Commuter?

Monday, March 5, 2007, 2 comments

Open water between home and work? I know at least two people on the swedish west coast who take the kayak to work. But here is another option – the Kaimaran.

The Kaimaran is a 10" environmentally friendly and easily handled one-man water vehicle, developed by students at Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (Stockholm Institute of Technology) and Konstfack (Stockholm Institute of Art and Design). It runs one nautic mile at 15 knots on 1 dl etanol.

Through specialization in a narrow field of intended usage, a very high degree of efficiency is attainable – in contrast to most other watercraft, where perceived demands on flexibility and versatility makes this impossible.

The concept is first presented on the Älvsjö Fair this week, and an operational prototype will be tested in May.

Data:
Loa: 3 meter
Beam: 0,7 meter (2,3 incl hydrofoils)
Weight: 70 kg
Power: Yamaha 4 hp 4-cycle on etanol
Marschfart: 15 knop
Speed: 0,1 litre/NM