{"id":1444,"date":"2009-05-27T11:28:02","date_gmt":"2009-05-27T09:28:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tokao.com\/?p=1444"},"modified":"2009-05-27T11:28:02","modified_gmt":"2009-05-27T09:28:02","slug":"15-creatively-offbeat-canoes-kayaks-boats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/2009\/05\/27\/15-creatively-offbeat-canoes-kayaks-boats\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Creatively Offbeat Canoes, Kayaks & Boats"},"content":{"rendered":"
(from WebUrbanist<\/a>)<\/h5>\n
\"odd_boats_main\"
\nSmokin\u2019 on the water\u2026 that\u2019s how hot these cool canoes, krazy kayaks and\u00a0bodacious boats<\/a>\u00a0are! It\u2019s amazing what a little tech know-how and a vivid imagination can do when whipping up wild watercraft. Here are 15 that\u2019ll really float your boat.<\/h5>\n

Pedals, Not Paddles<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_1\"(images via:\u00a0Life In The Fast Lane<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Trampofoil, Hydro-bike, HydroSlide, Hydrothopter, Aquaskipper? Any of these ring a bell? They may not exactly be commonplace but these odd names indicate that the field ofhuman-powered watercraft<\/a>\u00a0is a wide one indeed. In many ways, these spindly contraptions recall the early days of powered flight: jury-rigged construction, home craftsmanship and in many cases, every finished model unique unto itself. Here\u2019s a video of the Aquaskipper in action:<\/p>\n

The Aquaskipper, via Life In The Fast Lane<\/a><\/p>\n

Folbot Refuses to Fold<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_2\"(images via:\u00a0Atcha6<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0J.R. Burch<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

The name\u00a0Folbot<\/a>\u00a0is familiar to most anyone who read a comic book or magazine sometime in the last 50-odd years. In fact, Folbot has been producing and selling their iconic folding boats and kayaks since 1933. Sturdy, lightweight and with decades of incremental improvement behind them, Folbot is a hydrodynamic success story in every way.<\/p>\n

Canoe Say Chopsticks?<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_3\"(images via:\u00a0Pink Tentacle<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0InventorSpot<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Wood was the original building material for humankind\u2019s first boats and\u00a0Shuhei Ogawara<\/a>, who works in the Fukushima, Japan, city hall forestry department decided to go back to basics when designing a home-made canoe. Ogawara added an environmental twist to the concept, however, by using only\u00a0discarded wooden chopsticks<\/a>\u00a0from the city hall cafeteria – 7,382 of them! The result is a snazzy-looking canoe 13 feet long that weighs 66 pounds. No telling if an hour after launching, Ogawara wants to build another canoe.<\/p>\n

The Glass-Bottom, Sides & Top Boat<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_4\"(images via:\u00a0Clear Inflatable Kayak<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0WanderMelon<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Ever dipped a clear glass in a swimming pool? See how it virtually vanishes? Now imagine the glass is an 11-foot boat – and you\u2019re inside! Constructed from lightweight aluminum tubing and clear polycarbonate plastic, the $1500\u00a0Molokini<\/a>\u00a0is rated at 425 lbs carrying capacity. Sailing over tropical reefs in one of these must be like scuba diving without getting wet.<\/p>\n

The Saga of the Sleeping Beauties<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_5\"(images via:\u00a0Modern Mechanix<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Motorised Submersible Canoes (MSC for short) were developed by Great Britain\u2019s Royal Navy in World War II. Essentially a one-man submarine no larger than an average canoe, the so-called \u201cSleeping Beauties<\/a>\u201d were used in daring raids against Japanese shipping in captured ports such as Phuket, Thailand. Though the operators were equipped with scuba gear, piloting one of the battery-powered subs just beneath the ocean\u2019s surface for up to 40 miles must have been a miserable experience.<\/p>\n

Solo Submarining<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_6\"(images via:\u00a0Elite Choice<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Innespace<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider the Innespace Dolphin and\u00a0Seabreacher<\/a>\u00a0to be modern descendants of the wartime Sleeping Beauties. Both craft – the Dolphin is slightly smaller – are driven by a rear-mounted electric motor and can swim, leap and perform limited acrobatics like real live dolphins. One wonders what actual dolphins think of Innespace\u2019s robo-Flippers\u2026 all this writer can think of is a certain scene from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.<\/p>\n

The Corvette Corvette<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_7\"(images via:\u00a0Elite Choice<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Serious Wheels<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Corvette Stingray was named after the corvette, a \u201ca small, manoeuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft,\u201d and the stingray, a marine vertebrate related to sharks. Now\u00a0Bo Zolland<\/a>\u00a0has doubly returned the compliment with his stunning 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Boat Design. The boat features gullwing doors and can be ordered with a choice of engines including 496 HP or 502 HP Mercruisers, an LS-9 marine or a Volvo Penta Diesel with up to 550 HP. Seats 5 and would look fairly amazing on a trailer behind an actual \u201863 Vette.<\/p>\n

