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On the Water
Sealegs amphibious vehicle completes 1873 mile circumnavigation
By Mike Hanlon
21:36 February 23, 2009 PST
Tradition is ingrained in the marine world and there's a sense of fragility and mistrust which most boaties harbour for amphibious watercraft – so the successful completion of a 3015 km (1873 mile) circumnavigation of the rugged New Zealand North Island by a Sealegs 7.1 meter amphibious craft today might go some way to allaying those fears. The 7.1 amphibious RIB averaged 46 km/h (28.6 mph) over 65 hours of driving time. Read More
First woman to sail solo, non-stop, both ways around the world
By Mike Hanlon
21:25 February 17, 2009 PST
British yachtswoman Dee Caffari extended the boundaries of what's possible this week when she became the first woman to sail solo, non-stop both ways around the world. The 36-year-old former PE teacher crossed the finish line of the round the world Vendée Globe yacht race in sixth place onboard her yacht Aviva with a heavily damaged mainsail having spent 99 days at sea. Read More
Fight shrinkage with the Rooster Booster: the Wonderbra for men
By Loz Blain
22:53 February 11, 2009 PST
Post-swim shrinkage of the male genitals is a problem that has occupied some of the great minds of our time. "Budgie smuggler"-style Speedos are a primary culprit - they loudly broadcast the wearer's size, shape and religion even when they're dry, but when wet lycra meets a cold, squashed lunchbox after a blood-draining swim, the resulting "frightened turtle" effect can be a true seaside tragedy. But if it's OK for women to pump up their credentials with a Wonderbra, why shouldn't men be able to cheat too? This is the thinking behind a new line of Australian swimwear featuring a hidden pocket in which a variety of different foam padding options can be concealed. Gentlemen, meet the "Rooster Booster." Read More
Foiljet MR1 hydrofoil: the motocross bike for water
By Paul Evans
00:55 February 10, 2009 PST
The Foiljet MR1 is a new personal watercraft concept that takes the best features of a motocross bike and jetski, throws in two hydrofoils plus a silent, energy efficient electric motor to create what would have to be a surefire recipe for outrageous fun. The design looks something like a motocross bike, but instead of wheels there are beams with small hydrofoil wings mounted at the ends that can be raised or lowered. The concept would use a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor housed at the end of the rear beam with its instant electric torque lifting the craft out of the water to become "foil borne". Read More
Solar powered pleasure boat gets design overhaul
21:08 February 2, 2009 PST
The Loon is a well known North American water bird that appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin (hence the "Loonie") and it's also the name of a solar equipped pontoon boat from Ontario based Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company that is in the process of receiving a major design overhaul courtesy of the team responsible for the radical teardrop shaped Aptera 2e electric car. The 22-foot long revamped Loon design can cover an estimate 35 miles a day at a maximum of around seven knots using solar energy and features a light-weight twin-hull composite construction with a flexible interior configuration and removable side-rails made from bamboo, natural fibers and recycled plastic. Read More
The KTM Barracuda Hydrofoil
By Mike Hanlon
22:03 January 15, 2009 PST
Austria’s KTM diversified from its competition off-road motorcycle core product with first it's razor-sharp road bike range, and more recently the X-Bow road-registerable racecar. There’s no doubt new markets are on the horizon and a recent design study has unearthed an interesting potential next stop for the company that prides itself on its machinery being “Ready to Race.” The KTM Barracuda Hydrofoil has been conceived as a circuit racing machine for the water. Extremely agile, yet designed to be self-stabilizing, the Barracuda takes the philosophy of the RC8 superbike and X-BOW sportscar to the water. Read More
New World Sailing Boat Speed Record
By Mike Hanlon
00:51 January 5, 2009 PST
January 5, 2009 Australia’s Macquarie Speed Sailing Team is seeking ratification of a new World Sailing Speed Record set on December 19, thereby claiming the title of the world’s fastest sailing boat. Macquarie Innovation was timed over the 500m qualifying course at 48.57 knots and recorded speeds in excess of 51 knots during the 20 second run on December 19, 2008. It is expected that the final ratified speed will be reduced to 48.15 knots due to tidal influences experienced on the course – albeit still the fastest speed ever recorded by a sailing boat. What makes the attempt so significant is the boat’s remarkably efficient use of wind energy – the speeds were recorded in just 17 kt winds, and when the team gets the 20 knot winds it has been waiting for, the outright record of 50.57 kts set by French kite-boarder Alexandre Caizergues in Namibia on October 4, 2008 will almost certainly be bettered. Read More
Solar powered, Linux brained autonomous robot sailboat aims to conquer the Atlantic
By Loz Blain
19:25 December 4, 2008 PST
Few types of transport require as much thinking per mile as sailing - the sailor has to measure the speed and direction of both the water and the wind, which can constantly change, and then manage an array of sails and underwater hydrofoils at the correct angles to create motion in the desired direction. Navigation is its own challenge too, as it's impossible to sail directly into the wind and boats must 'tack' forward in zigzag patterns to make progress. All of which makes it quite remarkable that a group of European enthusiasts have created a Linux-brained autonomous sailboat bristling with sensors and capable of working its way around pre-set race courses or sailing to pretty much any nautical destination without any human intervention. Earlier this year, the ASV 'Roboat' became the first world robotic sailing champion at an event in Austria. Read More
