratulations! It's great to see it in the water. A solid reward for the hundreds of hours of planning and building.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks Doug!

[@Phil_Petty]

I served most of my career as a sonar operator and technician. My submarining career culminated as Chief of the Boat (COB) on the nuclear powered attack submarine USS Groton (SSN 694).

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

That is amazing. If you want to, email us. We could see about sharing your stories, experiences and have a video chat on KZbin. That is, If you want to. [e-mail]

[@MandenTV]

This is honestly such an interesting story, bro. I love watching people do cool things that they genuinely enjoy.

[@techienate]

Unbelievable, that's the coolest diy project I've ever seen! And if you ever want to live in luxury in Brazil, you could probably make and sell these things for a million dollars a pop down there, lol

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! lol, yeah I'd never do that. I'm doing well with my business off YT and enjoy KZbin a lot. I plan to grow our channel here much bigger! Do a lot of fun dive videos and other wild adventures.

[@LRTrack]

Captain Nemo approves. 👍

[@robertschultz6922]

@@PlanesBoatsandSubmarinesdepends on how much powder he can fit in the sun… never mind 😅😂😅

[@sonoftheemperor5685]

ive always wanted to have my own mini sub with a small cabin in it so i can live on the water. i only wanted to build it to go 10ft down and have a oxygen snorkel that poked out the water. glad someone is living the sub dream

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks for the comment! I'm just letting you know I read all the comments, so thanks for helping us out as it tells KZbin to share our videos with more people. Since you found us on shorts feed, I wanted to let you know, we have a lot of long-form videos that you probably won't see in your feed. In those videos I go into a lot more depth on the submarine itself. It will help our new channel grow an audience, so thanks if you decide to check them out!

[@rpbajb]

I love the vicegrips on the conning tower hatch.

[@vancovio]

Jesus is holding it for him

[@HonRevPTB]

Yeah what the hell actually is that!?!?!? I couldn't believe that when I saw that!!!!!!! What the hell would you do if you needed to get out of that thing!?!?!? I hope you keep a scuba rig in there with you and have a way of Poppin off those vice grips!!!!!!!

[@Mastezz]

@@HonRevPTBIt’s not permanent, he only used them because it was an unmanned test with no one to seal it from the inside

[@HonRevPTB]

@@Mastezz Oh shit ok, I thought he was testing it out for the first time and was insane!!!!!!! Good to know, thanks!

[@CopiousJohn]

@@Mastezz Thanks. I hadn't thought of that. I was thinking "What? He doesn't have any duct tape?"

[@STRA1GHTAHEAD]

Steve: does a 5x overhead on the view ports for his leasure lake sub. Titan people: nah, 5-10% is fine.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

😂

[@richardkudrna7503]

The horror of the mistakes made on that Titan!! One was ignoring the huge difference between the bulk modulus of the composite and metal joins. But I think I read what killed them was just pinhole leaks.

[@unit4735]

This has always been a dream of mine and I’m so glad to have found this channel especially with a nick offerman type narration great video will definitely be bing watching this series

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Hope to see you around during the summer when we do a lot of fun dive videos too.

[@kyleo1236]

I love the vise grips holding the hatch closed. I'm guessing you can only properly seal the hatch from inside so the vise grips are just for non maned testing.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Correct!

[@taurbaby]

I remember being a little kid and begging my dad to order the mini submarine kit that was advertised in the back of the comic books in the early 1970s.

[@valzzu]

thats cool. also its nice that u can control its elevation from outside :)

[@AWBuilder]

Amazing project. Hopefully the underwater view in the lake is interesting. Also, I suspect that you would need a warning beacon for boats floating above your dive area.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

The sub has a buoy tethered to it. Thanks!

[@Bbffhx]

I didn’t have the skill to build a tower so we would enter it from below, but we did have a waterproof hatch in case we flipped. I’m so excited to watch all your videos.

[@TheBerendir]

How have you not got more Subscribers? Really fascinating stuff.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks!

[@Crackrocksteady]

He said personal submersible is a niche market that might be why

[@Bbffhx]

I hope you’re charging people to go diving, and I am still fascinated by your safety procedures, and how deep will actually dive. I noticed when you lived at the door it looks very very professionally made. What a great job.

[@robertwakelin8717]

That is truly awesome!!! Good luck with all your adventures!

