Sea Doo - The Fastest Recreational Speed-Boat !

Our affinity for speed never dies and we are sure that you too want more of it...


BRP - Bombardier Recreational Products, a part of the Bombardier Group that makes private jet planes and recreational products - has been manufacturing the Sea Doo range of speedboats that has been a long-running favorite in the world of watersports and speed on water.

HISTORY OF SEA-DOO

The SEADOO company has been producing personal watercraft since 1988 and will be celebrating its 20th year in business in 2008. They did however invent the sport with the first sit down Sea Doo in 1968 and 1969. However due to the engine technology of the time they abandoned the product for almost 20 years.



ROTAX ENGINES

Sport Boats were introduced in 1994 and used the same Rotax 2-Stroke engines used in their jet-skis. In 2003, SEADOO began to use Four-Stroke Rotax engines which were all fuel injected, and in certain models, were supercharged and intercooled to increase performance. All SEADOO models have 4-Stroke Rotax engines except for the one-person 3D-DI model which needs to use a 2-stroke engine in order to lessen weight.


The most powerful option ever offered by these engines is Twin Rotax 4-Tec engines only in Sport Boats that combine two 215 hp (160 kW) supercharged intercooled engines used in the Speedster and 230 challenger models rated at 430 combined horsepower. Their new RXP-X and RXT-X now have 255 horsepower the most in the industry with a 0-50 mph speed in less than 2.9 seconds.

POWERRRRRRRRRRR!

When the RXP was introduced in 2004, it was the most powerful and fastest 4-stroke 2-Person PWC ever made-215 horsepower and capable of reaching approximately 110 km/h. When the RXT was introduced in 2005, it was the most powerful 3-seater on the water with the same engine as the RXP and was capable of reaching the same speeds. In 2007, all Sport Boats except the 150 Speedster and the 180 Challenger were offered with either two 155 hp engines to make 310 hp or to supercharge and intercool the same engines to make each one 215 hp for a combined total of 430 hp.


For 2008, the RXT and RXP models will be offered with an "X" package that can increase the power of the engines to an astounding 255 hp to compete with the 250 hp Kawasaki Ultra 250x.

CHECK THE VIDEO

The video below shows the Sea Doo at its best and in action in a lake.



For more about these fastest speed-boats click here....

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Fastest Luxury Speedboat In The Mumbai Harbour: Power Boating with the Bladerunner

There were many gigantic luxury yachts parked at the SMIBS Marina this year. Undoubtedly the one who stole the show was the Bladerunner! It was present on the last day, and that too just for a couple of minutes, but that was enough time to pull in the crowd. All eyes were on this speed-demon as it whisked to the marina, picked up it’s guests and sped away in no time.


Bladerunner's eye-catching styling is more than a mere novelty. Here's a craft that performs like a racer but also pushes the boundaries of leisure cruising.
Are you ready for the design…the machine…the experience?
Read on for more of the Bladerunner…


Raceboat performance and everyday practicality are usually considered to be mutually exclusive properties. You can have one but not the other.
However, this is most certainly not the case if you’re responsible for developing a completely new design of powerboat at ICE Marine…


Together with a team of highly respected high performance offshore racing professionals in design and engineering, the company ICE Marine, started out on its mission to not only improve the performance, efficiency and handling of high speed offshore powerboats, but to also generate a much safer, softer riding and leisure friendly platform for the sports boat market.


What emerged after an extensive period of development, wind tunnel testing and sea trials, was one of the most technically advanced hull forms in the world, the Bladerunner.


With over 30 years of extensive development and technical expertise behind the company combined with a comprehensive 10 year development program for the Bladerunner ‘Air Entrapement Monohull’ design, the Bladerunner Series now ranges from 35’ to 51’, with a number of very credible World and national records under its belt, including the outright Round Britain World Record!


The Bladerunner hull form was conceived by Britains’ most successful and experienced offshore racing professionals in both design and engineering. Head of design at ICE Marine is Naval Architect Lorne Campbell, a quietly spoken man with over 30 years experience in designing class winning high performance powerboats and an enviable 100 race wins and 20 World and National championships to his credit. First launched and raced in the 1998, the RS6 ICE raceboat (Blade 001) was an immediate hit on the demanding 6 litre circuit, winning the Cowes classic 3 years in succession.