The solar powered submarine
23:10 November 23, 2008 PST
It's an idea we've seen applied to motoryachts, trimarans and even speedboats, but until now, using solar power as an energy source for submarines wasn't on our radar. Swiss energy company BKW has aims to make this scenario a reality with Project Goldfish, a tourist attraction planned for Lake Thun that would see a 20-30 meter long submarine carry groups of visitors on tours of the underwater landscape. Read More
Power and sail: Wally's latest offerings hit the water
01:29 November 17, 2008 PST
Regular Gizmag readers may already be familiar with some of the elegant and ambitious yacht concepts to have emerged from the Wally design house. Both having made their debut at this year's Monaco Yacht Show, the two latest offerings do nothing to suggest that the standard is dropping. The 19 meter, 64' wallypower is the first unit of a new line which sits between the WallyTender and the larger WallyPower yachts while the magnificent Wally 148 Saudade sloop is, at 148-foot (45-meter), the largest Wally built so far. Read More
Hov Pod personal hovercraft
By Darren Quick
20:34 November 6, 2008 PST
UK based Reaction International Ltd. has added to its line of personal leisure hovercraft with the Hov Pod SPX 120 Turbo. Powered by a 120 HP 4 stroke Weber engine which offers greater performance and range, the SPX 120 hovers at a height of 9-inches over any flat surface, including water, ice, snow, sand, mud or grass and can reach speeds approaching 50mph on water. It's also buoyant enough to take over a ton in weight before water ingresses into the hull, making it suitable for commercial, patrol and rescue use. Read More
Ericsson 4 wins leg one of Volvo Ocean Race
16:37 November 3, 2008 PST
Ericsson 4 has taken out leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race and broken the 24 hour monohull record in the process. The boat by covered the 6,500 mile journey from Alicante, Spain to Cape Town, South Africa in 21 days, 17 minutes and 54 seconds, setting a new world record of 602 nm in 24-hours on day 19 (October 29). Read More
Hybrid yacht combines diesel, solar and wind power
By Emily Clark
23:12 November 2, 2008 PST
Island Pilot has used this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show to debut its new hybrid motoryacht - the DSe Hybrid12m. Combining diesel, solar and electric power (hence "DSe") and with wind-power to be added to the production model, the 40ft vessel can take advantage of a sunny day by cruising at speeds of up to six knots indefinitely using only solar power. Not only does this save fuel, it eliminates the rumble of diesel engines to bring one of pure-sailing's greatest attractions to the motoryacht format - silence. Read More
40 Signature Series: stunning Lord Norman Foster designed super-yacht
00:00 October 31, 2008 PDT
One of the most elegant water-going creations to cross our desk in recent times is the Foster and Partners designed YachtPlus 40 ‘Signature Series'. Designed by a 7-strong architectural team led by Lord Foster himself and being built at the Rodriquez Cantieri Navali shipyard in northern Italy, the ultra-contemporary 135 foot (41m) luxury superyacht offers 5737 square feet of useable living space with extensive outer deck area including a submergible beach deck, a grand staircase at transom and seperate jet ski storage space. The innovative interior layout has four decks accommodating up to 12 guests and 7 crew while the full beam owner’s cabin on the main deck includes forward-facing windows that lead to private balconies and the glass walled main saloon features 180 degree views. Read More
Roman Abramovich building 550ft, pirate-proof mega-yacht
18:22 October 9, 2008 PDT
The recent incident involving a the seizure of a Ukranian ship carrying 33 tanks off the coast of Somalia has turned the spotlight on the problem of international piracy. Roman Abramovich is paying attention. The Chelsea soccer club owner is spending a £200 million (USD$340 million) chunk of his £11.7billion personal fortune on a mega-yacht that will be well equipped to deal with such a threat: armor plating, bullet-proof windows, a missile-detection system and an escape submarine. Oh yeah, and at a massive 550ft long it will also be the largest private yacht ever built. Read More
Sealegs amphibious boats head for US shores
04:30 September 17, 2008 PDT
We've been following the development of New Zealand based Sealegs range of ingenious, driveable amphibious boats since back in 2004 and now, after rolling-out in 14 countries worldwide, the company is gearing up for its first US appearance at the at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in late October. Read More
Two new recreational submarines – the luxury CQ2 and Personal Tour CQ3 submersibles
By Jack Martin
02:30 September 15, 2008 PDT
September 15, 2008 The submarine was invented several hundred years before the automobile, but it’s not surprising that it is taking a little longer to reach ubiquitous recreational usage. A bent fender is small change indeed compared to the inconvenience of Decompression Sickness, asphyxiation or perhaps being crushed to death. The risk of such perils had to be comprehensively mitigated before recreational submarines could safely come to market and the Dutch U-Boat Worx was the first to get it all right with the C-Quester one-seater CQ1 and two-seater CQ2. Now the company is set to launch a completely revamped CQ2 aimed at the SuperYacht Market and a two-, three- and four-seater CQ3 (pictured) aimed at the tourism industry. Read More
