Boating
Power and sail: Wally's latest offerings hit the water
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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
Sollight's portable and environmentally friendly lighting systems
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Sollight's LightCap and LightShip solar-powered lights are designed for camping, boating holidays or to use around the home. The LightCap fits on to a standard water bottle and turns it into a portable lantern whilst the LightShip can be conveniently attached just about anywhere for charging during the day and becomes a portable flashlight at night. Both products are perfect in an emergency situation, are weather-proof and importantly, environmentally friendly. Read More
Pangaea - the world's largest, cleanest expeditionary sailing ship
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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 world's first solar speedboat: 30-knot, 80kw Czeers Mk1
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Electricity and water: we usually do everything we can to keep the two apart, but it seems the electric engine revolution is moving through the boating world as well. And when you're out on the water enjoying a speedboat, what more appropriate power source is there than the sun? The Czeers MK1 prototype solar speedboat is a 30-knot photovoltaic dream in delicious shades of carbon fiber and lush orange leather with 14 square meters of solar panels and a silently operating 80kw electric motor. Solar boats for environmental warriors eh? Next thing you'll be telling us they're making wind-powered ones. Read More
GE and the C-MAR Group unite to design hybrid tugboat
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Hybrid technology is slowly beginning to make its mark on the roadways as manufacturers of cars, buses and trucks embrace it as a cleaner, more efficient alternative. Efforts are also underway to expand this type of technology on the water - Foss Maritime announced plans to build the world's first true hybrid tug boat in early 2007 and now GE and the C-MAR Group hope to demonstrate the feasibility of a hybrid tugboat technology that will both conserve fuel and reduce emissions. Read More
The Monster: Puma names Volvo Ocean Race entry
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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.
PUMA Volvo Ocean Race entry makes final preparations
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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
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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
Sink or swim: floating Hybrid XPliers
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March 6, 2008 Robrady is a name most of our readers will associate with bleeding-edge electric motorcycle designs, but the company’s portfolio has several facets including a partnership with marine tool specialists XTools. The latest product to emerge from this collaboration is a pair of rugged hybrid pliers, which like all tools in the range, float when they hit the water. Read More
Sunreef 100ft+ luxury charter catamarans
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March 4, 2008 Sunreef is adding to its fleet of luxury charter boats with an enormous 102 ft. double-deck, sailing catamaran. This vessel will be the largest boat in their current fleet but not for long as there are grand plans to launch 150, 170 and 200 footers in the future. Read More
Groundbreaking system to prevent collisions between whales and sea-craft
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An unlucky passenger who died when a high-speed ferry rammed into a sperm whale in the Canary islands was the world’s first known victim of a new form of pollution – ocean noise. In places where marine traffic is heavy, vessels fast and whale numbers expanding, violent encounters are increasingly common. The cause of the accident, says marine biologist and Rolex Awards for Enterprise Laureate Michel André, most probably lay in damage to the whale’s sensitive hearing apparatus caused by the rising roar of man-made noise throughout the oceans. The whale was stone deaf – and simply didn’t hear the ferry coming in time to avoid it. Julian Cribb reports. Read More
MarySlim: Multimarine Composites' wave cleaving Very Slender Vessel
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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
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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
Hand-held lightning detector and storm warning device
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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
Sealegs breaks amphibious on-water record
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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
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December 5, 2007 Sealegs International is gearing up for a world record attempt as the fastest amphibious vehicle over 500m on-water. Read More
The Mangusta 165 - World's largest Open yacht
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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
ClearPoint predictive weather service
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September 11, 2007 A new offering from ClearPoint provides boat owners, sailing clubs, marinas and weather-watchers with a comprehensive high-resolution weather information service. Available via the Internet, ClearPoint Premium Edition tracks marine craft as they sail to show prevailing weather conditions at any location. Read More
FishGillz floating sunglasses
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September 10, 2007 It’s a sinking feeling – literally. You’re busy pulling in the first catch of the day and your sunglasses get caught up in the action, hit the water and sink serenely to a watery grave - never to be seen again. This invention gives a far better chance of retrieval - specialty sunglasses that are designed to float. Read More
Electric inflatable watercraft - the Jetski for beginners
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August 21, 2007 Inflatable watercraft are now available for dozens of different recreational purposes, from basic loungers through to purpose-built inflatables that come in every imaginable size and shape. A new product from Icontech, the Electric Inflatable Watercraft, is a battery powered, sit-down jetski-like product, that has a maximum speed of 10kmh and is an affordable alternative for the beginner or novice water enthusiast. Read More
Drive, float or fly? Your choice with the affordable Ramphos amphibious flying boat
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August 1, 2007 With disposable income levels running high, expensive hobbies like aviation are coming within the reach of more and more people – and hobby pilots are discovering that small planes are coming down to a price point on a par with a touring motorcycle or midrange car. Owning a small plane has its drawbacks though – storing and transporting them can be difficult, not to mention the fact that you need an airstrip to take off and land from. The Italian Ramphos, however, suffers none of these issues. It’s an amphibious flying boat that’s just as happy taking off and landing on water as on land with its retractable wheels. You can tow it around on a trailer, and like the best of late-night TV exercise equipment, it folds for easy storage. This purpose-built little 2-seater is effortlessly easy to fly, handles like a dream and offers a very affordable, practical and exhilarating way to explore the local lakes and coastlines with maximum thrills for minimum fuss. Read More
Seakeeper Gyro: stability on the high-seas
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July 13, 2007 The experience of cruising the ocean waves is a joy for some, but as anyone who suffers from sea sickness can attest, it can also be completely unbearable. Boats pitch, roll and yaw much like aircraft and to counter the disorientation this causes to our bodies gyroscopic stability systems and trim tabs have been developed to combat the rolling seas. Seakeeper is one company addressing this issue through the research and development of stability devices for small boats under 100 feet that include products for both low and high speeds. The company has developed different systems depending on the size of their craft and how it is used. The first is a gyroscopic stability system designed to combat what’s considered the worst part of the boating experience - low speed boat roll - and the second is a stability system that makes use of sensor-adjusted small control surfaces (like a more advanced form of the traditional trim tabs) that adjusts the motion of a boat moving at speed and improves comfort, handling, and safety. Read More
Sealegs amphibious boats extend range with rugged new D-tube model
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July 12, 2007 Since the last time we caught up with the Kiwis behind Sealegs, the amphibious boat that can drive itself straight down into the water, worldwide sales have taken off. The eye-catching vehicle is a fully functional boat that drops "landing gear" much like a small plane to drive out of the water and overland at up to 6mph (10kph). Sealegs showcased their latest model in Australia recently at the Melbourne Boat Show - a 6.1 metre aluminium D-tube version that's essentially a ruggedized rigid inflatable - a bit heavier and around AUD$10K (US$8,600) more expensive than its predecessor, but it's a complete turnkey amphibious solution with extra armor for avid adventurers. A drive on trailer is now also available that adds high speed land transport to the equation. Read More
Floating Dry Dock provides protection on the water
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July 12, 2007 Boat owners who keep their boats moored know all too well what a hassle it can be to regularly remove accumulated plants, algae and sea-creatures from their hulls - a process known as antifouling. The conventional approach is to periodically use expensive and time consuming boat lifts and dry storage to clean the hull, but an alternative is available that achieves the same objective without removing the boat from the water. Known as the Floating Dry Dock, this solution uses an inflatable protective skin to keep the boat dry while moored, providing a fast, cost-effective, drive-in/drive-out way to by-pass the need for antifouling. Read More
