worlds first, hardly.

also 100% carbon fiber with LCD touchscreen and does 30knots... and many years ahead of this one.

[www.eng.mu.edu]

mrgoodbytes

@ruggels: Uhhhh I agree great song but Aphex Twin's image does not fit this at ALL.

N@tedog

WindowLicker? Seriously? Awesome choice of a sound track, though the music video's so much better/weirder :).

ruggels

Comment from barking. Seems to me that nobody is doing any simple sums. 14 square meters of solar cells make around 2KW on a good day, so a BIG battery has to be used. So 8 hours charge at 2 KW is 16KW hours. If the motor takes 80KW then the charged battery will run the motor for 12 minutes - or about 6 nautical miles - and girls - no sunbathing on the deck please.

JonathanCentaur

The COASTGUARD will have their hands full chasing the stranded boats at night. lol:)

OneObuyan

dude sweet!
a multi hull would be a good application for this too.

Fatty

Motor boats in general is for losers, fat ugly men or for the young and stupid. BUT this boat makes users seem at little better, because of the environmental aspect.

30 knots, is fast enough, but this boat is not for open ocean, at least only in moderate waves... (0.3 to 0.7) meters, because of it's very slim body that reduce water drag. And with no keel it will be jumping around in the waves.

To me it looks like a sailing boat without mast. Unlucky and horrible.
Note!!! that new sailing boats can sail fast, about 12 to 35 knots without motor... and still have the charm and and active experience for the entire crew.

Needless to say I sail offshore sailing boats, and never got the idea of motor plowing trough the water as it was in the way, and the journey is only about getting from A to B fastest.
Sailing boats in the other hand is about the weather, strategy, sportsmanship, and serenity.

over and out

cabowah

@GadgetPlay: I was thinking about after I first read the article. I even did a search for flexible solar panels but came up with nothing.

PS: That idea reminds of an old Frence and Japanese made cartoon called "The Mysterious Cities of Gold."

Leonard Nimrod

Am I the only one that takes the phrase 'horizontal services' the wrong way?!?

wineaux

We need sails that double as solar "panels" for use with good wind, charging batteries for use when needed.

GadgetPlay

Looks like a cross between a canoe and a surfboard. It's stuff like this that makes cheaper versions available in the future. 30 knots is pretty amazing for solar on something that small, got to admit.

Nick_Bentley

That thing looked fat and heavy in the water. Just not enough juice going to the motor. I think a Jet-Ski concept would be more practical in terms of Weight, over Power, over Surface Area, to make the concept comparable to a traditional outboard or jet impeller.

MagnoliaBoy

the ad sucked!

but the concept is very intersting. especially with batteries like the tesla. boats like that are no used that much. if you cconsider that it makes a lot of sense! everytime you use it the batteries are full and ready to go.

imagine a tanker or container ship with that technology! or cruise ship! no more oil burning needed!!! combined with computer controlled sails a real alternative to oil burning!!!

smokeonit

All this electric stuff is so dumb. Ever hear of a sail boat? It's more efficient less of a pain in the ass has a much greater range and costs a lot less.

If you want a speed boat which the above is not get a Fountain.

vertigo

It's fast - 30 knots in a low-to-the water boat feels like a lot more. You people who aren't impressed should try it and then come back and apologise. A lot...

iTheophilus

how do u sail this at night?

wetboxersguy

Most boring ad ever

Cookiefox

I keep waiting for "Robot Dude" from The Chappelle show to pop up and dance.

DustyButt

In the future, engine noise will be replaced with awful techno to alert pedestrians to your presence.

Tommasta

Aphex Twin FTW!

Elijah86

Solar aside...its beautiful!

g

illmethinks

Uhh...I mean...NIGHT BOAT!

The crime SOLVING boat!

strider_mt2k

@Kaiser-Machead: Too soon!

Bath toast is SO delicious SPECIFICALLY because of the taboo.
...that and the AWESOME strawberry preserves I picked up.

Bath Toast!

strider_mt2k

@jcraig: That is only 34.6mph. Not fast for a cigarette boat, but pretty impressive for a solar powered boat. I'm guessing that there are no storage cells for night time driving, which lessens the weight substantially and is the reason that it can achieve those speeds.

