Marine

Thirty-five year old Chris Todd has attempted to “walk” across 106 kilometers (66 miles) of open sea in a giant hamster wheel-like raft dubbed Tredalo. Unfortunately, the plan to cross the Irish Sea – leaving from Wales and arriving on the east coast of Ireland in the South of Dublin – didn’t quite go to plan. Harsh weather conditions forced Todd to abort the mission after approximately eight and a half hours and 42 kilometers (26 miles) into the journey, when he encountered rudder problems.  Read More

Ah, to be gently motoring down the picturesque canals of Rotterdam ... in a hot tub. It’s not as crazy as it might sound – or perhaps it is. In any case, you can do it, thanks to the Dutch-built HotTug.  Read More

It’s been over 20 months since we last looked at the Kymera jet-powered body board and it’s great to see that its creator, Jason Woods, has stuck with his dream of developing a compact and lightweight personal watercraft. In the time since our last story, Woods has continued to plug away in his garage refining the Kymera, which now sports a new hourglass shape, has made the switch from gasoline to electric power, and has attracted the interest of search and rescue (SAR) teams. Most importantly, the Kymera is nearing commercial availability, with Woods aiming for a release in 2013.  Read More

Mercedes Benz is famous for its range of cars, trucks buses and vans, but the company has ambitions beyond the land. Last year, Mercedes took to the skies with the Eurocopter EC145 Mercedes Benz Style luxury helicopter, and now it has eyes on the seas as part of its vision of “all encompassing mobility.” Presenting the designs at the 2012 Monaco Yacht Show, Mercedes has teamed up with UK-based boat-building company Silver Arrows Marine to design what it describes as a “14-meter (46 ft) long seagoing Granturismo.”  Read More

We’ve already featured a folding rowboat and a folding canoe, so why not a folding kayak? Well, that’s what the Oru is ... and unlike existing folding kayaks that incorporate frames and skins that have to be assembled, it consists almost entirely of one piece of folded corrugated plastic.  Read More

Australian houseboat builder Matt Duncan was stunned when he saw footage of the Japanese tsunami on television. He was so taken aback, in fact, that he decided to do something to help people survive future tsunamis. The result is his Tsunami Survival Pod (TSP), and you can buy one of your own for AUS$8,500, or about US$8,900.  Read More

When someone mentions drug running, most people probably picture a person coming through an airport carrying a suitcase with a false bottom or with balloons stuffed up their nether regions. We don’t usually imagine things like submarines. Unfortunately, the South American drug cartels not only imagine them, but they build and operate them. To help combat these underwater smugglers, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S and T) is operating their own drug-running submarine called PLUTO to develop and test a new generation of detection equipment.  Read More

With its ProGear line, Pelican has been branching steadily outward from its well known protective electronics hard cases. It released a full line of hard/soft backpacks earlier this summer, and now it's trying to put a hard case in your pants. The Pelican Smart Wallet is a mini Pelican case for your cash, cards and ID.  Read More

How many times have you been aboard some billionaire’s superyacht only to be disappointed because there wasn’t a giant, inflatable slide hanging off the stern? Yes, we’ve all been there. Now, Freestyle Slides comes to the aid of the embarrassed super rich with its line of bespoke Freestyle Cruiser PVC slides that give a hundred million dollar yacht that little something extra – in this case, it’s an inflatable, 45-degree water slide with a one-story drop.  Read More