The Future CATAMARAN - PORSCHE Studio Design!

"PORSCHE" ... The name defines Speed, Thrill, Luxury & Over the Edge EXPERIENCE! Porsche has a history of getting its talented fingers into everything. So when we heard that a collaboration between Porsche and the Singaporean yacht builder Royal Falcon Fleet is set to take place we were not surprised.


The German car manufacturer will be designing the exterior and the interior for the luxury RFF135 yacht. RFF135 is going to be a stunning 135ft mega high speed catamaran. Topping the speed of 35 knots, the catamaran is going to be one of the fastest yacht for its size. The catamaran looks more like a spaceship and it would surely appeal your eyes even if you are not a boat lover.


The technology will be taken care by the Singaporean yacht builder and will feature everything that a billionaire would require. The catamaran design which looks like an inspiration from the Star Wars movie will cost u few million. The collaboration between the two companies does not end with the catamaran. They plan to work and built more hi-tech boats and a mega yacht too.

European design and Asian technology, the combination is surely going to make the heads turn and wealthy spend. Its not clear when the project completes or about the date when the yacht will reach the market. But i feel many wealthy people must have pre-ordered the yacht by now.


If you're wondering how an automotive merchandise design firm could translate their competence to the entirely separate field of naval architecture, just remember that, following the Fearless speedboat series, this won't be the first time Porsche Design has tangled its toes in the water.. Read more...

Shades Of A Revolution! Sailing & F1 Get A New Insight

Tag Heuer has provided the Tag Heuer Sport Vision `Physics' sunglasses that have been modified to incorporate a microdisplay system into them. So the sailors in each boat communicate with each other simply through their sunglasses. They don't have to leave their corner to pass on or receive some vital information.



Now let's take a look at how the system works in Formula One racing and Sailing.



In F1 racing

The car driver in a Formula One event now does not need to stop at the pits for information, thus losing precious time. Information he needs is displayed on the visor of his helmet so he can read as he races.

A small radio terminal is planted in the helmet. The terminal is wireless and can be activated from the pits by the engineers. The necessary data is fed into this radio terminal, which in turn displays the information received on the driver's visor.




The information displayed has to be crystal-clear for the driver to read. The answer to this is in the lens element known as a free form prism. The microdisplay has a high-resolution true colour display, which is based on active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) technology. If you're wondering what exactly is AMLCD technology, it is a panel used to display data, images, symbols, and text for human-readable screens. One of the many applications for this technology is in aviation.

In Sailing

Instead of the helmet, in sailing, the sailor's sunglasses do the job. A small radio terminal is planted on the `branch' of the Tag Heuer Sport Vision sunglasses. The terminal receives the information needed by the sailor and projects it on the lens so that he can read it whenever he wants (like Arnold Schwarzenegger's glasses in Terminator, for instance). An interface unit located on the sailboat registers information provided by the onboard telemetry system and then distributes individually-tailored data to the lenses of the sailor's sunglasses. Clear access to this information can provide a distinct performance advantage.




With the sailboat performance data available directly in his line of sight, an Oracle BMW Racing sailor is able to better concentrate on his tasks, and communicate constantly with his companions, without having to struggle to read the traditional information displays located around the sailboat.



The technology utilises a wireless link that operates solely within the parameter of the sailboat. Due to the short operating range, it is not possible to distribute data from outside the sailboat to the sunglass receivers.



Price Range: $158.00 — $359.99 Avg. Price: $274.00
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Futuristic Sea Limousine In The World Of Luxury !

God created the world, so guess what man created?. From artificial islands to a futuristic ‘aqua limo’, it is rightly said that ‘Luxury’- is something that needs to be ‘created’.

Designed and developed by Dennis Ingemansson, the Dubai Sea Limousine is an idea based for the “The World”- a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map and located 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) off the coast of Dubai.


The society comprises of a series of artificial islands which are currently under construction. And this ambitious new taxi service seeks to become the sort of marine transportation between artificial islands.

The World is one of several artificial island projects being constructed in Dubai, others being the Palm Islands. Like the other artificial island projects, The World is built primarily using sand dredged from the sea It was developed by Nakheel Properties and was originally conceived by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Each island in the archipelago ranges from about 14,000 m² (150,000 square feet) to 42,000 m² (450,000 square feet). The distance between each island will be an average of 100 metres (328 feet). The entire development covers an area of 9 km in length and 6 km in width, surrounded by an oval breakwater. Roughly 232 km (144 miles) of shoreline has been created.

