(Credit:
BRio)
It's so difficult to maintain one's individualism these days. Car-boats, once at the top of the 007 cool meter, are hardly unique anymore. But there's still hope: Enter the "Flying Boat" from Brazil-based BRio.
It comes as a kit, which might seem kind of expensive at $10,000, especially because Gearfuse says the cost doesn't include the engine. Still, it's a fraction of what one of those new jet packs will set you back, and it promises to stay airborne longer than a minute.
Best of all, if the flying mechanism fails, you at least have a shot at surviving with a water-surface landing. Which is a lot more than we suspect will be possible with one of those personal rockets.
(Credit:
Gizmag)
The whole point of a kayak is that it goes really slowly and your arms hurt a lot. At least that's what I always thought. A "PowerKayak" that operates on a 9.5-horsepower engine and tops out at 25 miles per hour is not really a kayak.
I'll admit, it's cool (anything motorized generally is). But it's a $2899 banana-shaped water-cruising vehicle that sharks will probably mistake for a seal from the underside (apparently sharks mistake a lot of things for seals from the underside). Plus, the guy riding around in it in the photo looks kind of dumb. The important thing is, don't call it a kayak. Please. Don't.
It's even worse than attaching an underwater camera to your fishing rod. Cheating, cheating, cheating.
End whiny rant: now back to your regularly scheduled Craving.
(Via Born Rich)
(Credit:
Gibbs Technologies)
If there's one childhood gadget fantasy that's endured through adulthood, it would be the car boat. But the few we've always seen have looked too weird to ever drive on the road, kind of like a canoe with wheels. U.K.-based Gibbs Technologies, however, has one that looks convincing on both land and sea.
Not only that, but Popular Mechanics says the "Aquada" has a 175-horsepower engine that can reach 100 mph on the road. Then, in less than 13 seconds, the amphibious wonder can retract its the wheels and switch to water-jet propulsion, reaching more than 30 mph in water.
Better still, it's coming to U.S. shores, literally, in 2009 for under $100,000--that's less than half what it's going for overseas at present. That might sound a bit high at first but, remember, you'd be getting two vehicles for the price of one.
(Credit:
Sealegs)
Boating enthusiasts, like people in general, come in all types. Some crave speed, others want strength--and then there are those like us, who would just as soon have a boat that drove itself, out of sheer laziness.
That's why we think the "Sealegs" sounds like the perfect seagoing vehicle. Although it's described as "the world's most advanced amphibian," Gizmag says the inflatable boat is just as notable for its ease of use: "The Sealegs takes the entire process of launching and docking a boat out of the equation--just get in, drive into the water and reverse the process at the other end." Beautiful.
The trick to this ingenious watercraft is a retractble three-wheel system that allows you to drive it first on land and then right into the water with barely a ripple. One problem: They're apparently back-ordered for 12 months, even at the considerable price of $20,000. Good thing we know where to score a motorized bumper boat instead.
(Credit:
SkyMall)
I sometimes have a penchant for posting about odd little vehicles on Crave, like motorized bathtubs and pirate ship pool toys. Some of the time, they tragically aren't big enough to fit grown-ups (no matter how youthful our attitudes may be). This $99.99 Bumper Boat is no exception. It's basically an inflatable pool chair that happens to have a motor and steering equipment attached so that you can chase people around and smack into your friends--but it's kid-sized. Most of us would probably sink it, unfortunately.
It's also not very functional, aside from the motor. It's lacking some essential features for any kind of "bumper" vehicle, namely obnoxious flashing lights, a cup holder (last time I checked, you couldn't get DUIs in the pool!), and a highly effective water cannon. It could use some musical infrastructure, too. Shame, shame.
Nevertheless, I hope this trend of motorized pool toys catches on. That way, us lazy pool-partygoers won't have to paddle from the deep end to the tiki bar to get refills on our mai tais.
(Credit:
Luxist)
There have been more than a few boats running on solar power that have made headlines, but we shouldn't forget that some plain-old electric vessels are plying the waters as well. And one in particular bears a name that's legendary in the world of private transportation, albeit not aquatic.
The "Lear 204" is the product of a partnership between boat builder Terry Baylor and his wife, Shanda Lear, whose father happens to be the founder of Learjet. Their 20.4-foot vessel, which runs on an electric motor, can do about 6 miles per hour and last about 10 hours on each charge, according to Luxist. The retractable motorized roof is a nice touch too.
Be aware that the price of being green isn't necessarily chump change--as in the $65,000 tag for this watercraft. But it does come with a teak cocktail table.
(Credit:
Kodiak Outback)
Summer's coming, which means that this year's arsenal of outdoors-oriented kiddie toys is already being rolled out. And, as we've already seen, pirate-themed pool toys are going to be huge this year. (At the root of this trend, naturally, is the impending final installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, as well as Steve Jobs' anti-DRM vendetta--a high point for the other kind of pirate.) The latest in pirate fun is the Jolly Roger PT400, an inflatable pirate ship that comes with a squirt gun and two "cannonballs" to go in its built-in catapult.
I never knew pirate ships had catapults on them, but hey, I suppose it just makes it cooler. You've got to win those pirates vs. ninjas battles somehow. This floating fortress will cost you $37.95.
There is, however, a 135-pound weight limit. Maybe they could make a grown-up version too?
(Via Uber-Review)
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
If you spent your days singing "Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me" way before Keira Knightley made it cool, this might be the ultimate pool toy for you. This $330 remote-control pirate ship, which comes with a fully watertight hull, is "faithfully detailed to resemble an 18th-century merchant vessel," according to the product page. Plus, it can be controlled from up to 500 feet away, which means that you can chart its course from the comfort of your pirate loft, or even from the kitchen while you're heating up some Jolly Roger toast. Arrrrrrr. Pass the rum, mateys!
Just make sure it doesn't get attacked by a menacing remote-control shark.
(Via Uncrate)
(Credit:
Gizmag)
We didn't know that there enough of these to create competition, but the "SolarShuttle" claims to be the "UK's largest and most advanced solar boat," according to Gizmag. Plying the waters of the "ecologically fragile" Serpentine Lake at Hyde Park in London, the boat reportedly runs silently and without pollution while ferrying up to 42 passengers. It even stores more than enough power to operate at night, sending surplus solar energy back to national utility plants. That's especially comforting because it means the boat won't get stranded while rented out for an insufferable company party.
(Credit:
Raymarine)
Now that you've ordered your Porsche yacht, what will you do in it when not racing? Raymarine has just the antidote to your boredom with its satellite HDTV system.
The seagoing dish is made specifically to work in boats, according to Gizmowatch, with antennae that continually change angles for optimal reception. The package, which includes an HD DirecTV receiver, is designed for uninterrupted signals even in extreme weather and oceanic conditions.
Depending on the model, it can cost as much as $9,000. But that's a drop in the Atlantic compared with the $300,000 you'll be shelling out for the boat.
