Drone boat being tested in Puget Sound

SEATTLE – A 54-foot-long prototype of a lightweight drone boat is conducting sea trials in Puget Sound. The unmanned surface vessel, called the Piranha, is made of carbon-fiber composites and nanotube molecules that add strength and stiffness. The drone was designed in Seattle. Developer Zyvex Technologies of Ohio has leased space in Bothell, where it plans to build the two sections that are assembled to make the vessel. Company officials won’t disclose the two defense contractors who’ve agreed to buy initial units.