Ross Leidy builds kayaks and they are drop dead gorgeous. Kayaks are sleek to begin with but adding the factor of wood construction gives them a visual bonus. Ross has a series of different kayaks displayed on his website, some following plans he found to his liking and some of his own design.
He found the process so rewarding he's even created a software design package, KayakFoundry, which is available for download from his website. You can try your own hand at design but turning those designs into the beautiful creations Ross has on display will take considerably more than a few clicks of a computer mouse.
If you find wooden boats, and particularly kayaks, of interest, you should visit his site. Definitely worthwhile.
Link: Blue Heron Kayaks via Make
The EPA has proposed new emission regulations for small engines, including those used in boats and personal watercraft. This follows the increasingly strict regulations being imposed on all forms of vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
... recreational watercraft can emit as much (hourly pollution) as 348 cars an hour. By 2030, recreational watercraft powered by gasoline engines would see a 70 percent reduction in smog-forming hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), a 20 percent reduction in carbon monoxide (CO), and a 70 percent reduction in fuel evaporative emissions. When fully implemented, the rule would result in annual emission reductions of 630,000 tons of HC, 98,000 tons of NOx, 6,300 tons of direct particulate matter, and 2.7 million tons of CO.
The new standards will apply as early as 2009.
Proposed rules for Spark ignition engines and vessels: [click to continue…]
Recently we mentioned the Far Harbour 39, a sailboat designed around the specific parameters that enable it to fit inside a 40 foot shipping container, making trans-ocean moves to distant ports very easy. All well and good, you say, but what if you already have a yacht and no desire to purchase something else?
Dockwise, a company specializing in semi-submersible heavy lift vessels capable of moving all sorts of things from drilling rigs to submarines also offers services for moving yachts worldwide with float-on/float-off yacht transport service. Their ships are specifically designed for the job and they've just launched a new supership, the 685.7-foot (209 meters) Yacht Express.
... built at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China, (it) has an official delivery date of May, 2007. It will be the largest vessel of its kind in the world, purpose-built with a semi-submersible dock bay that allows yachts of any size to be safely floated on and off as cargo. Yacht Express will join four other dedicated yacht carriers, all semi-submersible, in the existing liner service of DYT.
With a speed of 18 knots, it cuts transit time in half and with a beam of 106 feet (32 meters) and deck space of 55,060 feet (5,115 square meters), the vessel has a carrying capacity of 5,000 metric tons. An amazing ship and very useful service for those with the desire to sail distant ports with the added feature that your boat doesn't have to fit inside a little box, either!
Link: Dockwise
Link: Dockwise "Yacht Express"via Gizmag