Leonard Nimrod

I'd buy this just because they used windowlicker. If I only had *unknown* amounts of cash...

okeribok

the perfect drug running boat..silent and quick. perfect for quick luxury trips from columbia to the states.

prospicience

*Disclaimer*

Mute speaker volume before play.

iCanhasLs2plz

@Cetrian: To the contrary, I like the music. It's Windowlicker by Aphex Twin. See the music video and you'll truly appreciate it.

The cinematography I completely agree on though. ...It's terrible. If they can afford to build this they can afford a better camera.

Mammoth

wonder why no one else thought of that. not to be an asshole, but this article is written wrather dryly. but hey its been a long day. im bein g a prick eh?

yablunk

@calebc: theres probably a really simple equation for figuring out the speed 'x' weight has to go to use them.

i mean, this is a boat for millionaires, coated in solar panels. i think we can safely assume they didnt make any engineering oversights or cut corners. either the things too fat and slow, or theres a reason you dont want foils on it. perhaps draught issues in freshwater, or bad usage profile on sailing rich people - too much slow, unfoiling posing beachpasses and tanning sessions instead of churning around at full throttle.

red

Boats pretty cool but why the sucky music? I would think that it would be one of the quietest boats around(military you listening?) but they make it so you cant tell how quiet it is. Just wondering if it is really solar powered?

charker

@GiltProto: Sorry I get a bit pedantic sometimes. Which is why I have to point out that I said "Pure water".

It's a compulsion at times :-/

I thought bathing with blow dryers was what circuit breakers were for, although I'll admit that I'll stick with you in the "You try it first" crowd.

After seeing the hydrofoiled kayak I don't doubt the bicycle one bit.

calebc

@calebc:
Even water in fresh water lakes has enough electrolytes and dissolved elements to make it more like saltwater than distilled water when it comes to electricity. Of course you may want to use some electrical appliances in the bath tub or swimming pool if you think it's so safe. But then again I'm not so sure what you thought that I thought would be the result I intended to produce. You may have been thinking hydrogen explosions while I was content with good old fashioned electrocution.

With regardz to hydrofoils I recall reading about someone that more or less replaced each wheel on a bicycle with hydrofoils and managed to keep the hydrofoil thing going with pure pedal power. Not sure how far or for how long he could keep it up.

GiltProto

@red: Good point. I found this video while searching trying to find what speed a hydrofoil would be effective at. I suppose though that it's primarily a function of speed *and* weight.

+ Watch video

calebc

WANT!

Oldbrass

@calebc: dont think this thing weighs little enough or goes fast enough to raise onto hydrofoils. boats got to go fast enough to use foils, then when it does... phwoom. otherwise youve just got a bunch of sea anchors stuck to your hull.

red

@GiltProto:
H20 + NaCl + Electricity may better produce the result you intended.

Pure water (H2O) is a terrible conductor of electricity.

H2O + Electricity = H2 + O2 and can be quite interesting with the introduction of heat.
[en.wikipedia.org]
[www.metacafe.com]

Also, my thought was that adding an hydrofoil would increase the efficiency wouldn't it? I'm not sure what the downside to hydrofoils are though, but there must be some since not all boats use them right?

calebc

H2O + electricity = future Darwin Award contestant

GiltProto

Looks like a little over 100 horse power for 80kw. Nice, also with electric motor 100% torque always....

geschmidtt

yeah, you're pretty screwed if a storm front comes in.

jackfrost132

Cost is no object for ecco-friendly drug runners.

Windhawk

This wins for "worst music and cinematography in an ad"

Cetrian

Now how long does it have to charge in the sun and how long does it run once it's charged?

P.S. Any video with the Windowlicker song ought to have bikini babes in it, especially if it's for a powerboat. Fail.

indy360

How come they don't show the slaves in the hull pedaling?

Jasontrainer

do not ride this around dusk time kids....you'll be stranded...

bl1nk2much

Only two things come from the Low Countries, boy, Czeers and ... well ... you know. And I don't see no photovoltaic panels on you!

WeeWillyWinkie

Cool as that is, 30 knots doesn't quite make it a speedboat, nor is that speed "breakneck".

jcraig

Wasn't Spock jettisoned in one of these before?

Kaiser-Machead