On the Water
The Floating restaurant table
We've seen some great moveable entertaining concepts such as the Pedalpub, the Fuya-Jo party van, Red Bull’s nightclub on wheels and the floating beach party but figure this one has greater application than all of them. Part restaurant table, part BBQ, part lounge and part activity platform, this electric-powered, water-going party platform for ten is primarily aimed at the rental market where its versatility makes it suitable for myriad applications. (read more...)
PUMA Volvo Ocean Race entry makes final preparations
April 24, 2008 These images provide a tantalizing preview of the as yet unnamed PUMA entry for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 before it hits the waters of Boston Harbor for its official christening on May 12th. (read more...)
Hemisphere: the world's largest sailing catamaran
April 9, 2008 The giant 44.2m (145ft), 500 ton Hemisphere will claim the title of the world's largest sailing catamaran when it begins charter operations in the Caribbean in the winter of 2008/2009. Packed with luxurious features including a spacious flybridge with jacuzzi, a shaded dining, an expansive indoor/outdoor living area and full watersports amenities including a dive locker served by a large hydraulic swim platform, the Hemisphere can accommodate twelve guests in its five comfortable ensuite cabins. And the price tag for a sample of this palatial floating escape: charter rates start at US$150,000 per week excluding operating expenses. (read more...)
Ingenious self-activating buoyancy device for keys, cameras, phones…
March 26, 2008 It’s an ingenious self-activating miniature buoy on a keyring and after several years of difficulties reaching market, the Seatriever Waterbuoy is now available and seeking international distribution. The UKP13 (US$26) Waterbuoy is the first product in a family of automatic floatation devices that will recover your mobile phone, keys, GPS receiver, PDA, binoculars, VHF radio or anything else that drops overboard. (read more...)
Wally announces new 'floating island' gigayacht: the WallyIsland
EXTENSIVELY UPDATED March 20, 2008 Little more than a decade after beginning in business, Monaco-based Wally Yachts continues to develop innovative concepts and minimalist luxury at a rate exceeding any other marine design house on the planet. The company's latest is the WallyIsland – a 99 meter (325 feet) "gigayacht" that dwarfs the vast majority of luxury megayachts and reconceives the yacht as a floating personal island, a mobile address that can be used as a home, an entertaining space or even a moving exhibition or show space. (read more...)
Stability 60 SWATH - the practical superyacht
Stability Yachts new catamaran-based US$700,000 yacht uses SWATH (Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) technology to reduce unwanted motion at standstill and at speed. The highly adaptable boat has the stability and space of a much larger boat, a large amount of reconfigurable floorspace, joystick manoeuvrability and when the SWATH stability is not required the hulls can be retracted electrically. With a draft of 18” it is comfortable in shallow water and robust enough to run onto a beach to offer an all-mod-cons two-storey beach shack with shaded sand and water beneath. In high seas, SWATH enables a 5’ wave to pass “through” the boat without causing rocking and pitching. (read more...)
The Waveboat - turns a PWC into a jetboat in 60 seconds
With 200 bhp PWCs now commonplace, there seems to be a trend emerging of using the PWC as a dockable powerplant for a larger craft, significantly extending the versatility and recreational options of the ski, the docking craft as a water platform, and the carrying capacity to five people and beyond. The Waveboat is to be launched next month and it offers some compelling functionality – just add your Yamaha Waverunner PWC and you have a high speed (video here) jetboat with ultrasweet handling and all the trimmings. With prices starting at US$8000(EUR5600), it’s a bargain accessory – sadly available for Yamaha Waverunners only. (read more...)
MarySlim: Multimarine Composites' wave cleaving Very Slender Vessel
Until recently limited to military craft, the wave-piercing attributes of the Very Slender Vessel (VSV) design has now made its way into the civilian boat world in the form of the MarySlim, a stunning 72-foot, £1.5 million, long-range cruiser built by Cornwall based Multimarine Composites that debuted last year at the Royal William Yard in England. The unique shape of the 1650 hp, V12 powered yacht allows it to cleave through waves, eliminating the power-consuming, bruising bounce of other crafts and allowing users to explore greater areas through harsher weather conditions. (read more...)