The overall development cost of The World was estimated as 14 billion USD. As for the individual islands, prices range between 15 and 50 million USD. One island is still for sale at a price of 250 million USD.

The discrete sea limousine draws on luxury yacht design and comes powered with solar cells integrated in the windows skin and moves forward with the help of a hovercraft. The vehicle is controlled by a satellite navigation system and needs no human pilot which makes this whole concept truly futuristic.

What’s next on the agenda after ‘The World’?

Hopefully not a black hole.

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Wave-piercing With The World’s Most Extreme Super Yacht!

It may not be the fastest, but what could be classified as the world's most extreme superyacht has been developed. This wave-piercing luxury trimaran may look like something from a Star Trek movie, but it's no fantasy.

Craig Loomes is making a point. Three points to be exact. In his latest Buck-the-Trend, D A M N the Torpedoes hull design, he’s combined one part superyacht, one part submarine and one part angry hornet trumped-up on amphetamines into a stabilized monohull with wreckless disregard for waves. And just who is this Loomatic? Craig Loomes is yacht designer from down under whose motto appears to be the first rule in Italian driving… “remove the rearview mirror, because what’s behind you doesn’t matter any more.”

The 146-meter Trimaran concept is the warp-forward offspring to the “Earthrace Wavepiercer Trimaran”, a globetrotting, purpose-built boat targeting the world circumnavigation record by favoring consistency over speed. This futuristic, 24-meter wave slayer is producing better than anticipated efficiency while taming decelerations induced by wave impact. The result is a much smoother, albeit wildly wetter ride.

In just a few short years, Loomes has gained worldwide recognition for hulls designed to silhouette waves and they have certainly pierced the press, claiming such accolades as the International Superyacht Society award for “Best Power 32m to 43m” in 2004 for his 33 meter Wavepiercer.

While the design doesn’t offer the usual exterior walkways, it offers something very different… observation lounges contained within the highest point of the arches for a birds-eye view of the main hull submerging itself with frequency. The exaggerated arches serve another purpose, to place the air intake for the engines at the highest point possible on the vessel.

The yacht concept also benefits from the submariner approach, with consistent transatlantic speeds estimated at 40 knots, moving it into a realm few others can venture. Projected power plants are four MTU V-20 8000 diesels, pumping out 8,200 hp each, which is expected to produce a sprint speed of 50 knots!

Because the hull form is narrow, accommodations have been split into multi-level staterooms for up to 28 guests. The master, seen here, is a tri-level suite. Other facilities include a helicopter pad on the aft deck and quite possibly… a cave, because if Batman had a boat, Loomes designed it.

Preliminary specifications:LOA: 148 meters
Beam: No slip wide enough
Draft: 3.6 meters
Weight: 3000 tons
Power: 4 x MTU V-20 8000’s
Range: 3000 miles at 40 knots
Cruise speed (estimated): 40 knots
Top Speed (estimated): 50 knots

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Airborne ! Make Your Boat Fly On Water

What if your boat could ride the waves... and ride the winds too? A Hydrofoil is a boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull. As the craft increases its speed the hydrofoils develop enough lift for the boat to become foilborne - i.e. to raise the hull up and out of the water.

This results in a great reduction in drag and a corresponding increase in speed.


Purpose Of The Hydrofoil

There are many purposes for hydrofoils. The main reason people install hydrofoils onto their watercraft is to decrease the drag of the boat as it travels through the water. By decreasing the drag, the watercraft is able to travel at higher speeds while burning less fuel. This makes use of the watercraft much more economical and provides a smoother, more comfortable ride because the watercraft rides above the reach of most of the waves. ig

Another reason to use hydrofoils is because they are fun. When used on sail boats, hydrofoils can increase the top speed by quite a bit. Once the hull of the sail boat is out the the water the drag from the water is much less. Simply explained, there is less surface area "rubbing" on the water to slow the boat down. This means that even with gentle winds, a small boat can really get moving.

How Do Hydrofoils Work?