Fresh Sea Air<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_8\"(images via:\u00a0Flying Inflatable Boats<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Like a little air with your sea, or vice versa? You get plenty of both with the Flying Inflatable Boat, or FIB as it\u2019s called at the company website. The\u00a0FIB<\/a>\u00a0is one of those inevitable inventions – once the concept of ultralight aircraft was proven and standardized, extending the idea to create a flying boat just seems obvious. What better way to explore far-flung tropical islands, pop in to isolated fishing spots, conduct search & rescue missions or, as the company website recommends, \u201cfly into your favorite restaurant\u201d\u2026 which hopefully isn\u2019t on the upper floors of a Manhattan skyscraper.<\/p>\n

Walking On Water<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_9\"(images via:\u00a0WaveWalk Kayaks<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Webshots Outdoors<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Kayaks are not normally recommended for the balance-challenged but the innovative\u00a0WaveWalk kayak<\/a>\u00a0puts a new spin on things. Evoking the stable design of the much-larger catamaran, WaveWalk kayaks are so stable they can be stood up in and fished from – a trick even the Eskimos did not know.<\/p>\n

Guitar Boat Plays Sea Sharp<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_10\"(images via:\u00a0Walyou<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Zimbio<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Say you\u2019re an Australian singer who\u2019s looking for a new angle for a music video, and you\u2019d probably be\u00a0Josh Pyke<\/a>. The strummer created a larger than life replica of his favorite guitar and starred – aboard the seaworthy axe – in the video for his song \u201cMake You Happy.\u201d Since you\u2019re probably wondering what the guitar boat looks like in action, here\u2019s the video:<\/p>\n

Josh Pyke\u2019s \u201cMake You Happy\u201d, c\/o Ivy League Records<\/a><\/p>\n

Wood Too Float<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_11\"(images via:\u00a0JeffBridges.com<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

If boats can fly, cars can certainly float\u2026 Ted Kennedy may have been wrong about that but\u00a0Jeff Bridges<\/a>\u00a0has hit the nail on the head with a series of custom carpentered car-boats. WHY he does this is unknown, though as an attention-grabber it\u2019s hard to beat a floating Ferrari.<\/p>\n

The Spider That Ate San Francisco<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_12\"(images via:\u00a0Fun President<\/a>,\u00a0Lectronic Latitude<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SFGate<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

More like a Water Strider actually, the Proteus catamaran skims across the surface of the water much like nimble insects on sun-dappled ponds – without the need for surface tension to hold it up. Explains Ugo Conti, co-founder of\u00a0Marine Advanced Research<\/a>, \u201cProteus is the prototype of what we hope to be a new class of water vessel – the Wave Adaptive Modular Vessels, or WAM-V\u2019s.\u201d Testing on San Francisco Bay should confirm whether Proteus and its ilk really do have the spidey-sense needed to cross entire oceans. Stay tuned!<\/p>\n

Waving Ahoy<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_13\"(images via:\u00a0InventorSpot<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0RJ3SP<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Another odd boat is the Suntory Mermaid II, a\u00a0wave-powered boat<\/a>\u2026 which sounds impossible, like a wind-powered airplane, but it\u2019s the real thing! The three-tonne catamaran sailed over 4,350 miles from Hawaii to Japan in early 2008 with ocean waves being its only source of motive power. Mind you, it didn\u2019t break any speed records but it didn\u2019t have to – just arriving at its destination was the whole point of the exercise.<\/p>\n

Modern Day U-Boat<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_14\"(images via:\u00a0Trends Updates<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Tuvie<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

The term \u201cU-Boat\u201d stands for unterseeboot – undersea boat; or submarine. The\u00a0Ammonoq<\/a>\u00a0is also a U-Boat though it carries no torpedoes. Cruising at the surface it\u2019s much like any other boat, though the smoothly curved glass top will attract second glances. The Ammonoq really comes into its own when it submerges. The crew of 3 can spend a surprising amount of time beneath the waves thanks to the onboard rebreathing unit and individual regulators. Find a pretty place to explore? break out the tanks from storage and go scuba diving. Fun in the depths – with no annoying depth charges.<\/p>\n

Absolut Canoe<\/h4>\n

\"odd_boats_15\"(images via:\u00a0The Object Works<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s familiar with the long-running series of\u00a0Absolut Vodka ads<\/a>\u00a0but this unofficial one may have floated on by. It\u2019s the Absolut Canoe – no connection with the clear liquor but clearly inspired by it. Though only an artistic concept by\u00a0The Object Works<\/a>, it would be interesting to take the Absolut Canoe out for a spin\u2026 would the experience leave one shaken but not stirred?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(from WebUrbanist) Smokin\u2019 on the water\u2026 that\u2019s how hot these cool canoes, krazy kayaks and\u00a0bodacious boats\u00a0are! It\u2019s amazing what a little tech know-how and a vivid imagination can do when whipping up wild watercraft. Here are 15 that\u2019ll really float your boat. Pedals, Not Paddles (images via:\u00a0Life In The Fast Lane) Trampofoil, Hydro-bike, HydroSlide, Hydrothopter, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-1444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-weburbanist"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1444\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tokao.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}