Watercraft

A tender is a smaller boat, used for going between yachts and the shore – and Salomé Yachts' new Atlantic is a doozy.

Boston's Sea Machines Robotics has developed and launched the Sharktech 29 Defiant autonomous patrol boat with shipbuilder Metal Shark.

The Rapid Raft is billed as the world's lightest pack raft, and packs down to the size of a loaf of bread when the fun is done.

Ten years ago, François-Alexandre Bertrand had an idea for a novel watercraft that cruised to a site and then lowered its passengers below the water to have a look around. Now the first Platypus Blue Ocean has been sold, and the order books officially opened.

​We hear a lot about aerial and underwater drones, but ones that travel on the water's surface … not so much. They can be quite useful, though, as we discovered when we recently checked out the Heron USV (unmanned surface vessel) at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

​Jason Woods began his quest to build an inexpensive, easily hauled personal watercraft back in 2004. He introduced us to the Kymera in 2011, which went electric in 2012 and launched in 2013. In 2016, we spent some time on the water with the body board, and now the Kymera K-X2 has been announced.​

​Stand-up paddleboards may be a lot of fun on the water, but they can also be a hassle to store and transport – especially if your vehicle doesn't have a roof rack. Massachusetts-based startup Artech is out to change that, however, with its modular Easy Eddy.

​Perhaps best-known for its diesel engines and robotic agricultural equipment, Japanese company Yanmar also makes personal watercraft. Its latest addition to the latter category is a little something known as the Wheeebo, which is kind of like an aquatic Segway.

Purveyor of pint-sized motorboats Jet Capsule recently put the finishing touches to its latest model, the Royal Version 001. The watercraft boasts significant upgrades over the firm's previous offerings and is bigger, faster, and more luxurious than before.

It was just a couple of years ago that we heard about Lift Foils' eFoil, a surfboard-like personal electric hydrofoil. And while it does look like a lot of fun, it also costs US$12,000. China's Waydoo is now about to provide some competition, though, with its $7,999 Flyer.

​It was just last year that we heard about The Bootlegger, a retro mahogany stand-up paddle board made by Minneapolis-based artisan Kevin Fitzke. While it's a beauty to behold, it also costs US$3,299. Well, Fitzke is now back, with the less-pricey but still-classy Speakeasy.

​Wouldn't it be neat if there were a boat with three retractable wheels that allowed it to get in and out of the water on its own? Well there is, and it's made by New Zealand-based Sealegs. Now, the company has unveiled a new electric-drive model, the Electric E4.