Yacht

Turn heads at the yacht club with Alfra Vico's Marino 52

By Jude Garvey

19:39 October 7, 2009 PDT

A new yacht design by Barrett Prelogar and Franco Marino Cagnina blends extravagant features with all the functionality you would expect from a modern-day watercraft. The Alfra Vico Marino 52 is set to be the ideal boat for a weekend getaway - able to accommodate about 15 people for a day trip - or sleep the owners in luxurious five-star comfort. It features a captain’s station with unobstructed 360-degree views, self-contained bedroom and custom-built-kitchen, as well as purpose-build patent-pending electronic control systems and other essential functional components. Read More

Anti-paparazzi lasers being fitted to the world's biggest private yacht

By Loz Blain

05:34 September 22, 2009 PDT

Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich rose from obscurity and successfully navigated the shady world of early Russian privatization to become one of the world's wealthiest self-made billionaires. His 40-man private army of security personnel make him one of the best-protected businessmen in the world, and when his private gigayacht the Eclipse is handed over in time for Christmas this year, it will be the largest (at a staggering 560ft) and most expensive (at US$1.2 billion) private yacht the world has ever seen. Security will be as tight as you'd expect, with missile defence and intruder detection systems - but the Eclipse's most notable feature is a privacy system that can detect the digital cameras of snooping paparazzi and blind them with laser bursts, ruining spy photos. Read More

SY Thalia - an electronic haven on the high seas

By Jeff Salton

07:41 August 13, 2009 PDT

The SY Thalia is a yacht with a difference … while it’s a beautiful looking vessel outside, it’s what’s inside that really takes your breath away. The 159-foot ketch is fitted out with an award-winning array of the latest and greatest AV gear that is usually reserved for luxury homes. In total, the $300,000+ installation has 12 entertainment, video and navigation zones, including five video screens, one of which is a home theater. Read More

Like a cat outta hell: The ultra-luxury Aeroyacht 110

By Michael Mulcahy

23:49 July 1, 2009 PDT

The Aeroyacht 110 has been dubbed “the world’s most innovative super catamaran” by its designers and, while that’s a pretty big claim, it’s certainly an audacious concept. Capable of speeds of over 32 knots but able to cruise effortlessly at 20, boasting a superbly-appointed 32ft wide salon with 360º sea views and with its own fold-up amphibious plane as a tender, the Aeroyacht 110 looks to be the ne plus ultra of luxury sailing. Read More

World’s first electric hybrid sports boat

By Noel McKeegan

00:41 February 26, 2009 PST

The low-emissions, fuel-saving benefits of hybrid technology aren't limited to the freeway and systems incorporating electric propulsion are popping up in all areas of transport. On the water we've seen hybrid tugboats and solar hybrid motor-yachts, but this is the first time we've seen hybrid technology in a speedboat. Billed as a world's first electric hybrid sport boat, EPIC Wakeboats EPIC 23E relies entirely on a silent, emissions-free electric motor for propulsion and uses half the fuel and produces half the emissions of its combustion-powered equivalent. Read More

Power and sail: Wally's latest offerings hit the water

By Noel McKeegan

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

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

By Noel McKeegan

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

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

The Monster: Puma names Volvo Ocean Race entry

By Noel McKeegan

02:34 May 19, 2008 PDT

PUMA Ocean Racing has christened its stunning new boat "il mostro" (Italian for "The Monster") before heading out to sea to complete its 2000-mile qualifier for the race which gets underway later in October. Read More

PUMA Volvo Ocean Race entry makes final preparations

By Noel McKeegan

22:10 April 23, 2008 PDT

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

By Noel McKeegan

19:20 April 8, 2008 PDT

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

Wally announces new 'floating island' gigayacht: the WallyIsland

By Loz Blain

00:09 March 19, 2008 PDT

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

MarySlim: Multimarine Composites' wave cleaving Very Slender Vessel

By Kyle Sherer

17:08 February 10, 2008 PST

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

Hand-held lightning detector and storm warning device

By Emily Clark

00:05 January 7, 2008 PST

January 7, 2007 Looking more like a garage door remote control than any sort of scientific device, this lightning detector from SkyScan has the ability to detect the characteristic electromagnetic emissions from individual lightning strikes actual and determine how far away it is and whether it is moving towards you or away from you. With a 40 mile range of detection, the device gives the user ample time to seek shelter in the event of a lightning storm. Read More

Nahema to commence construction of H2X’s luxury 120 and 150-foot catamaran range

By Loz Blain

02:49 November 1, 2007 PDT

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

By Loz Blain

05:24 October 23, 2007 PDT

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?