Quiet cruising: Kayacht's electric powered kayak kit
We've seen some exciting examples of motorized kayaks in the past including Surfango's 9.5hp, 25mph PowerKayak, but when speed isn't the primary objective, the electric option offers some key benefits over combustion engine designs - it's low maintenance, cost-effective, non-polluting and best of all it doesn't destroy the peace and tranquility of being on the water the way a 4-stroke does, making it ideal for pursuits such as birdwatching, fishing or photography. Kayacht offer an electric-propulsion solution that will bring these benefits to almost any existing kayak hull. Using a short shaft 30 lb thrust Minnkota motor with 5-speed forward and 3-speed reverse, the add-on system delivers a leisurely 5-6mph cruising speed for around 45 minutes, or for several hours at slower speeds or when using the paddle assist mode. (read more...)
Smartkat – collapsible catamaran you can store under the bed
February 4, 2008 Necessity catalyzes invention, so it makes sense that eventually someone would come up with a collapsible boat that doesn’t require a trailer, and can be stored in a cupboard. At just 39 kg with 10 square meters of sail, the Smartkat is not only fast on the water, it is also fast to build (20 minutes), and even faster to put back in its two 180 x 30 x 30 cm bags (10 minutes), all done without tools. (read more...)
Yamaha builds a giant fishtank on wheels
January 24, 2008 Intent on driving the marine market size and retaining its share, Yamaha Australia has created two of these massive, 15 metre long, three metres tall, and 2.5 metres wide fishtanks on wheels to tour dealerships and boat shows. Part portable fishing show, part mobile fish tank and part educational program, the 13,000 litre Yamaha SupaTanks are designed to give the public a fish-eye-view on the world of angling. (read more...)
Maiden voyage for SkySails towing kite system
January 23, 2008 Hamburg-based SkySails has announced the first test of its towing kite propulsion system during regular shipping operations. The 132m long Multi Purpose Heavy Lift Carrier MS "Beluga SkySails" will set sail from Bremen to Venezuela this week equipped with 160m2 SkySails supporting the main engine with around five tons tractive force at low wind. (read more...)
Yamaha’s 1800cc Supercharged Super High Output PWCs
As we mentioned a few weeks back, the Personal Watercraft market is currently in the grips of a horsepower war which was started last year when Kawasaki introduced a turbocharged, 1500cc, 250 horsepower PWC that’ll run 68 mph (60 knots) on water. Not surprisingly, all the other manufacturers have responded in kind, with Yamaha creating an all-new purpose-built craft of astounding technological prowess. The power plant for the new top-of-the-range SHO (Super High Output) WaveRunner models is a compact 1812cc, fuel-injected, supercharged, intercooled, four-cylinder engine. Perhaps even more importantly, the entire hull uses Nanotechnology to achieve a hull 25% lighter than the previous model, yet even stronger. Check out how the new SHO compares here. (read more...)
The 400 horsepower PWC cometh
UPDATED IMAGE LIBRARY - The Personal Watercraft (PWC) market is in the grip of a horsepower “arms race” with a rash of new machinery announcements including a 342 bhp 2.2 litre V6-engined PWC from Austrian company HSR-Benelli and a 308 bhp 2.2 litre V8-engined PWC from the famous Italian MV Agusta motorcycle company. It all appears to have been catalyzed late last year when Kawasaki announced its 250 bhp Ultra 250X into a market where Seadoo’s 215 bhp RXP was previously the fastest of the bunch. Subsequently, SeaDoo has announced 255 bhp RXP-X and RXT-X models, Honda has announced a turbocharged 1500cc Aquatrax and Yamaha has announced a new lightweight purpose-built, turbocharged and intercooled 1812cc Super High Output (SHO) motor in its 2008 range. Given the radical upsurge in power outputs, one wonders what might be available a year or two from now. Read on … (read more...)
Aqua-car: Rinspeed preview sQuba diving concept vehicle
Never shy of venturing into unchartered territory, Swiss automotive design company Rinspeed’s latest Concept takes the aquatic theme showcased in its 2004 Splash Amphibious Hydrofoil Sportscar to the next level with its latest creation - the sQuba diving Concept Car. Thirty years after the release of the film The Spy Who Loved Me, where James Bond took to the deep in a subaquatic Lotus Espirit, Rinspeed aim to turn the famous cinematic sequence into reality with an amphibious, zero-emission Concept designed to dive to depths of up to 33 feet (10 meters) using two propellers in the stern and two jet drives in the bow. (read more...)
