It's a boat, it's a plane - no, it's a Helicat!
Now here's something different on the water! I thought it was a boat carrying a helicopter. But it's actually a 22' Helicat. A catamaran boat, where the captain and mate sit inside a helicopter-inspired cockpit. No price was mentioned, but it should be available by early summer. Here's a lot more info from the company website:
The HeliCat 22 is a cool-looking catamaran for rough water -- great for stable & safe, fun, fast, economical and practical water travel, island transport, resort adventure tours (with 4 side facing jump seats with seat belts), fishing far away, or day charter/rental. Wrap her with your company logo & photos for eye-catching and fun advertising on and off the water. Open air feel and thrill like a motorcycle but without the traffic danger! Goes 20-30 mph in whitecap waves at 5 mpg--not possible in other boats. The new design makes this cool-looking, lightweight, stable and agile catamaran safe in rough seas, and a lot of fun with great fuel economy and near zero maintenance. She corners flat like a rocket on a rail. She is virtually unsinkable due to a combination of positive foam flotation and separate watertight compartments. At speeds from 20-40, she burns only 4-10 gph, getting 5 to 3.5 miles per gallon, which is unusually good for a boat that can handle rough water. Combined with her stability, it makes commuting on the water reasonably economical. She has been tested in whitecap waves under the Tacoma Narrows bridge and found to be very stable and relatively smooth at 30 mph--see videos. The prototype boat's top speed is about 40 mph with twin 60hp Mercury four stroke EFI motors. Initial testing with twin Yamaha 70 hp indicates 50 mph top speed of US models. US produced version coming in June-July will be at least 400 lbs lighter and hence faster than the prototypes built in Argentina. The Helicat can be ordered with 60 or 70-hp motors of your choice or sold alone for you to fit your own motors. A custom aluminum trailer with LED lights and disc brakes is available. She can be towed by a mid-sized car or small SUV, because she will be under 3,000 pounds on the trailer full of fuel and gear, ready to go anywhere.
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