[@geoffreyclaunch2449]

Legitimately one of the coolest, and most inspiring, things I've seen on KZbin in a long time.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks A Lot, I hope to see you again in our future videos. Will be posting a lot of dive videos this late spring and summer!

[@colonelbeanbagsfishing1488]

Awesome work man!! Love to see more of this submarine in use and your other projects.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! We plan to do a lot of dive videos during the summer. Other videos coming soon as well. Cheers

[@oliver9089]

Right on! Thats an awesome project, so happy to see it working out successfully. Keep it up!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Cheers

[@KMS_Bismarck_Ironblood]

I would love to see you build a scale model mini battleship, loved the content keep it up!!

[@Why_you.reading_my_name]

I thought the thumbnail was clickbait but it wasn't, Nice, keep it up 👍😃👍

[@MatteBlackSilhouette]

Man I'll never do anything this cool.

[@aqualife1019]

This has to be the coolest thing ever!!!!!

[@KSindustries-cw1tp]

This is actually amazing

[@CTSpeed413]

You are living one of my dreams!!! I am NOT a bot. 😂

[@Short_Round1999]

I wanna make one too. I know it’s a lot of work, but I think it’d be so cool to have one

[@larryward1082]

I'm 73 years old and I built underwater propulsion vehicles for one person well have been a few that could pull two people and explore the bottom of a lot of lakes and they've always worked very well took me a bunch of trial and error before I got them to where they actually worked really well and could be recharged and headlights on them gauges everything instruments all worked very well, this is in my I'm a PADI dive a PADI dive Master and I've been having a lot of lakes and the Red Sea for many years anyway it's been fun I don't do much of it anymore though I have planned to chop a hole in 4 inches of ice and do that sometime dive the kelp beds in California anyway take care of you did a really good job and I know what it takes to build something that works underwater

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thank You! I understand most of what you said, was this translated? Thanks again.

[@Mohamed_amin120]

I hope it works bro, looks and sounds cool.

[@jbucci2009]

I quickly scanned the video and never saw an entrepreneur "in" you. 😂

[@zachredick4408]

This is amazing! The vice grips are funny but most subs seal from inside! Definitely gonna look at mor longform videos. A new sub from me!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Yes because it was footage from our unmanned dive. Cheers!

[@Max-ts1jx]

I don't know how this doesn't already have 1 million views or at least a few hundred thousand because this is SICKK!!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Hopefully the more people share it can happen!

[@grugbug4313]

Solid! Top KEK! Peace be with you.

[@aaronha994]

Very cool, hey, id love a submarine/sailboat.

[@jamesdewald2639]

An amazing display of ingenuity, perseverance and passion ! Thank you !! 🙏

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Well thank you!

[@ShinyTechThings]

Very interesting

[@keithrock939]

Have a good trip and a safe journey God bless

[@danadams8718]

Excellent!!

[@steffanjansenvanvuuren3257]

I served on a Daphne class submarine, and it had trim tanks and regulating tanks. Trim tanks forward and aft for pumping water forward or aft in order to trim the submarine level. Regulating tanks for buoyancy control.

[@sackboi1]

Amazing!

[@kimpeater1]

Impressive! Great job!!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@A_Multi_Game_Gamer]

bros a legend that will never die

[@sannyassi73]

Impressive work! Now, for a slightly higher resolution camera for your interview recordings :P

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

lol, thanks. Yes, well the camera was actually just out of focus. Not a mistake to be repeated again!

[@Hughisme00]

Seeing the scene of the sub going under reminded me of an old ww2 sub movie i watched called U-571

[@user-bh7cs4dp2r]

Uber cool dude !!!

[@exterminater267]

The clamps at 11:40 are really assuring lol

[@RideRevival]

Had to do some google mapping and check once you mentioned you were in upstate NY. You're 2.5 hours south of me and now I'm hoping you'll invite a stranger over to check this thing out. Once I finish rebuilding my 1970 Stardust Cruiser 40 I plan on selling it and a sub has to be about the best idea for a next project.

[@adventurersclub1]

this is great

[@gorillagoldhunters]

Beautiful buddy!!!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@freetheoffended2910]

🎉🎉this is wild!! Thank you

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! A lot of dive videos coming this summer I promise.

[@MarkSDCA]

I worked for a company started by a man who built a personal submarine out of plywood rings. He cut the rings different diameters then glued them together. Probably fiberglassed it and built instrumentation for it. That started the company, we built pingers, communication and relocation devices for companies and military organizations around the world. That occured in the 1970s.

