The brothers Grieger have long had a dream, to make pricey yachts that are faster than sin. With the resolution of their company, Agouti Yachts, their dream has finally come true. Their first yacht comes after 50,000 hours of hard work. The boat measures 40 cubic meters of mahogany, 50 cubic meters of cedar wood, 650 square meters and two tons of carbon-epoxy resin. It’s powered by two 10-cylinder MAN diesel engines with more than 2,200 bhp, the Agouti(As it’s known) can reach a top speed of 32 knots, but the designers are hard at work on an even faster version. Inside, Agouti’s got mahogany and leather draping the spacious interior. It also features a well-equipped galley and salon for three cabins with separate bathrooms. Form AND function. Good work guys.
Recently, we told you Richard Fain’s megaship the Oasis of the Seas was nearing completion. That day is now upon us. The world’s biggest cruise ship, or any ship for that matter, is ready to be sailed in. The thing cost a whopping $1.4 billion to build. It features more luxury than you can shake a sea-stick at, including two rock-climbing walls, two surfing simulation wave makers, a basketball cour, four pools, a full spa and an elegant piazza with shopping and restaurants. It truly is a neighborhood unto itself. To give you an idea of how big this thing is, it comes with a retractable funnel so it can duck under bridges. Royal Caribbean will be offering up cruises to passengers with deep pockets starting this month.
Devonport Yachts has asked Emocean Yacht Design to create a new yacht concept design that displays strength, safety, comfort, performance, style and grace. They came up with a 165 m motor yacht named Project 1011, which features a 360-degree observation deck and 17 VIP rooms along with a separate deck dedicated to the owner. The yacht also allows for several interesting water recreation activities, which includes access to a mini sub, a diving chamber and an underwater observation room. The yacht also includes a vehicle drive-in garage, two 20m day boats, a helipad and hanger. Project 1011 will be featured at the Abu Dhabi yacht show in February of next year. No word on how much it will cost when it finally rolls off of the production line.
Popular cruise company Royal Caribbean is putting the finishing touches on their crown jewel, Oasis of the Seas. The massive, massive luxury liner is the biggest cruise ship of, well, all time. The vessel, worth 900 million euros (1.3 billion dollars), can accomodate up to 6,360 passengers and 2,160 crew members. It is 16 decks high, or 65 metres (213 feet) above the waterline, and measures 360 metres (1,180 feet) long and 47 metres (154 feet) wide. Dang. That’s alot of midnight lobster buffets. Of course, it features bars, pools and everything else we love about cruise liners. Oasis of the Seas takes off for it’s maiden voyage in December.
Hedge fund manager Elena Ambrosiadou has purchased the world’s largest yacht. Yachtpals broke the story, and note that the yacht, named The Maltese Falcon, sold for around $120 million dollars. Yowza. That’s a lot of shuffleboard and midnight lobster buffets. The 289 foot luxury boat is fitted with a sophisticated sail system, a gym, a sculpture of a Bugatti classic racecar and a miniature submarine for those hard to reach places. The ship has eighteen crewmembers on staff and six cabins for guests. As you can see below, it truly is the lap of luxury.
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Sick of sailing the high seas without an iPod dock maximized for use on a boat? Italian nautical company Gallinea has you covered. They have recently unveiled the obviously titled “iBoat.” This ADHP dock station is meant for a pirate’s life, being as how the unit is rigged to turn on automatically when the boat starts up. The station comes equipped with aux inputs and outputs, making it compatible with any audio source. Now you can listen to the SNL song “On a Boat” as you are actually, um, on a boat.
The unit was unveiled at the 49th annual Genoa Boat show. Pricing has yet to be released. More information can be found at Gallinea’s site.
The Saint-Petersburg State Marine Engineering University has created the Blue Space pedal powered submarine for all to enjoy! This exquisite toy has been in prototype since 2003 but is making a push for real investment partners to make this a reality. The propulsion is based on two occupants and can generate a capacity of 0.4 – 0.8 kW. This can convert to about two to four hours of 2 – 3 knots speed. Similar systems require a hefty 2.5 – 5.0 kW to achieve similar results. MIT uses a method called “Coanda effect,” which assumes that “if an air or water jet is blown out through a flat slot in tangential direction, this jet adheres to the surface on a comparatively large spacing from the slot. At the same time, rarefaction or thrust on the surface is generated.” Human powered submarines are popular with the navy, but are now trying to break into personal vehicle space. The first step to this progress is the relatively reasonable price point of $30k- $70k. This is much less then the million dollar automatic subs available and may even been an attraction to wealthy people and resorts. The cost of operation is much less then an automatic and is very maneuverable. It can go backward forward and even rotate. Preliminary market research is leaning toward roughly a million units sold worldwide. MIT is hoping to make about 10,000 units a year with future models already in mind. This concept is much like the Hoverwing Hovercraft and will spark a lot of interest.
New Zealand mechanic Rudy Heeman has just developed a two passenger hovercraft that has the ability to lift off, leaving other water based craft in its wake. The hovercaft is has been developed over the last eleven years. Its’ optimum height is about 4ft 6in above the water. The hoverwing sets off like a normal-hovercraft but when it reaches top speed of 60mph, its wings can be extended and it takes flight. Rudy Heeman believes there may be a commercial market for his creation-the hoverwing. He believes that his invention is an extremely efficient method of transport, travelling at about 6ft over the water and reaching speeds of over 60mph across the surface.
Heeman Officially calls this invention a ‘wing in ground effect vehicle’ - a hovercraft which is able to fly due to a set of unusual aerodynamics. Heeman’s first test flight actually ended in a crash landing. He was lucky and escaped with only a bruised leg. After the accident Heeman made adjustments to the Hovercraft and now believes the hoverwing is ready. , but Mr Heeman has yet to decide who to choose.
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