Explore the work

Projects

Projects follow specific things built, developed, tested, modified, repaired, or undertaken.

Project

CCS Expedition

A six-week research expedition aboard Seeker, including ocean research, weather delays, passage planning, and the schedule conflict that ultimately ended the expedition.

3 related videos · 4 evidence records

Research tool

NURD

Developing the Nanoplastics Underwater Retrieval Device, from early ideas through underwater testing and its use collecting suspended nanoplastics for research.

Failed / abandoned after surface trials

Submarine Seeker

Doug’s first submarine project: an ambitious experimental submarine that progressed through design and surface trials before being abandoned, leaving lessons that influenced later projects.

Project

Origami Construction

Building steel boats by cutting, folding, and welding large plates into hull shapes, from models and structural design through Seeker’s origami hull construction.

19 related videos · 20 evidence records

Project

Argonaut Jr. is a real wooden ambient-pressure submarine inspired by Simon Lake’s design. Its hull, ballast, drop weights, controls, tests, dives, leaks, and lessons are documented as an experimental craft—not a certified deep-diving pressure hull.

40 related videos · 40 evidence records

Project

Nanoplastics Expedition

Seeker’s nanoplastics research expeditions with Sail and Explore, using proven methods and developing new ones, along with the equipment for collecting and studying microscopic plastics in the ocean.

18 related videos · 19 evidence records

Project

Ballast

15 tons of melted down wheel weights become Seeker’s ballast. We collect, process, and finally pour molten lead into Seeker's twin keels.

21 related videos · 22 evidence records

Project

Underwater Voice Communication

Building Seeker’s experimental underwater voice-communication system, using an acoustic transducer as both speaker and microphone with transmit/receive switching and a VHF radio. The fabrication, electronics, testing, intelligibility, and practical limits are documented; it is not life-safety dive-communication equipment.

14 related videos · 16 evidence records

Operational / evolving

Anchoring & Ground Tackle

Seeker’s complete anchoring and ground-tackle system, including anchors, chain, rollers, handling gear, anchoring techniques, real-world tests, repairs, upgrades, and lessons learned.

14 related videos · 15 evidence records

Project

Hydraulics

Building and evolving Seeker's muscle for raising anchors, sails, and boats, running pumps, lifting cargo, and steering her with the autopilot.

76 related videos · 77 evidence records

Project

Helm & Rudder

Seeker’s steering system, from rudder construction and helm controls to hydraulic steering, our autopilot "Bob", repairs, modifications, and lessons learned underway.

0 related videos · 0 evidence records

Active / evolving

Navigation & Electronics

The electronics used to navigate and operate Seeker, including radar, AIS, chartplotters, autopilot, communications, weather information, and passage-planning tools.

Project

Love Me Tender

Designing, building, testing, and improving Seeker’s diesel-powered jet tender, Love Me Tender.

35 related videos · 36 evidence records

Project

Propeller

How Seeker’s homemade bronze boat propeller was designed, patterned, molded, cast, repaired, machined, balanced, and tested—including the failed pours and the changes that produced a working propeller.

40 related videos · 43 evidence records

Active / evolving

Electrical System

Seeker’s electrical system from wiring and distribution to batteries, charging, solar power, inverters, monitoring, troubleshooting, and upgrades.

6 related videos · 410 evidence records

Project

Watermaker

Building and operating Seeker’s DIY marine reverse-osmosis watermaker, including feed filtration, the high-pressure pump, membrane housings, series-versus-parallel plumbing, individual membrane sampling, flushing, pickling, water-quality testing, and troubleshooting.

10 related videos · 11 evidence records

Project

Drive Train

The complete propulsion journey from the Cummins diesel and Allison transmission through transfer cases, the Hundested variable-pitch system, shaft, and propeller.

85 related videos · 85 evidence records

Active / evolving

Junk Rig

Building and developing Seeker’s three-masted junk rig, including masts, sails, battens, yards, rigging, reefing, sail handling, and lessons learned at sea.

Project

Anchor Winch Rebuild

Rebuilding Seeker’s anchor winch from a large truck winch, including the gearbox, structure, band brake, clutch, repeated capstan-casting failures, successful castings, hydraulic drive, chain coupling, operation, and field repairs.

12 related videos · 13 evidence records

Completed capability / recurring use

Foundry & Casting

Casting parts for Seeker and other projects, including furnaces, burners, patterns, molds, aluminum and bronze casting, lost-foam and lost-wax work, machining, and lessons from failed castings.

Project

ROV - Underwater Drone

Building and developing remotely operated underwater vehicles, from early simple ROV experiments to Seeker’s larger underwater drone, including cameras, thrusters, controls, and tether systems. And next: programming and testing.

58 related videos · 59 evidence records

Project

Fabrication & Tools

The fabrication tools and skills used to build Seeker and other projects, including welding, machining, CNC milling and routing, plasma cutting, lathe work, grinding, 3D printing, CAD/CAM, and shop-built tooling.

Project

Hundested

How Seeker’s Hundested VP3 variable-pitch propeller system works, including controller teardown, distributor-ring casting, machining, assembly, installation, pitch-lock behavior, testing, repairs, and troubleshooting lessons.

15 related videos · 16 evidence records

Completed / maintained

Hull Construction

Building Seeker’s steel hull and structure, including framing, plating, welding, bulkheads, tanks, decks, and the many systems incorporated into the hull.

What Did You Make Today?

See all projects →