On the Water

It will be like going from black-and-white television to high definition color TV - that’s how researchers at America’s Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have envisioned an upcoming leap forward in undersea acoustic imaging. Tim Stanton and Andone Lavery have developed and tested two broadband acoustic systems that leave conventional single-frequency systems eating their dust... or water droplets, or whatever. Developed over 20 years, the new technology could revolutionize oceanography, and also has huge commercial and military potential. Read More

Currently robots need to be precisely programmed for each step of a given task, but the move towards autonomous systems will see robots reacting intelligently to their surroundings and performing tasks largely independently. To do this they will need to rely on their own sensory perceptions. However, in harsh environments, laid low by fumes, dust, water, high temperatures or low visibility, new senses are called for – perhaps even sensory organs that humans lack. Researchers have fitted an underwater robot with an artificial sensory organ inspired by the so-called lateral line system found in fish and some amphibians that lets it orient itself in murky waters. Read More

Most small watercraft need anchors just like bigger boats, but many down-sized anchors struggle to hold these vessels in place, even breaking apart. If you ride a personal watercraft (PWC), like a Jet Ski, stowing a metal or aluminum anchor in the craft’s onboard storage containers can wreak havoc, sometimes almost punching through in rough conditions. That’s no good aboard an inflatable, either. Australian-based Cooper Anchors has designed a world-first lightweight, plastic anchor with a weighted tip, straight streamline shank and small blade that work harmoniously to drive deep into the sea bed and hold your craft in place. What’s more, it’s flexible, tough, won’t scratch or puncture your PWC or inflatable and weighs less than 1kg. Read More

The appropriately named ‘sofa boat’ is essentially a sofa slapped on top of a floating platform that is sure to make maneuvering among other craft in crowded marinas a most relaxing affair. The all-electric craft employs a joystick for steering, a folding sun canopy covering for some protection from the sun’s rays and a solar version is on the way. Read More

Five years ago we reported on an ambitious project being undertaken by PlanetSolar to build a boat capable of traveling around the world using renewable energy. This dream is now being realized - in a very BIG way. Recently unveiled at the HDW shipyard in Kiel, the world's largest solar-powered boat is 31 metres long, 15 metres wide and 7.5 metres high with a radical multi-hull design that incorporates a massive photovoltaic solar panel array covering 500m2. Read More

Look! Down on the lake … is it a boat, a plane … it's neither. It’s the “hoverwing”, a hovercraft that flies. New Zealand mechanic Rudy Heeman spent more than 11 years of his spare time (and tens of thousands of dollars) building the hoverwing, a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle that flies on a cushion of pressurized air created between the wing and the water's surface. Hoverwing can reach an optimum height is 1.5m (4-5ft) above the water and has a current top speed of 98kmh (61mph). Read More

According to Gerhard Tevini from Krunk Surfing in Austria, surfers know the scenario all too well – the fins of your surfboard have to be screwed off when traveling or on the way to the waves. You hear the surf conditions are ideal so you race to the beach only to discover that you can’t find your screwdriver to attach your fins. Everyone else is in the water enjoying the best surf in a long time while you sit on the beach. So Tevini – with his engineering background – set about creating the Krunk Fin System (KFS), a tool-less system for attaching fins to a board. Read More

The Tequila! kayak from Swedish company Point65 is a truly versatile modular watercraft that comes apart to make it easy to stow without the need for specialized storage systems at home. Ideal for people living in apartments or units or those who already have a full garage, the sit-on-top kayak breaks down into manageable components and fits into the rear of most vehicles, meaning there’s no need for roofracks. While the idea of a collapsible kayak isn't new, the added bonus of the Tequila! design is that it can be changed from a solo to a tandem kayak by adding another modular piece and snapping it together. Read More

So, you’re thinking about buying your first boat... What kind do you want - a boat for ripping around the lake, one for a tranquil morning of fishing on the pond, or something for catching the wind and bouncing across the waves? Whaddaya mean, all of those? Actually, inventor Clayton Turney would tell you he’s got just the watercraft for you. His Zingy boats were designed with first-timers/generalists in mind, as they can apparently be used as motorboats, rowboats or sailboats, they’re small enough to carry on the back of a motorhome, and are supposedly quite easy to handle. Oh yeah, and they’re also claimed to be unsinkable. Read More