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Aston Martin boat concept

December 22, 2011
Design, News
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Aston Martin is the latest luxury brand to join the likes of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Lancia to lend its brand name to high-performance boats or yacht concepts. Specifically, Luiz de Basto, a Miami-based custom yacht designer, has recently unveiled the Aston Martin Voyage 55’ motor yacht.

Inspired by Aston Martin vehicles such as the DBS, Rapide, Vantage and Virage, the Aston Martin Voyage 55’ motor yacht concept was put together in order to see whether the Aston Martin’s signature luxury car design could be turned into a luxury boat.

The result? A boat whose lines, lights, ventilation and decorative details all reflect the Aston Martin automotive design and heritage.

Unfortunately, the Aston Martin Voyage 55’ motor yacht concept will remain just that, a yachting concept. While de Basto has obtained Aston Martin’s permission to use its brand name for his boating concept, there are no plans to put the boat into production.

Nevertheless, anyone interested in learning more about Luiz de Basto’ Aston Martin Voyage 55’ motor yacht concept should check out a lengthy article in CharterWorld.com where de Basto’ talked about how he came up with his design as well as his other passion for both cars and car designs.

Chevy Corvette takes to the water

December 19, 2011
Design
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Are you a Chevy Corvette owner or fan who also loves boats? Ever thought of combining the two? Performance boat manufacturer Marine Technology, Inc. has done just that by using actual parts from a genuine Corvette ZR1 to create the$1.7m ZR48.

Hence, the ZR48 has both the look and feel of a Corvette complete with genuine taillights but its body is made out of lightweight carbon fiber – making the boat as strong as metal but also lightweight (notwithstanding the pair of 1,350 horsepower twin-turbo Mercury Racing engines). It’s a long way from the frugal Greencat, but perhaps a little faster!

Inside the ZR48, the leather and suede interior is complete with six air-conditioned seats, an 8,000 watt sound system, built-in LCD displays with Apple TV and a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot plus custom dock and charging station for the Apple iPad. In fact, these entertainment features require a standalone Fischer diesel motor just to power them.

The 48 foot (14.6 meter) monster boat comes with a special display trailer with a matching paint scheme along with 5 TVs and LED display lighting. When the boat is being hauled in transit, it’s situated sideways so that no special highway permits are needed.

Shining a light on GreenCat’s LEDs

December 15, 2011
Design, Green
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For GreenCat customers who opt for the Green Tech Yacht Automation Option, a complete lighting system with dimmers and LED lights will be installed in their catamaran while customers who opt for the Green Tech Navigation & Multimedia Option will have a multimedia system with large LED full HD screens installed throughout their catamaran. This will ensure that GreenCat customers achieve the maximum benefits that LED lighting on boats has to offer.

LED lighting should be an important consideration for boat owners, especially those who intend to live aboard their boats for long periods of time and want to keep their energy costs reasonable. In fact, LED lights can be incredibly energy efficient with Julius’ Renewable Boating Blog citing claims of 70% to 90% energy savings. Likewise, elementalLED.com has pointed out that LED lighting is ideal for locations (like boats) that may have limited access to constant electricity.

Other advantages of LED lighting on boats (as noted by Julius’ Renewable Boating Blog) include the following:

  • LED lighting has a very long life span. In fact, LED lights for navigation can last up to 50,000 hours.
  • LED lights are shock resistant – an important consideration if you intend to sail in the open ocean or in locations with rough weather.

On the other hand, LED lighting also has some disadvantages that must also be considered. The major disadvantages of LED lighting on boats include the following:

  • LED lights come with significant up-front costs, as they are expensive to purchase.
  • LED lights can be more sensitive to the electrical power supplied.
  • LED lighting is not well suited to provide area lighting.

Nevertheless, the benefits of LED lighting on boats will tend to far outweigh the disadvantages for most boat owners.

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