Sealegs breaks amphibious on-water record
December 7, 2007 Earlier this week we reported on a planned record attempt by Sealegs to become the fastest amphibious vehicle in the World on water - a goal which the company achieved earlier today at speeds of more than 100kmh (62mph). (read more...)
Sealegs amphibious vehicle sets sights on speed record
December 5, 2007 Sealegs International is gearing up for a world record attempt as the fastest amphibious vehicle over 500m on-water. (read more...)
Nahema to commence construction of H2X’s luxury 120 and 150-foot catamaran range
November 1, 2007 “Luxury means space,” says Franck Darnet, the interior designer behind the Nahema series of catamarans – and if you agree with him, one of these well-appointed customs might be right up your alley. Using a catamaran design lets you more than triple the interior and deck space of the vessel compared to the same length monohull yacht – making this new series from H2X an ideal party boat for entertaining while also making for a fast and stable craft on the water. (read more...)
Hawley F140 “supercar of yachts” seeks investors
October 23, 2007 If you liked the sleek speedster looks of the Hawley F140 concept yacht we wrote about in September – and it seems a lot of people did – you’ll be interested to know that our feature on the stylish yacht design helped put Hawley in touch with a top-rate marine construction crew, and the rights to build the stunning boat are currently up for auction. (read more...)
Cayago Magnum: turning Navy Seals into dolphins?
October 10, 2007 The Seabob electric underwater propulsion device captured our imagination earlier in the year, acting like a 20kmh powered bodyboard and allowing users to dart along coral reefs and the ocean floor like they were born with fins. We’ve since discovered that the company has now produced a souped up version called the Cayago Magnum with 2½ times the available power or endurance. With the existing Seabob models already setting a pretty thrilling pace for leisure use, the high performance Magnum will be pitched as a military and special forces tool that will enable operatives to move exceptionally quickly from point to point, underwater and in total silence. (read more...)
Headland’s innovative retractable helipads for yachts
Increasingly, yacht buyers are demanding the ability to land a helicopter on deck – but not all yachts have sufficient clear deck space free for a designated helipad. France’s Headland Consulting are solving this issue Transformers-style with a range of very clever retractable landing pads that deploy mechanically to suit a wide range of different yacht and helicopter sizes. (read more...)
The CQ-2 twin seater personal submarine
The 2-seater personal submarine was recently debuted by C-Quester at Monte Carlo after the success of their earlier single-seater. Fully electric, the CQ-2 keeps cabin pressure at one atmosphere, meaning you can travel up and down with no decompression issues. A charge will last you 2 1/2 hours underwater, and there’s a bunch of safety systems including enough air for 36 hours in the case of an emergency. A four-seater model is expected soon. (read more...)
Convertible flippers eliminate duck waddle
September 20, 2007 We’ve written before about high-tech swim fins designed to be as efficient as possible in the water – but the problem remains that they’re very awkward and restrictive on land. That’s why we can instantly see the value of these convertible fins from Omega Aquatics that fold up out of the way to allow full mobility out of the water and click down with your first kick once you’re in the water. (read more...)
Speedsailing records tumble at Walvis Bay
September 21, 2007 Speedsailing competitors from all over the world flocked to Walvis Bay in Namibia recently where a combination of high winds and smooth seas saw several records tumble. The fastest run of the week was by Italian Patrick Diethelm, who completed the 500m pass at a blazing average of 43.02 knots – a ground speed of just under 80kmh and a new Italian men’s record. (read more...)
XSR48: 1600hp supercar-inspired luxury powerboat
September 19, 2007 It’s easy to see why it’s been labelled the ‘Bugatti Veyron’ of the sea – the stunning XSR48 is a luxury £1.2m powerboat that takes inspiration for both its performance and styling from the World’s finest supercars. Deriving 1600hp from its two bi-turbo 11.3L diesel engines, the 48ft XSR48 promises extraordinary handling and mid-range acceleration in achieving speeds of 75 knots. And the comparisons don’t end there – high-end supercar DNA is evident from the Kevlar and carbon-fibre hull/deck structure based on an F1 style monocoque right through to the cockpit and dashboard. The first production model is set to be unveiled today at the Monaco Yacht Show and Gizmag will be on the scene to bring you updates and further images – stay tuned. (read more...)