By Loz Blain

16:49 October 9, 2007 PDT

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

By Loz Blain

19:30 September 28, 2007 PDT

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 Mangusta 165 - World's largest Open yacht

By Noel McKeegan

19:31 September 18, 2007 PDT

September 19, 2007 One of the many first views at the first boat show of the European season, the Salon Nautique in Cannes, was the Mangusta 165’ (50 meters), the largest Open yacht in the world. Towering over just about everything in the resplendent harbour, and with invites aboard restricted to Greek Shipping magnates and the like, the EUR 20 million yacht is the new record holder for size in the open class. Besting the existing record held by with its Mangusta 130, the largest open super yacht is destined to remain in the near vicinity as the European home of Australian entrepreneur Jamie Packer, son of the Late Kerry and Grandson of Sir Frank, who has moved the family business out of publishing and into casinos and hence has a lot of business to do in Europe. Combining the recurrence and cost-effectiveness of a Semi-Custom, the Rodriguez Group hopes to deliver two Mangusta 165s a year from 2009. Read More

Hydraulically tilting keel the focus of new race yacht concept

By Loz Blain

22:16 September 10, 2007 PDT

September 11, 2007 High speed and sleek style are the two main goals of this concept yacht from designer

Andrew Hawley. The Hawley F140 looks like a stingray with sails, its downward-sloping bow a clear sign this yacht’s for flat-water speed not wave-punching – but the key innovation is its 30-degree canting keel with a gimbaled bulb, providing turning stability at high lean angles. Read More

Alinghi wins Race Four to tie the America's Cup Match 2-2

By Mike Hanlon

June 27, 2007 America's Cup defender Alinghi beat Emirates Team New Zealand to square the match at two wins apiece here today in Valencia. The Swiss team led the entire race, on another day of tricky, shifty conditions, with the light 8 to 10 knot wind blowing out of the East. SUI 100 helmsman Ed Baird won the right hand side of the starting line and Alinghi was in a powerful position for the rest of the race. The scoreline reads 2-2 with Thursday a scheduled 'off' day, and racing set to resume on Friday. Read More

America's Cup Race 3 – another Emirates Team NZ victory

By Mike Hanlon

June 26, 2007 Emirates Team New Zealand won its second consecutive race in the 32nd America's Cup Match here today, beating Alinghi by 25 seconds in a thrilling race that will go down in the books as one of the most exciting matches in Cup history. With difficult weather conditions which saw massive windshifts over much of the race course area, the Team NZ built a massive lead early, only to see it disappear during the middle portion of the race. The final run to the finish in a dying breeze gave them a second chance, and this time skipper Dean Barker and his afterguard were up to the task, finding more wind on the right side of the race course and streaking past Alinghi for the win just metres from the finishing line. Read More

Collapsible catamaran fits in a sports bag

By Loz Blain

May 23, 2007 Part of sailing's exclusive reputation is due to the considerable cost and inconvenience of owning, transporting and storing watercraft. A UK company has just made the sport far more accessible, with a range of small, sporty 2-person catamarans that fold up and fit into a convenient carry bag - so it's now possible to take your own boat on holiday with you, or become a weekend racer with your boat stored in a cupboard through the week. Read More

Bullimore off to a difficult start on round-the-world record attempt

By Loz Blain

May 9, 2007 Fortune has not been smiling on solo yachtsman Tony Bullimore in his latest attempt to break the solo round-the-world sailing record of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds set by Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2005. Battered by strong winds and suffering the loss of his heavy-weather staysail, Bullimore has been forced off course to preserve his boat. Only on day six of his journey, he's already behind the record pace - but the 69 year old Brit is confident that once he's past Cape Horn his boat will have the speed to make up lost time under the light winds of the Atlantic ocean. Read More