A boat built to resemble a Great White Shark that can fly up to 12 feet through the air before diving through the waves has been dubbed the ultimate millionaire’s toy.
The £60,000 James Bond style craft, called Seabreacher X, can reach up to speeds of 50 mph on water or 25 mph after diving below the surface.
The two-seater boat, built in the same shape and length (about 12 feet) as a shark, is kitted out with all the luxuries a millionaire would want.
Among the high-tech features includes a snorkel mounted video camera that can transmit live video to LCD screens for the pilot and passenger during dives, GPS navigation and on board stereo with iPod docking.
Driving similar to a high-powered jetski, the snorkel supplies air to the 260hp supercharged engine.
It can “sustain high speed dives and then breach the surface launching the entire vessel clear out of the water” while mimicking the “tail articulation of real aquatic animals like sharks and dolphins”. It takes about three months to build.
Its inventors hope the part jet-ski, part boat will cash in on the lucrative water sports market after figures showed that every year spend Americans spend on average $34 billion on the industry.
Seabreacher's co-owner, Rob Innes, 37, a self confessed “water sports fanatic”, described the experience as “intense, extreme play”.
“The seabreacher is really for people with a large disposable income who want to have fun,” he told the Daily Mail.
“It's pretty popular in the Middle East, but we've also sold them to clients in Korea and the Caribbean.”
“The new drag-boat style wrap-around canopy was primarily designed to reduce heat build up in the cockpit.”
He added: “This, combined with the gaping jaws, give the whole vessel a far more menacing presence.
“This isn't a submarine, you're not going to visit the Titanic in it. It's more of a cross between a plane and a boat, and we've been improving the models constantly so they can do more and more tricks.”
Mr Innes said a U.S. Navy research officer visited his company’s Redding, Northern California base to inspect the designs.
The company plans to build 10 of this particular model with two already pre-sold. It is based on a previous model that is shaped similar to a dolphin.
Engine / Drive
ROTAX 1500cc, 4 stroke engine
260 hp supercharged, Intercooled
high output, low emission,
Axial Flow jet pump
Fully vectored thrust (up/down, left/right)
Forward, Neutral, Reverse
Closed cooling system, reliable in fresh or salt water
All components can be serviced at your local watercraft dealership
Features
Re-designed shark style body
Mouth-shaped viewports for enhanced underwater visibility
Double snorkel intakes for engine's increased air requirements
High performance, low profile wings and elevators
Powder-coated stainless steel and alluminum hardware
Custom exhaust outlet
Fully upholstered interior, customized to your desires
Front and Rear LCD screens, displaying live video from snorkel-mounted camera
Onboard stereo system with ipod dock
Removable lifting eyes for launching from a yacht mounted davit
Custom built powder coated trailer
Safety
Hand-laid composite, monocoque structure
Positively buoyant, self-righting hull design
1/2 inch, impact-resistant, acrylic canopy
Inflatable aircraft seal keeps cockpit and engine bay water tight
Three automatic bilge pumps
Collapsible nose section in the event of frontal impact
Break-away wing tips
All marine approved engine components and hardware
Onboard fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide detecter
U.S. Coastguard inspected
