Go Deep! Teen Submerges Homemade Submarine In NJ Lake
HOPATCONG, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Justin Beckerman has been building things since he was 2 years old, but his most recent invention may be his most impressive piece of work.
At the young age of 18, Beckerman has built a homemade submarine, complete with a vast array of gadgets, including a trio of ballast tanks that hold water.
"Without the tanks it would sink, but with the tanks, filling it with air, it makes the submarine lighter in the water, pushing it to the surface," Beckerman told CBS 2's Christine Sloan on Friday.
It took Beckerman six months to build the 9-foot-long submarine, and CBS 2 was on hand as he took it for a test run. Submerging the sub was a moment of glory that Beckerman said he had been working towards his entire life.
"The first submarine I tried to make that I could go in acted as a boat, I made that when I was 7 or 8," he said.
The submarine is far from his first invention. He was still in diapers when he was crafting string sculptures, and built his own blender a few years later. Beckerman said he has always been mechanically inclined, one of his first words was garage door.
"His first words believe it or not 'garage door' and 'flags,'" his father Ken told CBS 2.
Justin said he gets sense of fulfillment out of his inventions and is looking to build bigger and better things.
"All I want to do is have fun with what I can build, basically each experiment is a challenge," he said. "After this I might move on to the next thing, like an airplane, who knows."
When the lake water rises to its full depth Justin plans on taking his homemade sub as deep as 30 feet.
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