Innovation

If you’re gonna modify a boat to look like a sports car, why not choose one of the coolest ones out there. That’s exactly what JetcarTurkiye from you guessed it, Turkey has done. They specialize in making boats that look like C7 Corvettes. Yes, you heard that right, a boat that resembles the good old C7, complete with bodywork, doors, add-on wheels, a rear wing, and even an exhaust unit, which by the way doesn’t sound too bad.

Russian businessman and concept designer Vasily Klyukin has released his latest design masterpiece, and as you can expect from the man behind the White Sails Hospital & Spa in Tunisia Economic City (TEC), it’s absolutely spell-binding.

The design is called the Monaco 2050, a visually arresting futuristic mega-yachtthat can carry, among other things, a helicopter, or at least what Klyukin believes helicopters will look like in 35 years. It’s actually looks more like one of those jet gliders you see in Marvel movies, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that it looks positively bonkers.

Klyukin didn’t dive into the specific details of the Monaco 2050, only showing us design renderings of the mega yacht in full bloom. Based on these renderings and the accompanying video teaser, the Monaco 2050 is massive. It has, by my count, at least three levels, each presumably coming with enough luxury refinements and extravagant amenities to make the Prince of Monaco, Albert II, gush in envy. While we don’t get to see all the goodies Klyukin added in the interior of the Monaco 2050, we do get a clear view of one of the yacht’s most central features: the helicopter/jet glider.

Yep. What you see sitting on the top deck of the Monaco 2050 is an aircraft with enough jet engines to fly long distances. Once the aircraft needs to land, all the pilot has to do is sit it down in the helipad on the deck. Sounds pretty simple, right?

The truth is, I don’t know if this yacht will ever come to fruition, although when it comes to Kluykin, anything’s really possible.

So if any of you lives to see 2050, be on the lookout for the Monaco 2050.

Continue reading to read more about Vasily Klyukin’s Monaco 2050 mega-yacht.

Serbian architecture and yacht design firm Salt & Water, an apt name for the company, has come up with a unique proposal to circumvent the strict rules and regulations on polluting remote lakes so vacation-goers can enjoy the beauty of what it describes as the “untouched and neglected” side of nature.

The proposal is as marvelous as it is bold. At the very least, it’s unique, or so it is when I’m picturing a floating catamaran that doubles as a posh, luxury hotel and apartment. If you can’t replicate the image in your head, don’t feel too bad. I had the same problem too until I saw Salt & Water’s design renderings of its proposal.

In a word, wow.

According to the Serbian design firm, the concept is actually pretty simple if you let your imaginations run loose a little bit. The most important part of this conceptual design is the permanently docked structure that serves as a reception area and a wharf of sorts, connecting the bank of the lake on one side and a handful of catamarans designed as hotels on the other side, similar to how boats are moored in a more traditional dock.

Each of these catamarans doubles as an apartment that can accommodate as many as four people. It’ll also have all the features and amenities you’ll need in a top-class apartments. There’s a salon, a galley, bathrooms, and a sleeping area. More importantly, you can take these floating apartments out of the dock should you want to enjoy the lake for yourselves. If you want to take a dip, the beach platform allows you to jump into the lake without so much of a hassle.

The proposal is still in its conceptual phase so there’s still a long way to go before we actually see these things in production. But it is a nifty idea from Salt & Water, one that I wouldn’t mind seeing come to life in the not-so-distant future.

Continue reading to read more about Salt & Water’s proposed floating catamaran apartments.

A Chinese company with presumably too much money and time on its hands has announced plans to build a life-sized replica of the RMS Titanic. You read that right. The Titanic, the same mega cruise ship that sunk in the Atlantic Ocean back in 1912, is getting a do-over.

Ok, that’s not entirely accurate. The Chinese Titanic, if you can even call it that, won’t be fully functional. In fact, it’s going to be a stand-still replica that will double as a museum and a theme park of sorts. If only the Irish folks behind the construction of the original Titanic thought of the same thing 113 years ago.

