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1970s, the vessel was submerged off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Koblick was involved as director of the PRINUL program during
the early-to-mid portion of the 1970s. Eventually, by the mid-
1970s, funding for the PRINUL program ceased, and John Perry
reclaimed the vessel. La Chalupa ended up in dry dock storage in
south Florida. During 1982, an individual, Russ Hobson,
undertook extensive renovations of the vessel at a cost of
approximately $300,000. Mr. Hobson intended to use the vessel
for a salvage operation in South America. Mr. Hobson later
became financially imperiled and abandoned the project. In 1984,
Mr. Koblick and Dr. Monney acquired the vessel from the Derecktor
Gunnell shipyard by paying $20,000 towards an outstanding yard
bill. The vessel was then transferred to a corporate entity,
Jules Habitat, Inc. Mr. Koblick and Dr. Monney were the
shareholders of Jules Habitat, Inc. Mr. Koblick and Dr. Monney
together invested an additional $80,000 in 1986 into the project.
By the end of 1986, a total of $400,000 had been invested
into the renovation project (comprising $300,000 invested by Mr.
Hobson, $20,000 to acquire the vessel from Derecktor Gunnell, and
$80,000 to convert the vessel into a habitat and acquire
operational systems). The collective renovations undertaken by
Mr. Hobson, Mr. Koblick, and Dr. Monney converted the vessel into
an undersea habitat or “lodge” with two suites and a common room.
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Last modified: May 25, 2011