The 700 bhp water taxi

June 18, 2008 It’s not that long ago that outboard motors had a lot less power than they have today – outboards have seen enormous progress in a short time, not just in power output, but also in the sophistication of their emission-reduction technologies. One prime example of this we found this week in the world famous Sydney Harbour, Australia, where the H2O taxis provide a massive water taxi service across 200 local pick-up and drop-off locations around Sydney Harbour from the Parramatta River to Manly and all the way through to Homebush Stadium. The company company upgraded its flagship 10.8m WaterBus fleet, from twin Yamaha F225 outboards to twin 5.3 litre V8 F350s. Not only did it comfortably increase cruising speeds, it also halved the fuel consumption required to push around a five tonne boat with as much as three tonnes of passengers and luggage.

The flagship 10.8m H2O ‘WaterBus’ now boasts 700hp to deliver its fully customised taxi services.

“I had already done over 3000 hours on my two Yamaha F225 4-strokes and was looking at upgrading to the F250 models when the new V8 F350 hit the market,” explained Shane.

“On a full load my twin F225 outboards were really working hard. Having the two Yamaha V8 outboards on the back has transformed the performance of this large, heavy boat.” H2O Taxis owner Shane Kearns

“Over the 35 engine hours clocked so far I have nearly halved my fuel bill with the twin F350 outboards returning a combined 31 litres per hour across a range of harbour conditions and boat loads. I originally thought my fuel gauges were wrong until I started closely monitoring my fuel intake.”

Shane Kearns bought the 10.8m aluminium tri-hull nearly 2 years ago, which was built to survey in 1995 for the renowned Doyles Restaurant and licensed to carry 26 passengers. After some customising and an engine swap from twin Yamaha 2-strokes to the F225 4-strokes, the vessel was re-surveyed to carry 49 passengers and the roof rated to 1 tonne for equipment transport to fulfil a range of water taxis duties.

“With the F350s on the back, I travel at an average speed of 18-22 knots with the engines sitting comfortably on 3000 rpm,” said Shane. “Changing the prop from 15” to 19” has produced incredible thrust with the boat wanting to push forwards at idle revs. I opened her up to 5,000rpm recently which produced 38 knots.” Yamaha’s world-first V8 F350 outboard has been warmly embraced by the Australian boating market with leading local and imported boat brands looking to the V8 for unmatched power to weight performance. Redefining the power options for larger planning vessels, the V8 F350 produces the torque expected from an inboard, with the weight, access and space saving advantages of an outboard. And skippers across Australia are savouring the advantage.

“Our WaterBus feels more balanced with the two V8s on the back and planes a lot easier than my previous setup,” said Shane.

“In the last 21 months I have done approximately 20,000 nautical miles (37,000 km) around the harbour and clocked up over 3000 hours on my original F225 4-strokes. I now have every reason to expect big things from my new Yamaha V8 outboards.”

The world’s largest and most expensive ship

June 20, 2008 It’s destined to be the world’s largest cruise ship – when launched next year, Royal Caribbean’s US$1.24 billion Project Genesis will be 1,180 feet long, and carry 5400 passengers (6,400 at a pinch). It’s the most expensive ship in history, and it’s longer, wider and taller than the largest ocean liner ever built, (Cunard’s QM II), 43 per cent larger in size than the world’s largest cruise ship, (Freedom of the Seas) and remarkably, bigger than any military ship ever built, aircraft carriers included. In a world where choice of amenities count, Project Genesis has yet anothert trump card – in the the center of the ship is a lush, tropical park which opens to the sky.

We like the idea of living in the same space and changing the scenery outside, be it permanently (residential cruise ships or air vehicles) or part-time (cruise ships). Cruise ships are a relatively new phenomenon, born from reinventing many of the passenger liners made redundant by affordable air travel. Beginning with refitted ocean liners, cruise ships quickly evolved into purpose-built five star hotels, and then being the biggest meant having the most on-board amenities.

With its intention of taking the best of the land to sea the aptly-named Central Park spans the length of a football field. The aim is to make the park a public gathering place like a town’s central park, with pathways, seasonal flower gardens and a canopy of trees. Aiming to give the ship a number of distinct districts, the Central park neighborhood is one of seven neighborhoods to be unveiled on Project Genesis. Each neighborhood will provide vacationers with the opportunity to seek out relevant experiences based on their personal style, preference or mood.

