SolarBoat
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Meet Marvin, the ginormous solar-assisted catamaran
Nah, it's not actually able to get engine power from the insanely large solar panels adorning its roof, but Marvin still utilizes the 35 square meters of photovoltaic panels to run everything else in an eco-friendly fashion. Sadly, this 50 foot fiberglass cruising catamaran is merely a concept for now, but we're hoping that a few VCs get together in order to make this bad boy a reality. Surely there's a Russian billionaire in need of a boat to visit his new home in Newark, right? [Thanks, Panos]
Solar boat crew heading out on a fantastic voyage around the world
A group of engineers, scientists and sailors have banded together to form a team they call Solar Planet. The group are now building a 98-foot-long solar-powered boat, for the express purpose of sailing all the way around the world using nothing but the delicious power of the sun. The $13 million dollar vessel -- which is currently in construction in Kiel, Germany -- will have 5,059 square feet of photovoltaic cells, and should be able to circumnavigate the earth in about 120 days, at a rate of about 10 knots. The project is being funded by Swiss company Rivendell Holding AG, that has committed to investing in green technology. The group hopes to set sail sometime next year from Marseilles, France, with various stops off along the way. They will undoubtedly tire of hearing that Daft Punk song long before they ever leave the shore. Check out a sweet render of the boat after the break.
Aptera designers unveil solar-powered pontoon, the Loon
Sure, it's just a concept for now, but the Aptera design team (Eleven) has unveiled this solar-powered boat, and it's looking pretty decent, so we thought we'd bring a few of the details over here for you. The Loon, as it's called, was designed for the Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company, and it's got a pontoon shape to it, and is relatively lightweight for its size, with a 1000W solar panel roofing which is collapsible for compact storing of the boat when not in the water. It's 22 feet long, and is made of recycled materials, bamboo and natural fibers, with an estimated top speed of 7 knots (it should be able to travel about 35 miles a day). We don't know when to expect these bad boys on the waterways, nor do we know how much they're going to cost, but we're hoping they're not hundreds of thousands of dollars.[Via Autoblog Green]Read - ElevenRead - Motive Industries
Solar-powered ferry could be headed to San Francisco
A DIY nuke detector won't be the only oddity out in the San Francisco Bay before too long, as we're hearing that Hornblower Yachts is currently lobbying for Coast Guard approval to operate a solar-powered ferry in the area by 2009. The sails (but not the actual vessel) would be created by Australia's Solar Sailor, which already has a sun-lovin' boat that cruises around the sunny Sydney Harbor and utilizes eight solar sails to dramatically decrease its consumption of diesel. Furthermore, the firm is planning to deliver a set of sails to a ginormous passenger boat in Shanghai and could be close to landing a contract for four 100-person ferries in Hong Kong. If you're wondering just how much coin you'd have to cough up to snag a few solar sails for personal use, we're told that $1.5 million of the estimated $8.5 million reserved for the San Fran boat will be headed straight to Solar Sailor, so yeah, only the affluent need apply.[Image courtesy of Solar Sailor]