Stay tuned in as Team Giira discovers what it feels like to ride in the bladerunner in the coming posts.
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Best Beautiful Yacht Videos - Part IV : The Wally Power 118

The WALLY POWER 118 - arguably one of the fastest yachts in its size, and definitely with one of the most contemporary and at times controversial design and function. Imagine a combination of a jet plane that looks like and is as big as the B-2 Stealth Bomber, but have all the luxuries and comfort of the Airbus A380XX. The Wally Power 118 is just that albeit a sea-going version of it.


If a figure like 16,000 horsepower doesn't excite you (we are sure it already did), then a high-performance superyacht with a master bedroom, two guest rooms, a professional kitchen, and a huge dining/seating area at 118 feet long, notching speeds up to 70 mph - all cocooned in a design like this...DEFINITELY WOULD!

WALLY YACHTS

Based out of Monaco and founded in 1994, Wally Yachts has carved a niche of its own in the mega-yacht category. Wally is considered to be one of the premier yacht builders, noted for its unique blend of stylish, sleek, minimalist design, power and comfort. Celebrities owning a Wally include Gianni Agnelli, Juan Carlos I of Spain, Marco Tronchetti Provera, and Lindsay Owen-Jones.

WALLY POWER 118

WallyPower 118 is a high speed luxury yacht which is narrow and angular in design with black glass housing. It is 118 feet long and is capable of reaching speeds as fast as 60 knots (70 mph, 110 km/h).


It is capable of this feat due to three Vericor TF50 gas turbines generating 16,800 HP. The three gas turbines each drive a Rolls-Royce Kamewa water jet, two steerable outboard and a non-steering booster on centerline. The steerable water jets also have a diesel engine input for a 370 hp Cummins diesel hence these two wing drive trains are Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine (CODOG). It has one many a design awards over the world and at the same time had a cameo as a futuristic yacht in the movie 'The Island'.

THE VIDEO

This one of the most complete and comprehensive yacht video ever! The beginning score from the James Bond movie Goldeneye is just perfect for the Wally Power 118...since it seems like something out from W's laboratory.


It starts with the Wally in its entirety, unmoving - as though its resting on a throne of water. Then the focus shifts to what the Wally is really good at - displacing as much water as fast as it can. It looks nothing less that a wedge cutting through the water and the draft created by its 3 turbine engines is humongous. At time it feels as though it would lift off and fly incase someone attached wings on its side. In this part of the video, the Wally looks like a mono-block design, right out of a mould.


What really amazes is that how the Wally manages to satiate its owner's appetite for opulence. One would expect an absolutely spartan interior for a yacht with a body designed like that. But there is more to than what meets the eye. Every part of the body opens to a functional use, so much so that every hatch gets converted to a fine piece of furniture. You even have a full Dinner Deck (our creative minds at work) at the aft for your guests to enjoy a 5 course meal.

There is enough storage space for everything you want in there. At the fore, a hatch with enough space to hold in a Zodiac with an mechanical winch is present. The attention to detail is of immense good quality. A windscreen (retractable) allows your hair (and maybe even you) not to fly away, at the speeds that it can touch.


A finishing touch to the video is given in the form of the amazing Technical Specifications and a bit of bragging about the Wally's capabilities.

THE FUTURE, NOW

We strongly feel that the Wally is all about things to come. The way yacht architecture and design are heading, it surely would be. It's a piece of the future albeit at the price of the future - a cool US $ 25 Million for the 3 Gas Turbine engine version. Read more...

Entrapped By The Bladerunner: One ‘Hull’ Of A Design !

Behold the Bladerunner. It is an ‘Air entrapment monohull’ or AEM.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea this speed demon hits center point!

Pioneered by ICE Marine the AEM is radically different to a conventional monohull, with dramatic twin tunnels that flare out either side of the extremely slender twin stepped hull finishing with sharp knife like sponsons at the sides...


