Dubai International Boat Show

The Dubai International Boat Show, DIBS 2010, held in Dubai from March 9th to 13th featured not only the latest luxury yachts, but also a peek at the latest boating technology. Among the innovations getting attention at the show were NRG Marine ultrasonic cleaning system, AQUALEO’s aquatic go-kart, and Pearl Watercrafts over-the-water flying machine.

Starting the show off right was the announcement that the Sunseeker 38 Metre Special Edition superyacht was purchased for AED 72 million (about US $19.6 million). Commenting on the sale and the overall economic mood of the show was Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, “The sale of this beautiful superyacht is a great example of how confidence is returning to the leisure marine market, especially here in Dubai. We experienced a great number of serious buyers during the first day of the show and we are confident that we will see further good news stories from the Dubai International Boat Show throughout the week.” Sunseeker had eight boats on display at the show this year.

Although that boat was pricey, the Silver Zwie was even pricier. The 73 meter long luxury liner with top speeds of 27 knots per hour had a sales tag of 60 million Euros (about US $82 million).

For the more practical minded there was the NRG Marine’s ultrasonic cleaning system. The system completely eliminates the need to scrub your hull, an expensive and environmentally messy process. Simply glue on a few ultrasonic transducers to your boat, and the sound vibrations take care of the rest.

According to United Kingdom and Dubai based NRG, the ultrasonic cleaning system not only saves you money on hull, power train and steerage gear cleaning, but also maintenance and fuel costs. And that’s because ultrasonic frequencies eliminate single cell organisms, which algae and other marine growth feed on. After a boat has been in the water for any length of time, algae and barnacles will start to cling to the hull and other parts of the boat, such as the propeller, resulting not only in corrosion but also propeller cavitation. This increases drag, lowers your top speed and can increase fuel consumption by as much as 20 percent.

Also at the show was an environmentally friendly all-electric powered aquatic go-kart. AQUALEO of Lavel France states that the boat is one of the fastest in its class with a top speed of 25 knots. With a four-hour range, the boat seats up to two comfortably. The zippy little boat has been designed to handle winds up to strength 6 and waves as high as 2 meters. At the show, the company let boaters give it a virtual test drive using a 3D simulator.

The Dubai boat show also featured a new over-the-water flying device. Once the 30 pound device, called the jetev, is strapped on your back, you can actually fly up to 35 kilometers per hour at heights up to 33 feet. Demonstrations of the product reveal that the machine is attached to a 39 foot hose, which connects to small boat that follows closely in tow. The water pump inside the boat is what provides the water to power the jetev. The machine, which lets you fly almost like a bird, has a price tag of about 129,000 Euros (about $176,000 U.S.). The distributor for that product in Dubai is Pearl Watercrafts and in France is Pearl Watersports France.