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NJ teen builds one-man submarine

NEW JERSEY (MYFOXNY.COM) - A New Jersey teenager has built his own personal submarine.

Justin Beckerman, a junior West Morris Mendham High School, loves the water and loves to build things. Now he is in the final phrase of building a one-person submarine that could dive to depths of 30 feet.

"I wanted to see what I could build and figure out how I could build it," Beckerman says.

He's spent six months building the submarine in his parents' basement. It cost an estimated $2,000.

The body of the sub is made from a giant drainage pipe. The motor is from a small fishing oat. The dome is made of sky lights.

Beckerman says he has pressure tested the craft on land but not in the water yet.

"There are a lot of safety features," Beckerman says. "There are pumps. There's also a breathing hose so that if it does flood, you could breathe for about 20 minutes or so off of a tank of air."

He says he father was a little skeptical about the plan at first but convinced him that he could get it done.

He's named it the Nautilus, after the first nuclear submarine.

When asked why he built it, Beckerman said, "It's just going to be cool to be underwater."

This isn't the first experiment for the teen. He says that ever since he was little, he has been constructing machines and mechanisms.

As a young boy he would create things with balloons and string. Now he uses more complex materials to build things.

In the past he's even built a remote controlled broom and mop.

He's also used his talent to create award winning art sculptures out of fluorescent glass from computer screens.