Central Park’s central piazza will be the ship’s “town square” which will evolve from a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere during the day to a gathering space for alfresco dining and entertainment in the evening, where guests will enjoy concerts and street performances. The neighborhood is lined with balcony staterooms rising six decks high with views of the Park below and the sky above.

Surrounding this social space will be an array of restaurants, with choices ranging from fine dining to casual chic. Guests will have the option of an elegant dinner at the new 150 Central Park or a picnic lunch from the more casual Central Park Café, where they can sit outdoors and people-watch. Other dining choices will include: Giovanni’s Table, an Italian restaurant; Vintages wine bar; and Royal Caribbean’s signature Chops Grille steakhouse. Several bars will be scattered throughout the Park, including the Canopy Bar, located at one of two impressive glass-domed canopies, and the unique Rising Tide bar - the first moving bar at sea.

Truly an engineering feat, Rising Tide will span three decks and allow cruisers to enjoy a cocktail as they slowly ascend into Central Park and then descend back into the public spaces below.

“Our brand identity is founded in innovation and on delivering the best cruise vacation through ‘WOW’ experiences,” stated Adam Goldstein, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Central Park is a true evolution of cruise ship design and allows us to provide our guests with not only a more varied selection of balcony accommodations, but also a stunning public venue that will be a central element of the ship, both during the day and at night.”

Five of the most exciting electric cars ever

Having driven the new Tesla Roadster in London this week, the electric future for car enthusiasts doesn't look as bleak as it used to. The times they are a changin'. Not so long ago all electric cars were lumped into the same category as archaic milk floats, but with more money and expertise behind the development of electric sports cars, they are finally coming good. One of the first to really impress is Tesla's Roadster, but there are others out there too and we suspect that this is only the start.

Lightning GT

The Lightning GT was one of the stars of this year's London Motor Show and its fabulous looks and luxurious interior would have made it a hit alone, but it's what lies beneath the sculpted bonnet that impresses most. How does 700bhp sound to you? Pretty impressive, right? Well, the shock comes when you realise that the GT produces that output from electricity. Using the latest 'Nanosafe' batteries and a high-powered electric motor in each wheel, the Lightning Car Company is claiming a 0-62mph time in the region of four seconds and a top speed around 150mph.

Yet that'll be done in a relatively noiseless car. Another interesting aspect of the GT is that it does away with any disc brakes, instead relying on the motors to slow the car, at the same time feeding charge back into the battery pack. Lightning is taking orders right now, with deposits for £15,000, which suggests that its new GT could come in at a reasonable £150,000. Sounds like extremely good value to us. Fingers crossed it sees the cold light of day.

Venturi Fetish

Though Tesla is stealing all the headlines right now with its Roadster, it was the French company, Venturi, that first created a production two-seat electric sports car in its oddly named Fetish.

First shown in 2002 at the Geneva Show - at a time when the world didn't take electric cars as seriously as they do now - the Fetish was significantly more expensive than the Tesla is and was due to be produced in very limited numbers. Its technical specification is not too dissimilar to the Tesla's though, with lithium-ion batteries and a 250bhp electric motor allowing the sharp two-seater to hit 62mph in less than five seconds and top 100mph. It's about time Venturi took the idea further.

ZAP Alias

Lotus Engineering has been busy. While assisting Tesla in productionising its Roadster, Lotus is also credited with working with US-based ZAP electric car company to develop the Alias sportscar.

That's a bit of a misnomer, as the Alias has actually been licensed as a motorcycle in the USA. However, its layout is unusual, with two wheels at the front and a single one at the rear and power is via an electric motor contained within each of the front wheels. ZAP claims 0-60mph in about 7.7 seconds with a top speed of 100mph. These figures are possible thanks to a low 733kg kerb weight, though range is quite limited at 100 miles.

At this stage there are no plans to bring the ZAP Alias to Europe, but American buyers can put down a deposit on the $32,500 (less than £18,000!) sportscar now for delivery in 2009. ZAP is working on other more mainstream electric vehicles.

Mullen Motors GTEV

Mullen Motors makes some bold claims for its new GTEV sportscar. Maximum power is 158bhp, with a phenomenal 450lb.ft of torque available at any speed. Seeing as the GTEV only weighs about 1,000kg it's not surprising that it hits 60mph from rest in just 4.5 seconds, though the 130mph top speed sounds a little optimistic.

