- Hugh Fulton is selling his nine-bedroom riverside estate in Clevedon, featuring a submarine test pool.
- Fulton, inventor of the $1m Q-sub, designed the sub to be trailer-launched.
- The property includes a main residence, two-bedroom cottage, third residence, and various outdoor amenities.
A James Bond-esque home with its very own submarine test pool has hit the market for sale.
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Kiwi inventor Hugh Fulton, who created the $1m Q-sub, is hanging up his "licence to build" and selling his nine-bedroom riverside estate at 113 North Road, in Auckland’s Clevedon.
Fulton’s love of submarines started with the black-and-white TV show Sea Hunt in the late 1950s. The series made scuba diving glamorous, and inspired a generation of DIY divers, including Fulton.
By the time he was 20, Fulton had designed his own dive regulator, cutting up his father’s raincoat for parts and moulding components on the kitchen stove.
Hugh Fulton in 2011 with his $1 million Q-Sub. Photo / Greg Bowker
Fulton’s transportable submarine. "It’s got to be sexy and do something unusual," Fulton was told when starting out. Photo / Supplied
Fulton’s sub can be seen hanging in his 440sqm shed. Photo / Supplied
Fully immersed in engineering, he soon began working with dive compressors and underwater systems. When New Zealand embraced CNG in the 1970s, he saw his moment and flew overseas to study gas compressors and build his own business.
While palling around with colleagues, he dared himself to build a submarine. “I sketched a thing out on the concrete floor with engineer’s chalk, with the guys over a couple of beers. That triggered the drive for the sub. I started to learn about submersibles, went on a trip, and bought an old one built in Sweden to get some credibility.”
One day, Fulton found himself on the Ulysses, the superyacht owned by rich-lister Graeme Hart. He spotted a submarine that the vessel carried and asked the captain about it.
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“The captain was a bit disparaging. He said they required a lot of upkeep, and he had issues lifting it off the deck - it weighed about eight or nine tonnes. In the swell, it started swinging around, and they were hanging onto it with ropes. Most subs are dependent on a mothership, which is way out of my league," Fulton told OneRoof.
“So, I did various designs, searched for existing submersibles and submarines, and talked to a guy in the UK. I asked what sells, and he said, "It’s got to be sexy and do something unusual." That’s when I came up with the concept of a sub that can be launched by trailer.”
Fulton’s wife, Elizabeth, is a little nervous about water, and he included features in the sub’s design to put her at ease. She wanted to feel like she was driving a car, which meant side-by-side seats and windows at the side for viewing.
At the centre of the five-bedroom main residence lies a "striking open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area", the OneRoof listing says. Photo / Supplied
The luxury retreat comes with a 17-metre lap pool and pool house. Photo / Supplied
The rest is history, and Fulton’s $1m Q-Sub can be seen in the listing photos for his property, hanging from the ceiling of his giant workshop and shed.
The shed itself includes three-phase power, an office and kitchen facilities, and is currently leased to Fulton’s engineering companies, Eclipse Valves & Fittings, and Bison Compression Limited.
The shed is one several highlights on the 15.91ha lifestyle block, which borders the Wairoa River. The Fultons’ main residence boasts five bedrooms and a "striking open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area" at its centre.
The 15.91ha property borders a winding river. Photo / Supplied
Also on site are a two-bedroom cottage with office space and a third residence built to house extended family.
Outdoors includes a pond, an 18m swimming pool, a private jetty and boat ramp, and a fully functioning 8m x 4m submarine test pool with crane.
Previous owners used the property for polo matches, including, Fulton said, a New Zealand Open competition. “The exact date is lost to history,” he said.
The Fultons own another, smaller block in Clevedon, which they intend to move to once they sell. “I’m 78. We have 40 acres here. Last weekend, I was out drenching 150 sheep, banging in fences, and digging holes. I’d like to retire by the time I’m 80.” Fulton’s plans for retirement include taking spins in the harbour in his submarine.
The property has an RV of $4.865m and is listed with Bayleys agents Denise Jenner, Peter Sullivan and Kristina Liu.
Jenner described the house as very cool in a stunning setting. “The original country cottage could be workers’ accommodation. Then you have a relocated new build, set in total privacy," she said.
“It would accommodate extended multi-generational family, where you want mum and dad or the kids to be on site but not all on top of each other.”
- 113 North Road, Clevedon, Auckland, is for sale, tender closing December 2
