(Credit:
Aquapub)
Falling off a barstool has never been this refreshing.
The Aquapub is either the best idea ever, the worst idea ever, or somewhere close to either hash mark. It's been available for a while, but it's hard to find any pricing info on the official site. Other blogs claim it costs around $1,400.
The six-person table weighs about 90 lbs. and can be used both in the water and poolside. The Aquapub's surface is made from recycled materials, and the table itself is filled with polyurethane to keep it from sinking.
Obvious pros include having your very own swim-up bar, being able to use the table on solid ground as well, the inclusion of an umbrella, and the table's somewhat incredible ability to support just one person without teetering over.
Obvious cons include having a bunch of drunks always hanging out in your pool, the high price tag, and your neighbor Ron, who will totally do cannonballs and soak everyone sitting at the table.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
Look, here is something we all need: "high-definition" swim goggles, for $24. With these, you can either stalk your underwater prey (insert Jaws music here) or at least just prevent yourself from smacking into the sides of the pool because you can't see a darned thing.
Apparently, they've been tested for "comfort, visibility, fit, and adjustability," which means they probably break easily if you don't treat them absolutely right. They're fog-resistant, UV-protective (UV rays underwater? Guess you learn a new thing every day) and filter blue light so that your submarine vision isn't distorted. They also promise to not pop the poor little capillaries around your eyes with all that suction. With that lineup of features, I'm surprised there aren't built-in gills.
I'm sure I'll spot a pair of these at the indoor swimming pool at a gym I occasionally frequent in midtown Manhattan, probably strapped around the face of some Bateman-esque financial type who's trying to swim off the calories from that morning's "power lunch" on the company bill.
They're sold, natch, by Hammacher Schlemmer.
(Via Uber-Review)
Cliff (left) and Pat show off their Battle Blast Hammerheads.
(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET Networks)Why are these two pasty shirtless dudes showing off inflatable sharks? Well, I'll tell you...you'll just have to read on.
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(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer)
We're still waiting on the time machine, human teleportation, and commercially available flying cars. But scientists have been working hard, and now the Remote-Controlled Floating Serving Tray is ready for the world.
Hammacher Schlemmer's remote-controlled tray holds up to five cans (no room for a six-pack?) and a 16-ounce bowl of delicious, delicious snacks.
The piece de resistance--a remote control with 25 feet of range--lets the operator transport various refreshments to you aquatically. (Or, depending on how good a friend the operator is, float the snacks just out of reach and make you swim around and chase them.)
At $50, the Remote-Controlled Floating Serving Tray is a medium-risk buy with potential for high returns. At the very least, fellow Craver Caroline McCarthy can live her dream of consuming a spaghetti dinner and five mai tais in the middle of a pool without ever leaving the water. Kudos, Caroline.
(Credit:
iwantoneofthose.com)
Pool toys this summer are getting strikingly high-tech. Or maybe they've been high-tech, but I hadn't noticed because last summer there was no such thing as Crave yet (shocking!) Either way, they're a whole lot more sophisticated than the Super Soakers we had back when I was a kid.
We've already seen that many of the season's hottest (coolest?) water toys are pirate-themed. I like being a pirate. But I realize you might not. If you're more enamored by the idea of trench warfare than high-seas combat, this water balloon cannon, called the Water Mortar, might be more your thing. It costs $36 and comes with 100 mini water balloons. POW!
Unfortunately, it'll only shoot those water balloons a distance of 15-20 feet. But I can tell you from experience that the best way to throw water balloons is off a roof (long story...) so maybe this cannon could help you get better aim and downward force. Physics, y'know?
(Via Uber-Review)
(Credit:
Metalarte)
If you've ever had the sick fantasy of wanting to throw a lamp into a body of water, here you go. Fortunately, it won't electrocute anything. It will, however, make your pool look eerily pretty.
As far as floating pool lights go, these are nowhere near as cool as the fiber optic jellyfish. These are rechargeable, floating lamp-shaped lights sold by lighting-design company Metalarte, known by the name "Waterproof," and they'll cost you $450 apiece. (Yikes! And I thought the $60 jellyfish were extravagant!) But if you've got that expensive in-ground pool, I suppose it's worth spending a few bucks on.
(Via CubeMe)
(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:
Frontgate)
There are certain gadgets that make me wish I had a swimming pool. Namely, pirate ships, remote-controlled water cannons, and Robo-Shark. Then there's this one, the floating jellyfish pool light.
They're pretty much completely awesome; the top lights up and changes color, and the tentacles are made of glowing fiber optics. They'd be the perfect decoration for all your pool parties! Unfortunately, they aren't remote-controlled, nor do they squirt water at people. That's why I classify them as "pretty much completely awesome" rather than "completely awesome."
The price, at $59 a pop, is also not particularly ideal. Oh, well.
But on an unrelated note, when I think of "jellyfish" and "parties," I typically think of that String Cheese Incident song that describes the aftermath of a tequila-infused night with the lyrics "now all I really want from life is to crawl back into bed/on account that my brain is just a jellyfish in the ocean of my head." Kind of profound imagery there.
(Via Uber-Review)
(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)
