What could be better than seeing the Statue of Liberty in person? How about traveling there in a noiseless and fumeless boat?
That’s exactly how the ride will be when New York City’s new solar and wind powered hybrid ferry is operating service. Completely petroleum-free, the ferry itself is called “Miss Statue of Liberty” and is being made in partnership with Solar Sailor of Australia. When running, the ferry uses a sail covered in solar panels that collects energy from the sun and wind. (If the vessel goes over 6 knots, a diesel main propulsion engine cuts in.) This 600 passenger, 115 foot trimaran ferry can also be plugged in and the batteries recharged.
Solar Sailor’s founder, Robert Dane, and Circle Line (the ferry operator that provides service to the Statue of Liberty) both agree that the ferry is a beautiful ship that has enormous potential to make people more aware of the environment. Said to cost between $2-3 million dollars more than a conventional ferry, Circle Line believes cutting fuel usage by about a third each year will make it worthwhile financially.
This is our first time covering the Earthracer, a racing ship using Biodiesel as fuel, as it attempts to circle the globe. We are covering it now because a friend and one of our first G Living Live host, Ziya Tong, did a show on the ship and its crew for the Canadian Knowledge Network. Watch the Show
Revolutionary Design
Earthrace is a 78 foot wave piercing trimaran designed by New Zealand navel architect Craig Loomis Design Group and was built by Calibre Boats. To ensure the lowest weight and highest strength possible, the hull is constructed of carbon fiber with a top layer of Kevlar. Earthrace has concluded its sea trials and Skipper Pete Bethune is confident the boat is structurally sound to circumnavigate the globe. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
How green is your luxury boat? It’s not a question you hear every day, but the new Mary Slim from Multimarine has sparked a rigorous debate among nautical aficionados.
The Mary Slim is a lean green machine — literally — specifically designed to reduce fuel consumption. And not just any old fuel consumption. Biodiesel. The hull is very thin and long, reducing the drag of the boat and thus, its need for gas. (In case you’re wondering, that’s also what gives Mary Slim its name.) Other green elements include the fact that it can be powered by kite or sail and has eliminated chemicals that remove barnacles and algae.
Critics of the boat question whether the 12-cylander engine and 1650 horsepower motor are too much boat to be considered green. Also, the slim design of the MS makes it hard to steer.
What I want to know is: wouldn’t your boat smell like French fries?
Everywhere you look, people are attempting to come up with newer, earth-friendlier alternatives to standard fossil fuels. We’ve got electricity, we’ve got kites, we’ve got leftover french fry grease, we’ve got Willie Nelson-diesel, and now we’ve got… human fat?
That’s right. Evidently obesity does have its benefits.
Seriously, if you’re able to look beyond the yuck factor, it actually makes sense in a way. After all, our bodies burn fat…why can’t that same fat be sucked out and used for something else… like powering a boat?
Apparently it can. At least that’s what New Zealand skipper Pete Bethune is counting on. He’s pledged to make Earthrace the world’s fastest eco-boat on a journey around the globe – powered in part by leftovers from his own liposuction.
The odd but very “G” new thinking behind this odd styled water craft called the WAM-V or Wave Adaptive Modular Vessels. This spider looking vessel has many “G” features, some of the coolest ones we think are that the entire thing packs into a shipping container, uses very little fuel, runs shallow, and can be configured for many different uses. This isn’t your one function vessel, it can reconfigured in a very short time to take on a new mission. To use re-thinking tech to be smart is what “G” is all about.
Checkout the amazing details behind this craft. The specially designed pontoons by several components that actually move in relation to one another. Springs, shock absorbers and ball joint articulate the vessel and mitigate stresses to structure, payload and crew. Two engine pods, containing the propulsion and ancillary systems, are fastened to the hulls with special hinges that keep the propellers in the water at all times. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
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