. This unique combination gives a Bladerunner phenomenal aerodynamic lift, which improves performance and significantly softens the ride over conventional monohulls by compressing the air inside the tunnels adding a cushioning effect. A further advantage is that the centre of lift is located much further aft than a comparative high performance catamaran, providing a safer and more level ride in rough seas. The sharp keels of a Bladerunner’s sponsons cut effortlessly through the waves, which is a stark contrast to the wide flat chines of a conventional monohull that impact hard on the surface of the water. They also form the outer walls of the tunnels, which is essential for air compression and the resulting aerodynamic lift.

The Bladerunner is kept stable and level in a straight line and when turning by a combination of the sharp keels and the pressurised air in the tunnels. These same sharp keels also provide superior directional stability to avoid any unforeseen sudden changes in direction (hooking) to the left or right that high-speed monohulls and catamarans are prone to.

The net result of all this is a quicker, safer and more efficient hull that has superb rough water capabilities with inherent soft riding characteristics.
If this leading-edge design technology sounds amazing on paper, you only have to experience a Bladerunner for a short time to understand what it means in reality.
The all new Bladerunner 51 is the current flagship model to the Bladerunner Series. Powered by twin 1000hp Caterpillar C18 inboard engines combined with a pair of Arneson surface drives, with a top speed in excess of 65 knots (74 mph) in full leisure format, the all new Bladerunner 51 is one of the fastest luxury high performance sports cruisers in production in the world today. In late 2005, this remarkable boat smashed the Round Britain World Record in an astonishing 27hrs and 10mins at an average speed of 63.5mph, proving its astounding offshore capabilities.

The all new Bladerunner 35 is the latest edition to the Bladerunner Series, replacing its awarding winning and world renowned predecessor, the notorious Bladerunner 34. A complete evolution of the previous 34’ model, it now incorporates a number of revised modifications and updates inside and out to help even further to improve comfort, ride stability and hull efficiency. With her specially developed ‘Air Entrapement Monohull’ and an overall length of 35ft, this is a craft that will take a wide variety of sea conditions in her stride.
Catch her before she's out of sight at the Mumbai International Boat Show 2008, 29Feb to 2March at the BKC!
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World's Fastest Mega-Yacht - The World is Not Enough !

SPEED ! - It's one helluva man-made addiction! We are always fascinated in knowing how fast can anything with wheels, wings or sails reach from point A to point B...

Back at Giira, we have always been wondering that how do we go about finding the fastest yacht in the world - since unlike cars, in which most of the big cars come with equally big engines - the structural comparison in yachts is different.


But since we love to ponder about Super- and Mega-Yachts...we set out looking for the World's Fastest Yacht in that category.

Lo and behold...here comes the Millenium-built fully-loaded Mega-Yacht aptly titled - 'The World is Not Enough' !

We are guessing that is was so named because at the speed that this beauty reaches, even all the waters of the world won't be enough for a ride !

HAI CARAMBA

One look at the specs and details of this bomb is enough to make jump of your chair skywards at equal speeds.

Yacht's Length - 139 ft
Yacht's Builder - Millenium Super Yachts
Engines - 2x 5435 hp Paxman diesels (It's getting HOT IN HERE...)
2 x 9200 hp Lycoming gasturbines (Is this what they call NOS for boats?)
TOP SPEED - 68 KNOTS (122 KMPH, 1 Knot = 1.8 KMPH.'Here cometh the World Champion!')
Cruise - 50 knots (Guess this is the real challenge - knowing that you are in the World's Fastest Mega-Yacht and controlling yourself to only cruising!)


Apart from these one and only features, she even sleeps ten with a crew of eight. She is outfitted to be as opulent as possible with honey onyx floors in the bathroom, Jacuzzi tubs, Rolex sinks, barbecue grill on deck, multiple bars and plasma televisions, a formal dining room and granite countertops in the kitchen. (Imagine Ben Johnson doing a 100mts sprint with a tuxedo!).

She costs an equally hot $28 million.

OCEANO F1

A regular 'celebrity' at the Monaco Grand Prix, some of the 'TWINE' snaps in this post were taken at its favorite berthing spot - Monaco. Make sure that next time you tune in to watch your favourite circuit of F1, you get a glimpse of this 'watered-down F1 machine' on your TV sets.


We just hope that seat-belts and air-bags come in it as standard equipment!
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