Most hydrofoils lift the watercraft that they are supporting in the same way that airplane wings keep the plane supported in the air. With enough lift on the water foils, the hull of the watercraft is lifted out of the water. Foils create lift when the water traveling over the top surface of the foil goes faster than the water traveling over the bottom.

Most foils are positioned from parallel to the hull to 5 degrees up. They are angled from side to side to allow a portion of the foil to come out of the water as the boat rises, thus allowing the boat to maintain stability by keeping a portion of the foils in submerged in the water.


The main reason that hydrofoils work is because of Newton's Third Law:

for every action force there is an equal and opposite reaction force.

In layman's terms, this means that for every unit of force that the hydrofoil is pushing down on the water, the water is pushing back with the same force. This resistive force is what supports the weight of the watercraft on the hydrofoil.

Hydrofoils are now being applied in multiple marine applications. Surfers have Surfboards with hydrofoils, better suited for big waves further out to sea, so do Sailboats, Kayaks, Aqua-scooters and lots more.

To understand this better follow the links below. These will lead you to videos of how a hydrofoil works on a sailboat, surfboard, aqua-scooty and kayaks. Hope you enjoy... as you watch them fly!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQbECYuCzWs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FXuBkAVU6g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvFkqs-saB8

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Ilan Voyager: Exceptional Sailing Racing Multihull!

NIGEL IRENS developed the iLAN trimaran concept following experience with sailing racing multihulls. It is based on the use of a slender hull with transverse stability provided by small outer hulls. For a given load the concept offers exceptional fuel economy, speed and comfort.



iLAN Voyager is the 21.3m prototype built to demonstrate the advantages of the concept. She provides a comfortable ride at up to 28 knots with a single main engine of just 180kW. She went on to prove her speed, economy and range capability by making a record-breaking un-refuelled voyage around Britain. The 1,568-mile trip was completed in 72 hours at an average of 21.5 knots and required just 2,000 litres of fuel.


The vessel has since worked as a filming platform, able to follow racing yachts at high speed whilst giving a ride smooth enough for still and video photography. She is now operating as a tourist transfer vessel in the Cape Verde islands where she fulfills the need for a small, economical inter-island vessel which can operate in the prevailing rough sea conditions.


Nigel Irens is a leading yacht designer. He is perhaps best known as designer of the Cable and wireless Adventurer, a 35m trimaran motor yacht which completed a record-breaking circumnavigation in 1998, and of the record-breaking trimaran used by Ellen MacArthur to break the world record for solo circumnavigation in 2005.



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To Build Boat: Click Button !

Believe it or not, you can design and build your own boat with a click of a button on your keyboard! The internet does not only provide you with information regarding boat designs but will also connect you with the kind of database you would require to turn your boating dreams into a reality. Many boat manufacturers today offer personalized services on their website to redefine value they are offering to their audience.



Boat Building and design websites cover everything from forums, galleries, directories and even help connect innovative functional ideas!

Discuss various topics like boat design, boat building, powerboats, sailboats, design software, education, services and employment through online forums. A gallery of professional and student design work, projects in process, power and sail is available too. Post your boat design & boat building images for everyone to see. A marine design directory and search engine helps bring together boat plans, designers, boatbuilders, materials, powerboats, catamarans, propulsion, sailboats, multihulls, shipyards, software, books, & resources.


A site connecting boat builders and designers, showcasing innovations in design and construction and providing access to articles, resources, software, and inspirational sites is the best part about one such website known as BoatDesign.net

The earliest means of boat building were done by the use of body parts such as the hands and forearms for measuring certain lengths of a boat model. Other people used tiny pieces of sticks for the same purpose. Until relatively recently, boat designers made models of boats by having the lengthwise basic part of the boat called a keel, stems and its back part called sternposts be connected together in blocks, forming the middle section of the boat. Its rear section is also either being lifted to produce boats of various sizes. Its remaining parts are then later assembled including the floors and other parts of the hull.


In boat building during the Medieval period, boats were modeled either through drawings or outlines of its hull called half models. Boat builders made rough drawings of the planned boat mostly during the 15th century. Another method which was used in the 17th century was called whole molding. It is a drawing done by the use of a compass to produce the contours of a boat. It mostly concentrates on the middle section of the boat giving way for the setting up of its frames. However, only a partial portion of the boat was also being drawn. Another technique called lofting is done in the same way except that the boat was completely drawn in its entire part. During the earlier years of the 18th century, boat models were done by carving boat replicas into a certain planned shape, depending on the creativity of the designer.

