A retractable hardtop for the open seas, the Reversys Boat is a sleek concept designed to go from closed to open cabin in a matter of seconds. In fact, its electric roof system offers three different configurations, allowing the captain to quickly react to the changing weather and changing moods of the passengers.
"Why couldn’t retractable hardtops equip motor-boating such as they have been successfully used in the automotive industry for several decades?" the Swiss-based team behind the Reversys concept asks. "This issue has been raised time and time again but without any satisfactory achievement so far. A study of the various patents to date demonstrate that none of the proposed solutions solves the issue of the large areas needed for the roof storage once opened which affect the ease of use of [the] boat."
To be fair, it's a question that has been addressed by ship designers in the past, most notably in the Hi-Tech Marine Oronero and, perhaps less convincingly, with sliding shades like the one offered by Alfastreet Marine. However, these systems lack the fluid, natural lines of automotive counterparts like the all-new Ferrari California T.
Reversys designers have created a smoother, more attractive design study using an innovative, multi-panel hardtop system that switches between its three configurations in a matter of seconds. The system includes two roof sections that allow for three separate boat configurations: fully enclosed fast commuter, semi-open sedan, and fully open racer. With the push of a button, occupants can work on their tans under sunny, cloudless skies or batten down the hatches to escape torrential rain.
The fully enclosed commuter configuration wraps both the cockpit and the rear deck in hard sides and roofing. From there, the rear-deck enclosure's tailgate drops and its roof panel slides forward into the cockpit roof. This creates an open sun deck that's sunk into the hull to provide some protection from the wind and elements. The deck also includes two side windows that lower down.
To create the fully open racer, the cockpit roof swings backward and nests inside the rear hull deck. This opens the driver and passengers up to the blue sky above while creating a large, barrier-free sun deck in back.
The greater design of the 32-foot (9.75 m) Reversys Boat is inspired by American racing boats of the 1920s, with tweaks to accommodate the needs of the automatic hardtop system. A long, swooping foredeck shoots rearward from the creased bow of the V-shaped hull, giving way to the back-set cockpit. The boat's proportions look like a more dramatic visualization of front-engine, hardtop sports convertibles like the aforementioned California T - long, curvy front, rear-slung cabin and short rear deck.
The Reversys Boat is just a concept for now, but the designers say that feasibility studies, patent filings and initial market studies have been performed. They are seeking investment partners, as well as potential buyers, to pursue the boat's development.
You can watch the Reversys roof system in the rendering video below.
Source: Reversys