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I ran across this 1963 PSub in the local (Minneapolis) area. The guy who's using it for a lawn ornament now is a friend of the builder. It has been sitting, unused, outside for about 30 years now. It's an ambient, dry boat with bow and stern ballast tanks and tank racks on the outside for blowing ballast. Breathing and equalizing air was sent down an air line from the boat that towed it (it has no propulsion of it's own) and a line for the phone runs through the airline. According to the current owner, it was tested to about 70 ft, unmanned, and the builder usually only went to about 30 ft or so while he was in it. It was used in the local lakes and even in Lake Superior. The fabrication and welding is really rough but it appears solid enough. It is self trailering, with a removable tow bar and the wheel hubs are inserted in a fixed tube welded to the hull and can be removed after the boat is in the water by removing one bolt on each side. The flood/airbleed port for the hull is in the bottom and the vents for the ballast tanks are at the top of the conning tower. The view ports in the conning tower are just approx. 3/8" plex. bolted over cut openings. The bowplanes and top/front rudder are manual with control shafts through the hull. The stern planes are fixed. The small tank attached to the bottom is filled with lead ballast, there used to be one under the front of the hull as well; there is no provision for dropping them. The hatch is rusted shut and the owner doesn't really want to open it and have kids inside.
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