Project Veloce - 130 metre 40 knot Pentamaran Super Yacht
By Jack Martin
05:02 September 4, 2008 PDT
Now here’s one sure to make the shopping lists of the world’s richest marine enthusiasts. BMT Nigel Gee has announced a high-speed Pentamaran concept aimed at the large yacht market. Developed for high-speed applications, the patented Pentamaran hull form is a derivative of the stabilized monohull concept featuring a long slender central hull, hydrodynamically optimized without the constraints of needing to be stable as stability is provided by two pairs of outriggers or ‘sponsons’. Project Veloce is truly an innovative application of technology in the large yacht market and is based on a 130m platform capable of over 40 knots. The beam of 30m offers significantly more internal area than on an equivalently sized monohull leading to exceptional internal spaces with true flexibility in configuration of the layout. Read More
WaveBlades - US$200 Body Surfing gloves
By Mike Hanlon
21:35 August 24, 2008 PDT
Bodysurfing is almost unique in that it requires nothing more than a human being to capture nature’s forces for fun and physical wellbeing, but like most human pursuits, a little extra help can make it so much more. We first wrote up WaveBlades six years ago – the Waveblade is a hand-worn glove-like Bodysurfing device that enables you to catch waves that were previously uncatchable, go faster and further and do new tricks thanks to the extra control available. You can also swim faster – all for US$200. Read More
The networked, reconfigurable Littoral Combat Ship begins trials
By Mike Hanlon
21:20 August 12, 2008 PDT
August 13, 2008 The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is an entirely new class of warship designed to enable the U.S. Navy to operate in shallow waters for the many close-to-shore challenges it forsees in the coming years. The LCS is very fast, highly manoeuvrable, fully networked and quickly reconfigurable via 24 hour-installable mission modules to enable it to defeat threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast attack surface craft. There are two variants of the LCS, one a high-speed semi-planing monohull, the other a trimaran, and the first to begin trails is the monohull version from the Lockheed Martin team. Freedom (LCS 1) is currently undergoing “builder trials” on Lake Michigan, testing the ship's propulsion, communications, navigation and mission systems. Read More
University of Maryland wins Unmanned Underwater Vehicle competition
By Kyle Sherer
07:53 August 11, 2008 PDT
The University of Maryland has won the 11th Annual International Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Competition, in San Diego California. The event is organized by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and the Office of Naval Research, and challenges universities to design and build an AUV capable of navigating realistic underwater missions. Read More
The US$8.5 million Lazzara LSX Ninety Two Luxury Yacht
By Mike Hanlon
16:56 August 10, 2008 PDT
August 11, 2008 The European Boat Show season approaches, and we’re beginning to catch the first glimpses of the innovative new luxury yacht designs – one of the first to declare its hand is Lazzara Yachts which will introduce the US$8.5 million LSX Ninety Two, a completely redesigned follow-up to its acclaimed LSX Seventy Five. Scheduled to launch Fall 2008, the spacious LSX 92 features an expansive flybridge, a private water-level terrace off the master stateroom, a retractable aft sun deck shade, and Quad Volvo Penta Quad IPS II drive units. One of the most unique features of the 92 is the generous aft section that includes a large teak swim platform with a garage for toys that converts into a shaded area suitable for entertaining. Read More
Advanced Digital Control for Yamaha Outboard
By Jack Martin
00:26 July 22, 2008 PDT
July 22, 2008 The concepts of drive-by-wire, steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire were initially eyed with much suspicion by automotive aficionados – how could a computer possibly hope to do a better job than a human being? Well, computers can do a much better job of these tasks, and will eventually be able to turn every aspect of our mere mortal fumbling into Lewis Hamilton-like driving capabilities. Now drive-by-whatever is invading the marine industry with Yamaha’s new second generation 250hp F250B outboard motor. Read More
Pangaea - the world's largest, cleanest expeditionary sailing ship
By Kyle Sherer
15:46 July 6, 2008 PDT
The 35-meter two master PANGAEA is the largest and most flexible polar expedition sailboat ever built. It can navigate through tropics and rivers as easily as it can through polar regions, and will travel to five continents, including the North and South Pole. Read More
Sunreef ONE FIFTY - the biggest luxury catamaran in the world
By Mike Hanlon
17:05 June 29, 2008 PDT
Catamarans offer a lot more usable interior space than a traditional superyacht of similar length and with two superyachts, the Sunreef 102 Double Deck and the Sunreef 114, already under construction, Sunreef Yachts decided to push the limits to 150 feet. Developed by Sunreef’s own in-house design team, the ONE FIFTY was created in response to a "continuing demand for the special combination of luxury and performance offered uniquely by a catamaran" and its futuristic elegance is further enhanced by using uncut teak and solar panels on the large surface area of the sweeping topside to supply power for the vessel. The main deck features a spacious covered area spread over two levels spanning the entire beam (over 17 meters) with sloping deck leading up to the giant flybridge and navigation station just aft of the 55 meter carbon-fiber mast. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