[@beepbop6697]

Amazing that the original sub builders were able to do this in the 1800's (civil war subs).

[@YouTubeMushyPeas]

Sounds like he put more thought into this than certain deeep deep subs

[@GCharlesLangisChip]

Does it use a “fish finder” for radar / sonar ? This is so cool 😎

[@iamAwesomo1994]

Vice grips are really confidence inspiring 😂

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

That footage was of our unmanned dive trial. It's designed to be sealed from the inside. Which is why vice grips were used.

[@Bbffhx]

I built a submarine in 1980 I was about four months from graduating from high school built it out to be 1000 gallon oil tank and we got as far as going out into the water. Our very first dive was 60 feet but we also went where you couldn’t go any deeper than 60 feet. I’m curious I hope there’s a plan or something I can see. I might be getting back in the submarine circle soon again great video.

[@kurtsmith6850]

Love the Vice grips 😭

[@kristophergreen1903]

I thought it was funny too until I realized the vice grips were only for the unmanned submersion trial. It’s designed to seal from the inside, but he can’t if no one is inside. 👍🏻

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Correct lol

[@lcprivatepilot1969]

Epic!

[@tellusorbit]

Steve, you are a twenty-first century Captain Nemo! Jules Verne would be proud of you. Congratulations!!

[@jeffcole1914]

Yeppppp saw my first one in the back of a comic book in the 70s lol it was a dream then but I am over it lol

[@will5989]

Awesome

[@Tracypainter63]

You should build two more, one Gato type replica, and another type VII Uboat.

[@haloblokbuster7991]

I feel like this is click baiting because it been years now and we still haven’t seen you in it while driving.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

For starters, in the last couple videos I said we are releasing dive videos this summer. Actually in a couple weeks, and years? We just started KZbin last year LOL

[@Bbffhx]

You gotta put some running lights on it

[@mysticvalley2003]

As a boater, what do you do to ensure boats know you are in the water for visibility and when surfacing? Also being in new York what lake do you go on?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

There is a yellow identifier barrel tethered to the sub to notify boaters which says submarine underwater. We do a couple lakes in the region. I won't specify the primary lake, as we don't want to draw stalkers looking for the submarine.

[@JohnPaul-yh8ld]

If you keep making youtube shorts to attract people to your full length videos. I Honestly think you'll hit atleast 50,000 subscribers by the end of the year. I could never be an engineer too much math and planning.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Well the plan is to also make much better and entertaining full length videos. Cheers!

[@MultiFan30]

We making it into world of warships with this one boys

[@bronzesnake7004]

How many torpedo tubes and what calibre is your deck gun? What a cool craft!! Jack ~'()'~

[@gerrymcguire7521]

Would be nice in the Caribbean! Probably better than a weedy fresh water lake ! Creeds to you!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

True! Thanks

[@strangeandwonderful247]

Amazing, sir. I went the other direction. I had to build a self built, DIY, all self designed and self resourced helicopter. Maybe I will fly over your sub some day, my friend. CYA in the wild.

[@kmoecub]

Is the only way to control the dive bladders by using a diver to open and close the valves?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

No, the feature outside is just for rescue divers. This was an unmanned dive trial from 2022.

[@maddogmaz1576]

How do you register it? as a boat or sub

[@MercuryGhost240]

Great

[@OliverCromwell1640]

Pretty deadly something I always wanted yo build

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

The illusion is that its deadly but with the amount of redundant safety systems and onboard scuba its very safe, but yes it certainly epic to be in it. Good luck

[@davidmiller6076]

Hey, I’d really like to talk to You 😅 Great 👍🏼 Job!

[@cartern4227]

The inside is sick

[@johngudmundson5020]

Thats one grassy pond!

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Yessir

[@kimrandall5208]

You should take this to Lake Tahoe 😮

[@gtd360]

Tahoe is way too deep

[@alexlabs4858]

Great vid! Except his arm is in focus and not his face but that’s pretty minor. This is sweet. Must’ve been a ton of work.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks! Yeah, things we wish we could change but it's one of our first videos.