The Internet is a whole new chapter waiting to be explored in the arena of boat building. Stay tuned as we find out if the idea really works! Do share your thoughts on it.


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Advertising & Graphics: Wrap Your Boat In Colour !

Marine wraps are graphics mounted on a boat. So whether you're a tournament fisherman, captain a high performance boat, or cruise on the weekend, you can turn your boat into a one-of-a-kind work of art that immediately sets it - and you,apart from the rest of the fleet. Create the signature custom boat graphic you want. Then, using exclusive 3M technology, print your Marine Wrap graphic and install in under a day... And at half the cost of an airbrush job.




Easy
Whether this is a new boat graphic or replaces an existing graphic, a Marine wrap goes on over almost any hull with little or no prep. work. No scraping, painting, clearcoating required.
Quick
Installation takes a day or less and you and your boat are back on the water the next day.


Low cost
Compared to an airbrush job, Marine wraps are about half the cost. You won't need to scrape, paint or clearcoat for the new boat graphic to be installed. And when you change graphics just strip the old one off and replace with the new one. No glue residue to deal with and no damage to the existing hull finish.

Full Package
You may not want to stop at just your boat! How do you tow your watercraft? Shouldn't that have a custom graphic too? Broaden your impact beyond the water and turn some heads on the way to your fishing tournament, your speed trials, or a day on the water with friends!


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Formula One On Water? Get Ready To Ride The Dolphin

Shaped exactly like a dolphin, this boat is the latest toy for millionaire adrenaline junkies. The Seabreacher can jump 10 feet in the air and even perform acrobatic tricks just like an actual Dolphin!

Created by two water sport fanatics, New Zealander Rob Innes, 33, and Californian Dan Piazza, the Seabreacher is made of out of fibre glass, stainless steel and aluminium and uses the discarded canopies of US fighter jets.

The two-seater craft can submerge 2 ft underwater for around 20 seconds at a time creating the dolphin-like dive effect.
The price for a custom-made Seabreacher is not for the fainthearted and would cost in the region of £40,000.


Mr Innes said: "Because it's so light it pops out of the water like a cork. It can fly up to 10 feet in the air even if you are going at 15 mph.
"It's really just for fun. It's a 3-D jet ski. We liken it to a monster truck. In the end we would like to turn it into a recognised sport as you can race and jump. You can do a single or double roll in the Seabreacher which is great fun though the landing is quite rough.

It is quite complicated to drive though - it's a workout to handle it. I would be wary of selling it on to people because there is the danger that after submerging you could hit a boat or a swimmer. We always stay in radio contact to check the surface."

The current Seabreacher model is 14 ft 10 inches long and weighs 1,000 lbs. It has taken eight years for the creative Innespace duo to make the two-seater vessel which they hope to turn into a model for 'Aqua Formula One'.

The 175 horsepower engine enables it to 'fly' through water using an Atkins marine rotary engine. A super-charged 300lb engine is available which generates 240 horsepower, the equivalent of an engine used in a standard family car.


Mr Innes said: "The latest model is actually less dolphin-like in shape than earlier versions but the general shape makes it move more efficiently through water. It's always best to try and imitate nature in these things."
The cockpit has glass three quarters of an inch thick, taken from Raptor-22 fighter jets. This enables it to withstand re-entering the water nose-first without shattering.


The pilot and passenger are both strapped into their seats with four-point safety harnesses, similar to those used in rally cars, to protect them from the impact of diving and jumping.
Two fins, or wings, which are operated by hand-held joysticks allow the pilot to change direction while the tail, or rudder, is operated using foot pedals.
There are even two windows positioned near the foot pedals of the pilot so that any obstacles underneath the boat can be seen.

Future models will have a camera attached to the outside of the boat with screens visible to the pilot to make it easier to see swimmers or boat hulls underwater.
Seabreacher has a long snorkel concealed within the top fin which provides an airflow into the boat. During diving the butterfly valve closes to prevent the cockpit from getting flooded. Mr Innes said: "It's perfect for rich adrenaline junkies."

