http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/ Engadget Comments for Aptera designers unveil solar-powered pontoon, the Loon http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 8:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
Then again, most people that use pontoons on lakes don't care how fast they go, and would rather not have to refuel it. This would also make a great fishing boat if there are batteries for the morning.

When I retire to a lakeside home in Arizona, I'll be getting one of these. Hopefully the price will have come down by then.

]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
I think you mean "landlubber," though yours is an easily made mistake.]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/HP (or kW) is torque times speed. If you want more torque output to run that big propeller, you get less speed. It's a zero-sum game.

There's no free lunch.

I think perhaps some of you are forgetting how much energy it takes to move a vehicle through water. Try it yourself. Get on a bike, then try one of those pedal-powered paddle boats. You go 1/5th the speed on the boat and get twice as tired.]]>Feb 2nd 2009 10:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Your garage door is sprung so it isn't particularly heavy to lift. You can do it yourself with one hand.

And besides, it takes torque to open that door. You can have infinite torque with very low gearing. The question is, how quickly can your garage door opener open that door? That's what takes HP. Answer: it can't open or close the garage door very quickly.

The motors that open and close the roofs of retractable dome stadiums are only a few HP. But they can't do the job quickly, they have to do it slowly.]]>Feb 3rd 2009 2:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 8:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
or for this electric floater.

7 Knots = 12.96 Kph = 8 Mph, which is quite good for what you'd use it for. This would make a really stable fishing platform for lakes and estuaries. Electric too, great for sneaking up on unsuspecting Barramundi, not sure what you guys in the US would fish for though!

]]>Feb 3rd 2009 12:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 8:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 8:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 10:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 8:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/

i imagine there's a decent amount of surface area on the roof of the boat. after all, with solar, surface area's the name of the game. :)]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
J]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/I'd like to suggest you go back to school and learn to read properly, as that IS what the article says;
"the Aptera design team (Eleven) has unveiled this solar-powered boat,"
That said, I personally think it would read better as;
"the Aptera design team, Eleven, have unveiled this solar-powered boat,"

But that's probably just me.]]>Feb 3rd 2009 3:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
which can only mean that they are all morons and this thing will sink faster than a polish submarine (the one with screen doors).]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
Really? you interviewed with them? I don't think so. In fact, I know so.

J]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
J]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 9:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 3rd 2009 12:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
also, can you lie out nude on the panels?]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
Fail
]]>Feb 2nd 2009 9:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
(Canada what?!)]]>Feb 3rd 2009 1:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
Well it's a BOAT, a pontoon BOAT, but a BOAT never the less. And for the uninitiated BOAT is an acronym; it stands for Bring Out Another Thousand. And this BOAT will cost many thousands.]]>Feb 2nd 2009 10:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 2nd 2009 11:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
http://www.gdeb.com/
]]>Feb 2nd 2009 11:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
If you've got a lot of money and you want to flash it, that's the way to go - in style. Not with an enormous-arse boat that makes a horrible noise and stinks up the area...

As for this one, it looks fine, I wonder how long you have to charge it for and how much range you get... also duh the price will be well over a thousand, I would assume over $10k too...]]>Feb 3rd 2009 7:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 3rd 2009 1:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.pablik.pl/index.php/264/solar-lodz-pasazerska-zasilana-energia-sloneczna.html

;) look..
]]>Feb 3rd 2009 3:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 3rd 2009 6:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 3rd 2009 7:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/Feb 3rd 2009 9:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/aptera-designs-solar-powered-pontoon/
The Loon will probably be less, but not much less (I disgree with poster above that says it's $4200.00).]]>Feb 7th 2009 6:55PM