In concept, the Mullen GTEV is the real deal too, based on the company's regular V8-engined GT sports car. Retaining that car's layout, the EV version is classified as id-engined and puts its power through the rear wheels. At $99,950 (about £54,000) it even sounds like reasonably good value. However, from what we can gather, that price does not get you a ready-to-drive car, instead needing the powertrain installing. Until we drive this one for ourselves we'll remain sceptical.

Techni - Marine Sewage Treatment

Techni is a commercial machinery manufacturing and development company which produces new IMO / Marpol-approved marine sewage treatment systems for all kinds of ships.

BIOCON MARINE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

Τhe BIOCON system represents the most effective sewage physicochemical process in marine vessels today. Its operation is based on a physicochemical process under an oxygen presence, for the oxidation of organic substances and bacteria disinfection through the action of chlorine in the form of NAOCL (sodium hypochlorite).

The quality of effluent upon the process completion is always suitable for discharge overboard. Our effluent conforms to the strictest legislation that is valid internationally, especially IMO resolution MEPC 2(VI) of ΙMO-592E (the recommendation on international effluent standards and guidelines for performance tests for sewage treatment plants).

BIOCON systems have been approved by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and tested according to IMO, and found to satisfy all specifications, well below all relative limits. BIOCON systems are certified according to council directive 96 / 98 / EC on marine equipment.

BIOCON I MARINE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

The ΒΙOCON I has a hydraulic capacity of 2,616L per eight hours, an organic load of 1.35kg BOD5 per eight hours and is 940mm x 425mm x 1,030mm.

BIOCON II MARINE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

1,360mm x 580mm x 1,160mm, the ΒΙOCON II has an organic load of 4.15kg BOD5 per eight hours and a hydraulic capacity of 8,073L per eight hours.

BIOCON III MARINE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM

The ΒΙOCON III has an organic load of 7.52kg BOD5 per eight hours and a hydraulic capacity of 14,618L per eight hours. It is 1,610mm x 700mm x 1,300mm in size.

BIOCON MARINE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM ADVANTAGES

BIOCON systems function completely automatically without any supervision. Any malfunction is indicated and signalled accordingly, and maintenance is very simple. They are designed for continuous operation under minimal wear as they are constructed totally from Stainless-Steel 316 (SS 316), and the sole moving parts are the pumps.

They are equipped with a specially designed macerator-homogeniser, the whole body and moving impellers of which are fully manufactured from SS 316. Driven by a high degree of automated sequence, PLC can be optionally equipped with a coloured touch-screen for operation monitoring and controlling from the ship's control rooms.

A video-terminal screen on the panel permits the visualisation and adjustment of important parameters according to every ship's particular arrangement.

BIOCON systems are small enough to be transferred through openings and installed in restricted spaces of both new and existing ships. For this purpose they can be easily divided in two major parts: the treatment tank and the support frame with the pumps.

COMPANY PROFILE

Techni entered the area of mechanical construction in Greece in 1965. During its business life Techni has been involved in a broad spectrum of activities and projects performed in the industrial and marine sectors, such as:

• Design, construction and installation of biological sewage treatment plants for industrial factories and large hotels
• Environmental antipollution systems for the metallurgical industry (turnkey installations), such as bag houses, scrubbers, etc.
• Construction of special equipment for the non-ferrous industry, for example rotary furnaces, crucibles, casters, kilns, blast furnaces and lead acid battery equipment
• Construction of steam heat exchangers for the Greek national electricity company (we have been their main supplier for more than 20 years)
• Ship construction up to 30m
• Underwater ship-hull cleaning equipment licensed for use around the globe.
• Complete installations of sewage network and equipment in vessels
• State-of-the-art marine vacuum systems

Compressed Air Systems for Modern Warships

Compressed air is used for many applications on-board modern naval ships. A centralised high-pressure system offers costs advantages in hardware and especially in software costs, as the number of different compressors installed is reduced, resulting in less technical specification, less integration and less ILS work. The WP5000 and WP5500 compressors are in use in many navies throughout the world as an essential part of this centralised high-pressure system.

Pneumatic GT starting has the advantage of far fewer system requirements compared to hydraulic starting or starting by an auxiliary power unit (APU), as in most cases a high-pressure air system has to be installed on-board for other applications. In addition, the pneumatic power can easily be stored in high-pressure bottles and is instantly available.

If more than one GT is installed, pneumatic starting allows bleed air from a GT already running to start another GT. As a result of these advantages pneumatic starting remains the preferred starting method for today’s naval design.