In any case, plans to build the replica Titanic actually began in 2013, when Seven Star Energy Group announced its intention to build the iconic cruise ship based on a majority of its design papers and with the help of an American high technology company. Apparently, this includes exact design replicas of both the ship’s exterior and interior, right down to the large dining halls and high-end hotels.

The project is expected to be completed in 2017, after which the replica Titanic will be prominently displayed on the Qi River at a theme park in Sichuan Province. There’s even talk that once it’s completed, the Chinese Titanic will be able to simulate the feeling of hitting an iceberg, much like the original Titanic, which eventually led to its sinking.

Continue reading to read more about plans to build the Chinese Titanic.

If you’ve ever craved for some kind of privacy in lakes or ponds, all-around retailer Hammacher Schlemmer wants to introduce you to an electric watercraft that can address your needs.

Think of this electric watercraft as an obscenely luxurious raft made from fiberglass and trimmed with fancy mahogany and chromed holdings. It also has stainless steel drink holders and a built-in cooler that can hold as much as 12 bottles of beer in case you want to spend your alone time relaxing with a brew in hand.

Speaking of relaxing, Hammacher Schlemmer also added twin foam-padded recumbent seats upholstered in marine-grand vinyl to keep up with its flamboyant appearance and a waterproof, 120-watt audio system with two five-inch speakers that can play music from a connected iPod.

The boat runs on a 12-volt electric motor that sends power to its two-bladed propeller, providing four mph of steady relaxation. A control knob was added into the portside, allowing you to switch between five forward and two reverse speeds. There’s also a hand tiller on the starboard side that has a thumb-activated throttle helps the watercraft steer seamlessly.

Hammacher Schlemmer’s electric-powered watercraft is a thing of beauty and its functions aren’t too bad, either. So naturally, it costs quite a lot, too. One unit of this randy dandy watercraft will set you back a cool $3,500. Fortunately, Hammacher Schlemmer is offering a lifetime guarantee at no additional charge.

Continue reading to read more about Hammacher Schlemmer’s new one-person electric watercraft.

Burgess Marine, the UK’s largest independent ship repairer, is preparing to build Glider Yachts’ SS18 prototype after the latter secured the necessary funding to green light the project.

It’s been a long time coming for Glider Yachts, which suffered through the same problems any young and enterprising firm goes through at some point in its life. According to company chairman Nick Buckland OBE, the company spent the past seven years designing and developing its fleet of Glider Yachts, including the SS18.

But designing and developing the yachts are different from having the money to actually build them. So give credit to the company for persevering all these years before finally receiving the needed funds from a consortium of private investors.

Now, the company has a £100 million contract with Burgess Marine and the latter is set to begin production of the SS18 in time for its highly anticipated debuted at the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2015.

The revolutionary multihull cruiser will be powered by four Rotax 4TEC engines, each with coming with 260 horsepower of output. Combine all that and the SS18 is capable of producing as much as 1,040 horsepower, allowing the SS18 to reach top speeds in excess of 60 knots.

The cruiser’s performance capabilities are impressive enough on its own. But it’s far from being the only impressive thing about the SS18.

As I mentioned, Glider Yachts spent close to seven years designing the concept and for what it’s worth, the company made good use of that time by creating a proprietary design that includes shallow-draft hulls that would allow beach landings and anchoring in shallow bays. The SS18 will also feature a state-of-the-art stability control system that should provide smooth cruising even in sub-optimal water conditions. The yacht also has a luxurious side to it, highlighted by leather seats, carbon fiber fixtures, and a fully integrated navigational and engine management system.

Continue reading to read more about Burgess Marine’s development of the Glider Yachts SS18.

McLaren’s stature in the auto industry as one of the pre-eminent supercar makers in the world is pretty secure. So if you know that your company is looking peachy in the eyes of most, you’re going to need to dive into new territory to find a new challenge.

