Marine

Way back in 2016, GoBoat introduced an odd-looking boating craft that sat the single occupant in the middle of a huge inflatable ring, and could be collapsed down for transport on land. Now the company has launched the much-improved Gen 2.0 PWC.

Once billed as the world's fastest production electric boat and the world's fastest production hydrofoiling craft, the Valo Hyperfoil has now hit the water as a working alpha prototype – but curiously, its claimed top speed has dropped considerably.

The Icon electric hydrofoil looks far more like a design project than a BMW, but in fact, it's both. The dramatic vessel debuts in Cannes with BMW i battery power, a trio of hydrofoils and enough windows for paparazzi-grade celebrity gawking.

Flying above the waves atop an electric hydrofoil board is a relatively new way to have fun on the water, but eFoil beginners can struggle. The Flitescooter makes use of a large inflatable board and mid-mount handlebars to help folks get started.

Forget about merely living off-grid, the future is about living offshore, full-time. The Sovereign Ships Sphinx 40 has been conceived as an on-water homestead capable of producing its own power, harvesting its own fresh water and growing food.

Norwegian shipping company Torghatten AS is due to launch what's billed as the world's first commercial autonomous and electric passenger ferry, which will start making regular trips between islands in central Stockholm, Sweden, later this year.

Methanol fuel has found some footing in commercial shipping, but it remains sidelined in other sectors, including leisure craft. The Zero.63 catamaran yacht plots a new course, exploring thousands of miles of ocean on clean-burning methanol.

The flapping motion of a new robotic jellyfish is not only good for propulsion, but it can also draw small bits of debris up from the ocean floor without contact. Such a robot could remove trash from delicate ocean environments, like coral reefs.

Last year we first heard about the Nautilus, a planned US$25 million submersible superyacht designed by Germany's U-Boat Worx. The company has now provided the first images of the vessel's interior, which looks like it would do Jules Verne proud.

Optimized for the lowest weight possible, the Kaebon EB Eins electric boat is a smooth hunk of carbon fiber designed to glide silently through the water. It's so lightweight, it can ride atop an SUV like a canoe, eliminating the need for a trailer.

It was just last year that we heard about the first "flight" of Candela's C-8 day-cruiser electric hydrofoil. The Swedish company has now announced a new version of the boat, in the popular center console layout.

Three years ago we heard about Oceanbotics' SRV-8, a small yet highly capable underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle). Well, it's now got a much burlier bigger sibling, in the form of the SRV-8X Optimus.

Since we first got wind of Saildrone's autonomous USVs back in 2018, they've mapped miles of ocean floor, chased hurricanes, and surveyed remote regions. Now the company is adding a new vessel to tackle near-shore mapping and maritime surveillance.

Expanding its Island Solar Transit System, Ride Solar has converted a 1967 Montreal Expo water taxi into a solar-powered cruise vessel for sight-seeing tours of Charlottetown Harbour on Prince Edward Island, which are due to begin from May.

The China State Shipbuilding Corporation has delivered its MSC Tessa megaship to the Mediterranean Shipping Company. With a deck area of about four football fields, it's capable of loading up to 24,116 TEU containers at a time, stacked up to 26 deep.