[@Ki04630]

I’d like to go for a ride

[@andrewnilsen986]

This gives me ocean gate vibes😂

[@DownsouthMan]

The cartel is gonna love you. You could become rich and famous.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

I'll stick to KZbin and do the same thing, lol (As a freshwater only, slow moving sub - it would be the worst sub)

[@johnboyninteen65]

paint it yellow. then play the song by the beattles when you are out

[@Mohamed_amin120]

lol

[@zachbrenner9959]

Now I want to build one

[@zachbrenner9959]

Whats could be harder? Home built experimental aircraft or diy submarine?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Submarine is harder for sure, speaking as a pilot myself.

[@zjerge6499]

How many KGs can you get in there?

[@hooling5284]

This is the Definition of thinking of doing some crazy shit then doing said crazy shit

[@AndecIunson]

Why does subs vent air to submerge? wouldnt it be smarter to pump in water in the ballast tanks with higher pressure and use the built up airpressure as a emergencymeasure if power was lost of something? just have a manual valve that opens up to let the water out?

[@daviddean9633]

Where those vicegrips I saw on the hatch?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

unmanned dive trial footage. Designed to only be sealed from the inside.

[@JustCallMe3d]

I thought Iberê from Manual do Mundo (a Brazilian science channel) was the only crazy enough to make a homemade submarine

[@monstekille3784]

What kind of controller do you use

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

It's an analog joystick. Most reliable, lol

[@richardkudrna7503]

After reading stories about mini subs getting struck in the mud due suction, I wonder if bumpers or even compressed air lines are an idea so that if pressed into muck you can break the vacuum?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

We've tested it in mud, very thick with no problem. 1,200lb of bouyancy is generated from the ballast when full. (Although I still like to avoid it to be on the safe side) Thanks for the comment.

[@richardkudrna7503]

@@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines Long ago I read about a tourist type mini sub and he got stuck so he pumped out ballast water and attained his max buoyancy but then had an uncontrolled ascent. Once we tried to float a small boat that had been sunk and we added lift bags but no way, it wouldn’t budge. It seems muck can really suck.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Yeah it can be bad depending on the muck. Whenever I plan on sitting on bottom, I do it in areas I'm familiar with but majority of the time I don't. Cheers

[@anthonyfloresca5243]

Are you familiar with the TV show bottom of the sea which featured a flying stingray sub , do you think it's possible to build such a submarine in the shape of a stingray not to fly but to scim in the waters , I'm sure the whole world would be following your build .

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

You could if it was an ambient sub design - Thanks for the comment! I'm just letting you know I read all the comments, so thanks for helping us out as it tells KZbin to share our videos with more people. Since you found us on shorts feed, I wanted to let you know, we have a lot of long-form videos that you probably won't see in your feed. In those videos I go into a lot more depth on the submarine itself. It will help our new channel grow an audience, so thanks if you decide to check them out!

[@JonathanLangdale]

Lol @ the vice-grips.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

That footage was of our unmanned dive trial. It's designed to be sealed from the inside. Which is why vice grips were used.

[@user-xl1cl3ub1m]

I have a question. How exactly does the air supply work? If you released air to breathe into the cabin via oxygen tanks, then wouldn't the sub pop like an over-inflated balloon under the water? I'm actually really considering making my own submarine and wanted to know how you hit the 24-hour mark underwater. Also, how do you know at what time to release oxygen into the cabin without wasting your air supply? And btw THIS CRAFTSMANSHIP!!! This thing is awesome! Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you could answer my questions. Thank you.

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Thanks, good question. As the Co2 scrubber removes carbon dioxide, the cabin pressure drops as a result of that. If the oxygen is turned off, the cabin pressure gauge will turn negative. This actually happens pretty quickly. The o2 is released using a set flow rate. Typically only a couple liters per minute per person. This will be fine tuned along the way to maintain a neutral cabin pressure as the Co2 scrubber does its work. It takes a little finesse. If the cabin is slightly over pressure, It never gets that high +/- 1-2 psi. certainly won't cause an issue. Let the co2 scrubber catch up, or at the surface, you can vent the air out slowly before opening the hatch if a quick exit is required and you found yourself slightly over pressure. (otherwise your ears will hurt from the instant pressure change of even 1-2psi)

[@jimblake6150]

Titan could have used some vice grips to hold the doors shut

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

The vice grips are only used for unmanned testing - as it's designed to be sealed from the inside only.

[@John-ec1iu]

how much would you charge for a ride I've always wanted to be in a submarine

[@Yourcat10]

Does it propel on underwater?

[@PlanesBoatsandSubmarines]

Yessir