Marine

Cayago Magnum: turning Navy Seals into dolphins?

Cayago Magnum: turning Navy Seals into dolphins?
The Cayago Magnum in a rare public appearance
The Cayago Magnum in a rare public appearance
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Seabob's underwater sleds
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Seabob's underwater sleds
The Cayago Magnum's dash
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The Cayago Magnum's dash
The Cayago Magnum in a rare public appearance
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The Cayago Magnum in a rare public appearance
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The Cayago Magnum
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The Cayago Magnum
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Seabob's controls
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The Seabob's removable accumulator cell
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The Seabob's removable accumulator cell
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October 10, 2007 The Seabob electric underwater propulsion device captured our imagination earlier in the year, acting like a 20kmh powered bodyboard and allowing users to dart along coral reefs and the ocean floor like they were born with fins. We’ve since discovered that the company has now produced a souped up version called the Cayago Magnum with 2½ times the available power or endurance. With the existing Seabob models already setting a pretty thrilling pace for leisure use, the high performance Magnum will be pitched as a military and special forces tool that will enable operatives to move exceptionally quickly from point to point, underwater and in total silence.

It’s hard to imagine the regular Seabob range not becoming a huge hit among coastal resort hire companies and superyacht owners – the device gives pilots a fairly unique ability to explore a tropical location from a dolphin’s eye view. Take a look at this video to get a sense of what an exciting ride the standard models will be. Leisure thrills aside though, it appears a Seabob on steroids could see service in military and special forces applications around the world.

The Cayago Magnum is mentioned almost as an aside on the Seabob website. But the small amount of information presented is telling – the 10-speed electric motor will be driven by a massive 30 1kg accumulator cells, towering over the 12 cells in the next highest model, the Cayago VX2. Like the CX2, you’ll be able to switch out the cells for freshly charged ones to extend usage life.

The VX2 averages about an hour’s usage time from its 12 cells – the Magnum is claimed to be good for up to four hours. The extra power could, of course, instead be pumped into the engine rather than simply used for extra endurance – and it’s easy to speculate that the Magnum could be tuned to reach as much as 30-35kmh underwater. That’s some serious speed; only pilots with strong forearms need apply.

The Magnum will also come with “a comprehensive navigation and location system,” making it appropriate for longer-range missions and helping central control keep tabs on the movements of their operatives.

While the Magnum has been displayed by the company at the Canes Salon Nautique, little was made of it, and Seabob are tight-lipped about the model’s future, saying it’s still under development but confirming that the company hopes the machine will crack the military market.

The company has just set up a new production facility with greatly expanded capacity. The Cayago Magnum may yet make it through to the consumer market – expect it to cost well over EUR 10,000 if it does. Prices are currently high on the whole Seabob range, making them a fairly exclusive experience, but it shouldn’t be too long before they come down under jet-ski prices, bringing this sensational toy into the consumer segment.

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