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Solar Power - Eco friendly sail!

While most boats on the water today are powered by diesel engines, and sail power and gasoline engines are also popular, it is perfectly feasible to power boats by electricity too..


Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion engine took dominance. Since the energy crises of the 1970s, interest in this quiet and potentially renewable marine energy source has been increasing steadily again, especially as solar cells became available, for the first time making possible motorboats with an infinite range like sailboats. The first practical solar boat was probably constructed in 1975 in England.


The idea of using solar and wind energy to propel ships can cut a ship's fuel costs by up to 90 percent and significantly lower its environmental impact. The new technology, which is already used can be applied to everything from cruise ships to 500,000-tonne water transport tankers and small unmanned military vessels.

Solar panels can be built into the boat in reasonable areas in the deck, cabin roof or as awnings. Modern solar panels, or photovoltaic arrays, can be flexible enough to fit to slightly curved surfaces and can be ordered in unusual shapes and sizes. It is still true that the heavier, rigid mono-crystalline types are more efficient in terms of energy output per square meter. The efficiency of solar panels rapidly decreases when they are not pointed directly at the sun, so some way of tilting the arrays while under way is very advantageous.


Solar powered. A boat propelled by direct solar energy, almost always converted to electricity by solar cells, temporarily stored in accumulator batteries, and used to drive a propeller through an electric motor. Power levels are usually on the order of a few hundred watts to a few kilowatts. Solar powered boats started to become known around 1985 and in 1995 the first commercial solar passenger boats appeared.[1] Solar powered boats have been used successfully at sea. The first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was achieved in the winter of 2006/2007 by the solar catamaran sun21.

SUN 21


On friday, 30 March 2007 Sun 21 made Atlantic history.
The 14m- (46ft) long vessel, built by a Swiss firm and registered in Basel, can maintain a constant speed of 10kmh. During the day, the 48 solar panels on its roof gather energy from the sun. The power is stored in batteries, which allow it to sail through the night.The motorized catamaran has two polyester hulls and measures 46 feet (14 meters) by 21 feet (6.5 meters). Solar panels cover its 700-square-foot (65-square-meter) roof.
Using solar power only, the catamaran "sun21" undertook the first motorized crossing of the Atlantic with solar power to promote the great potential of this technology for ocean navigation. The "sun21" arrived in New York City on 8 May 2007, 3 pm, having covered about 7000 sea miles. Sun21 moved about 7 miles an hour (11 kilometers an hour).

The Future.


The future possibilities seem limitless. From luxury private yachts to tanker ships, the prospects of saving fuel, reducing pollution levels and increasing passenger comfort means that the Solar Sail concept could go a long way on tomorrow's blue highways. Read more...

Mumbai Opens It’s Gates: Luxury Yachts Make Their Entry As The Ultimate Lifestyle Asset !

Sailboats, Ferries and Ships have always been on the horizon, coupled with a few speedboats. With the Mumbai International Boat Show 2008 around the corner, Team Giira catches up with the new entrants. The excitement is building up and the enthusiasm is spilling over as Luxury makes it’s presence felt! The Gateway of India is the most famous monument of Mumbai and is the starting point to explore the city. Located on the waterfront in South Mumbai, it was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Darbar in Delhi in December 1911. Even today, the Gateway is traditionally the first thing that visitors notice in Bombay. The Gateway steps also lead down to the waterfront, where boats of all shapes and sizes used for various purposes is a common sight.

India is on the leisure yacht map today. The day is not far, when people will travel on their personal boats and yacht to breathe fresh air in the middle of the sea. With this idea Mumbai is the first step where international boats and yacht manufactures have put down their anchor to explore the opportunity in the leisure segment in India.

India is one of the countries with the largest coastlines and if they explore this route it will help the economy to grow faster and can also ease congestion on roads. What India needs is a strong infrastructure. India accounts for only 25,000 to 30,000 boats, yacht (less than one per cent), while America accounts for 70 per cent, Europe 26 per cent and Gulf 1.5 per cent.

The Mumbai International Boat Show will bring in some of the best brands in the market. Be it pleasure boats or Luxury yachts, India is turning a new chapter next weekend. However one must love the sea in order to truly appreciate and explore the various possibilities that are floating about just off India’s magnificent coastline.

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