Apparently, they’ve found that challenge in designing boats, particularly the UltraLuxum CXL, a ridiculous-looking boat that was co-developed by McLaren Applied Technologies. The boat features "state-of-the-art craftsmanship," which, when you look at the renderings, seems to be an understatement. It has retractable outer beams that can be used to stretch the boat out at 23 meters wide across open water and a svelte 11 meters across enclosed spaces.

The multiple decks are also a unique characteristic of the UltraLuxum CXL, further giving proof as to how huge this boat really is. Then there’s the equally expansive interior that features a master cabin, four guest cabins, three crew cabins, a lounge, a dining room, a kitchen, and last, but certainly not least, an optional garage where you can presumably stow a car like, say, the McLaren MP4-12C.

Yeah, we figure McLaren would want that, right?

A couple of days ago I told you about the glass bottom boats. Now I’m going to present you the personal “underwater boat”.
This personal submersible is developed by U-Boat Worx and is based on a concept that combines the characteristics of a submersible -"the underwater part"- , with those of a normal boat -"the boat part". The main advantage of an Underwater Boat compared to the classic submersible is the ease with which they can be launched and operated in almost all (...)

The Sea Orbiter is a new scientific vessel that will allow the study of marine life. This vessel design by the French architect Jaques Rougerie contains various laboratories for studying marine life, will be 167 ft. (51 m) high, two-thirds of which will be submerged underwater. The gigantic laboratory is powered only by the sea currents and by the wind and it will take approximately two years for it to circumnavigate the earth.
The Sea Orbiter has already attract the interest of both (...)

Looker a new type of boat developed by the Russian company Paritetboat will make your trips on the water unforgettable. This unique glass-bottomed boat comes in various sizes and includes a huge spheroid window made of 15mm-thick modified acrylic.
The Looker range has now four models: Looker 17, Looker 25, Looker 30 and Looker 35. The inference between these models and the conventional glass-bottomed boats is the speed. The Looker range has a top speed between 35 knots (40 mph) and 40 (...)

After Aquada and Quadski I think now it’s time to present you Humdinga the first “real” 4x4. No terrain, no water will ever stop Humdinga.
The 5-seater Humdinga powered by a 350 BHP engine is capable of travelling on land 100 mph and on water at 40 mph.
Although the new application utilizes the same patented HSA technological platform as the Aquada, it shares no common component parts or systems with its predecessor. It has been designed specifically to access remote and hostile terrain. The (...)

A couple of days ago I presented you the first amphibian car Aquada. I hope I raised your interest in the High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology made by Gibbs Technologies Ltd. I think that now is the moment to write something about the first amphibian ATV – Quadski.
Quadski – the first commercially viable high-speed amphibian Quadbike/All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) – is the third demonstration of Gibbs’ HSA technology following the successes of the Aquada and the Humdinga. Quadski, which is (...)

What do you think about always having your catamaran near you? I think it’s a great idea! Let’s say that you’re driving your car for a couple of hours on a hot summer day and you pass near a lake and think that you really need to take a break, to relax. What’s more relaxing than sailing? Nothing! Ok, in that moment the sailing craft from MiniCat really comes on handy. The only thing you have to do is to take it out of your trunk and assemble it. After that you can enjoy a ride with your MiniCat (...)

Are you sick of the trouble you have when you are trying to get your boat of the trailer into the water? You remember the time when you almost drove your car into the water? Or when you were so angry you couldn’t find a suitable place to approach your car near the water that you drove back home and forgot about your plans for that day?
You’re not going to have those problems anymore because Sealegs International Ltd confirmed today that its new 23.29 ft. (7.1 m) amphibious boat is heading (...)

Imagine a vehicle unlike any other. A vehicle that is exciting, exceptional and unique. This is the Gibbs Aquada, the vehicle that will transform your life. This exciting and unique vehicle is capable of over 100mph on land and in excess of 30mph on water.
Entering the water is simple as “riding a bike”, the only think that you’ll have to do is to press a button and to drive into the water. Aquada does everything else: it raises automatically the wheels and you’ll have to accelerate to enter (...)