Hahn Tech puts underwater world into view

LONGMONT — Walking downstairs into the basement of Hahn Tech Corp., Founder and President Chin Hahn proudly shows off Go Submarine, one of the latest products he has been working on.

Go Submarine is part of the company’s Submarine View Group, but to Hahn it means something more. “It’s my baby,” he says, smiling.

Besides Go Submarine, the Submarine View Group includes Submarine Pro and Mini Submarine. All three are equipped with underwater moving cameras that video what they survey. Go Submarine and Submarine Pro can be used by dam or bridge inspectors, scuba divers and university marine biology departments. It can also help search and rescue teams find people or belongings. Mini Submarine is designed for amateurs interested in underwater activities and can be used more for entertainment purposes.

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All the Submarine View Group’s products have lines that can extend to a depth or length of 200 feet. Hahn, who spent five years and $2 million researching and developing the products, finished them at the end of 2000. Now that he has prototypes, he’s looking for investors.

Because research and development is complete, and prototypes of the products have been made and are proven to work, investors can be confident that they are funding something that will materialize, Hahn pointed out. With $1 million from investors, Hahn said he can produce 300 Submarine View products in about four months.

There’s a large, multimillion-dollar market for Submarine View products, said Hahn’s sister, Young Hahn, vice president in charge of marketing for Hahn Tech. She said Hahn Tech wants to market Submarine View products not only in Colorado, but nationally and internationally.

The Submarine View products are compact and easy to operate and can prevent injuries sustained while diving. They can even save lives, as hundreds of divers die every year in the United States alone — often because they are exposed to cold water too long or have an accident, she said. Another benefit of Submarine View products is that they save on the cost of buying diving equipment and suits.

Hahn Tech plans to sell Submarine View products for about $3,500. Everything needed to operate them is included in the total cost, Chin Hahn said. There are remote operating vehicles (ROVS), which provide similar underwater views, but the starting rate is $10,000. At that price, they don’t come with the monitor, power supply and recharger, he said.

Hahn Tech has received offers from Asian countries that want to start manufacturing the products there, but the Hahns want production to stay local. “We want to make it in Colorado, not sell out to Japan or Korea,” Young Hahn said.

Hahn Tech, which has been in Longmont for five years, was created to develop, produce and market high-tech products for the consumer industry. Chin Hahn’s wife, Anna, also is involved in the family-run business, doing office work and accounting. Although Hahn Tech had other employees when it first started, today Hahn, his sister and his wife run the entire show.

In addition to the Submarine View products, Hahn Tech makes remote-controlled fish bait boats designed to bring tackle and bait to a specific spot. The orange and gray boats, which can travel for 200 yards, operate in freshwater and saltwater and run for eight hours before they need to be recharged.

The boats have nighttime capabilities. They can help fishermen extend their ranges to places where water is low, rocky or weedy. Additionally, they can help fishermen reach fish without scaring them and fish where larger boats aren’t allowed. Children can use the boats in ponds, lakes and pools.

The boats are environmentally friendly, Young Hahn said, adding that they make good Father’s Day and Christmas gifts. The boats sell for $148.50, not including tax and shipping and handling costs.

Last year, Hahn Tech sold 400 boats for an estimated revenue of about $60,000, Chin Hahn said. But the company spent $350,000 on the boats’ molding alone. They have been on the market for less than two years. Although Hahn Tech has not made a profit yet, Chin Hahn said he expects that will happen soon.

Hahn Tech gets worldwide requests for the boats, Young Hahn said, showing an e-mail request she had received from South Africa. Throughout the years, the Hahns have attended dozens of fishing and sports shows to show off the products.

Chin and Young Hahn were born in Seoul, Korea, and came to the United States as teen-agers. Chin Hahn received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Highland University in New Mexico. He worked as a resident physicist and consultant at CVI Laser Co. in Albuquerque, N.M., and has extensive business experience in Asian and European markets, including

Korea, China and the former Soviet Union, where he advised recently privatized companies on manufacturing and sales strategies.

Prior to launching Hahn Tech, Chin Hahn worked in the laser optics field for 25 years and was vice president of Rocky Mountain Instrument Co. in Longmont for 15 years. For more information about Hahn Tech’s products, visit remotecontrolboat.com or baitboat.com.