A compressed air system consists of the compressors and accessories such as filters and dryers, air receivers, regulating and control valves and the air piping system. The air system is vitally important to ensure platform survival. All equipment for the compressed air system is installed to meet full naval shock and vibration-proof requirements and provide a degree of redundancy.

Alternatives for Compressed Air System On-Board Naval Vessels

The selection of an optimal system at the initial design phase allows the yard as well as the user to save considerable cost. Basically there are two options for a compressed air system for naval surface ships:

• Air system with dedicated low, medium and high pressure air compressors
• Centralised high-pressure air system

In a compressed air system with dedicated air compressors, each requirement for low, medium and high-pressure air is analysed independently of each other and subsequently different specifications are developed for these systems. Based on these specifications, the most technically acceptable and cost effective solution will be selected for each system and in some cases even from different suppliers.

Compressed Air Systems for Modern Warships

Compressed air is used for many applications on-board modern naval ships. A centralised high-pressure system offers costs advantages in hardware and especially in software costs, as the number of different compressors installed is reduced, resulting in less technical specification, less integration and less ILS work. The WP5000 and WP5500 compressors are in use in many navies throughout the world as an essential part of this centralised high-pressure system.

Pneumatic GT starting has the advantage of far fewer system requirements compared to hydraulic starting or starting by an auxiliary power unit (APU), as in most cases a high-pressure air system has to be installed on-board for other applications. In addition, the pneumatic power can easily be stored in high-pressure bottles and is instantly available.

If more than one GT is installed, pneumatic starting allows bleed air from a GT already running to start another GT. As a result of these advantages pneumatic starting remains the preferred starting method for today’s naval design.

A compressed air system consists of the compressors and accessories such as filters and dryers, air receivers, regulating and control valves and the air piping system. The air system is vitally important to ensure platform survival. All equipment for the compressed air system is installed to meet full naval shock and vibration-proof requirements and provide a degree of redundancy.

Alternatives for Compressed Air System On-Board Naval Vessels

The selection of an optimal system at the initial design phase allows the yard as well as the user to save considerable cost. Basically there are two options for a compressed air system for naval surface ships:

• Air system with dedicated low, medium and high pressure air compressors
• Centralised high-pressure air system

In a compressed air system with dedicated air compressors, each requirement for low, medium and high-pressure air is analysed independently of each other and subsequently different specifications are developed for these systems. Based on these specifications, the most technically acceptable and cost effective solution will be selected for each system and in some cases even from different suppliers.

How to measure a website's IQ?

The creator of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, has made an odd request: for a kind of rating system to help people distinguish sites that can be trusted to tell the truth, and those that can't.

Berners-Lee was speaking at the launch of the World Wide Web Foundation, which aims to ensure that everyone in the world benefits as the web evolves.

In his speech he referred to the way fears that the LHC could destroy the world spread like wildfire online. As the BBC puts it, he explained that "there needed to be new systems that would give websites a label for trustworthiness once they had been proved reliable sources."

He went on to say that he didn't think "a simple number like an IQ rating" is a good idea: "I'd be interested in different organisations labelling websites in different ways". Whatever process is used to hand out the labels, it sounds like a bad idea to me.

Berners-Lee himself directed us towards some of the its biggest problems:

"On the web the thinking of cults can spread very rapidly and suddenly a cult which was 12 people who had some deep personal issues suddenly find a formula which is very believable...A sort of conspiracy theory of sorts and which you can imagine spreading to thousands of people and being deeply damaging."

There are plenty of arguments online already about whether Scientology is a cult. I find it unlikely anyone will be keen to step in and label sites on either side as not to be trusted. Others might reasonably argue that all religions - whether established or not - should come with a warning message.

As for wading in to put a stop to conspiracy theories, I can't image anything their proponents could benefit from more.

Berners-Lee also mentioned the system would help people find out the real science behind, for example, the LHC's risks. You might think handing out rating for sites about science would be easier, with publishers of peer-reviewed science, for example, receiving a top rating without problems.

But there will be papers in the archives of any journal that have been entirely superseded. And a whole lot more that present results that are valid, but can be misleading to some readers. Web licences to ensure that people only read sites they can handle are the next logical step.

Fortunately it's much more likely that the whole idea will quietly be forgotten, which will at least prevent Berners-Lee receiving one of the first "potentially misleading" badges for thinking it up in the first place.

Let's hope the World Wide Web Foundation and its laudable goals have a rosier future.