Aerospace

Meet ‘Super GPS’: XONA Ups the Space Race Ante

With a mission to power the current and next-generation of GPS-enabled products and systems, XONA Space Systems keeps the mantra ‘precision, power and protection’ in all that it does as this 2020-start-up designs, builds and launches its fleet of low earth orbit satellites. We spoke with XONA CEO Brian Manning for his insights on how this could impact the maritime, offshore energy and subsea sectors.The following was excerpted from Maritime Reporter TV’s interview with XONA CEO Brian Manning.

Eye on Design: Flipping Small High-Speed Powerboats

Naval Architects can predict many things with great certainty. But the sea is an unpredictable task master and there are still a number of areas where it is difficult to get a technical handle on the problem.High speed planing boat stability is one of those areas.Planing hull design is incredibly complicated and dynamic behavior is actually more difficult to predict than the dynamic behavior of airplanes. (Let me say it again: Aerospace engineering (I am one) is sandlot compared to Naval Architecture).Meanwhile thousands…

Cox Marine Adds Four to Its Leadership Team

British manufacturer Cox Marine announced four new appointments to its Leadership Team as the company ramps up production to meet global demand for the high-performance CXO300 diesel outboard engine.David Gilbert has been appointed as Cox Marine’s new Chief Commercial Officer and Marcus Randall as its Head of Marketing and Communications, while Paul Cavander joins as Head of Industrial Strategy and Heinz Stalhammar as Chief Engineer.Regarding the new appointments, Gavin Wesson…

Spain Detains Yacht Thought to Be Owned by Rosneft CEO

Spanish authorities on Wednesday detained a mega-yacht called "Crescent" that is believed to belong to Igor Sechin, the sanctioned chief executive of Russian oil giant Rosneft, a police source told Reuters.The 135-metre-long yacht, described by specialist publications as one of the biggest in the world, sails under a Cayman Islands flag and arrived in Spain from Italy in November 2021, according to monitoring site Marine Traffic.Spain's Transport Ministry, which confirmed the detention but not the ownership, said it docked…

Yacht Linked to Russian Oligarch Leaves Barcelona

A superyacht linked to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich left Barcelona on Tuesday where it had been undergoing repairs in a local shipyard, ship-tracking data showed.The 140-meter (460-foot) My Solaris, which sails under a Bermuda flag according to monitoring site Marine Traffic, left Spanish company MB92's Barcelona shipyard just after 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, according to the same site. MB92 declined to comment.The superyacht, which was built in a German shipyard and first took to the sea early last year, is one of a string of yachts owned by Abramovich…

Cox Marine Hires Wesson as COO

Cox Marine, a British manufacturer of high-powered diesel outboard engines for the global marine industry, announced it has appointed Gavin Wesson as its new Chief Operating Officer with immediate effect.Wesson has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and engineering operations, supply chain, and overall business leadership. He has held senior leadership roles at GKN Aerospace, GE Aviation and Doncasters Group, and, most recently, COO of Civil Airframe at GKN Aerospace.In this newly created role…

PROFILE: Boat-Building Icon Leon Slikkers Retires from Tiara Yachts

In a career that began with building wooden runabouts, Slikkers pioneered sport, sail and pleasure boats..Leon Slikkers, a marine industry pioneer, whose career building boats dates back to the 1940s, is retiring from Tiara Yachts, the company announced. An industry trendsetter who bucked conventional wisdom when it came to building boats out of fiberglass instead of wood, Slikkers, now 93, founded S2 Yachts in 1974. The company initially focused on trailerable sailboats, but…

A Look Inside A North German Showroom for Superyachts

The Bremen district of Vegesack enjoys an excellent reputation as the North German Superyacht Valley on the banks of the River Weser. A reputation that extends far beyond the world-famous shipyards of Lürssen and Abeking & Rasmussen. In fact, many other well-known companies in the industry are also contributing to the high-profile international standing of the area, including the renowned design studio beiderbeck designs, which has its head office here. This is now undergoing expansion with a new and exclusive showroom for megayacht equipment.

Mussel Power: New Adhesives from Chem Start-up are Sea-Inspired

Taking technology from academia to market is a well-worn tradition across the maritime and subsea sectors. In this case the ‘innovative’ adhesive technology is actually born from the sea. There is a new underwater adhesive technology based on a glue used naturally by marine creatures. Mussel Polymers Inc. (MPI) – a startup created by Wardenclyffe Chemicals Inc., a technology development company – licensed this patented adhesive technology from the Purdue Research Foundation. The technology was created by Jonathan Wilker…

PROJECT PHOENIX. RISING 2020.

Project Phoenix Series is a revolutionary spec build, representing the collaboration of an American design and engineering team and a South Korean shipyard constructing the first superyacht in the world’s leading shipbuilding nation.Lazzara Ombres Architects of Tampa, Fla. partnered with BongChul “BC” Kim of GHI Shipyard to build their 130-foot, aluminum luxury sport superyacht design. With the vessel’s hull and superstructure now complete for the five stateroom vessel, interior and outfitting will commence with the vision of interior designer Alexandre Thiriat. Mr.

‘Assisted Docking’ System for Outboards

A revolutionary “assisted docking” system that provides a glimpse into the future of boating will be demonstrated at two upcoming events by Mercury Marine and Raymarine aboard a Boston Whaler Outrage. The first event will take place at Mercury’s famed Lake X test center and another demonstration to take place at the 2019 Miami International Boat Show. Integrating Raymarine DockSense assisted-docking is a natural “next step” for Mercury, which introduced Zeus joystick docking, an advanced joystick system for pod drives, in 2007.

Mercury Racing Names Halley as GM

Mercury Racing has named Stuart Halley as its new general manager to replaces Erik Christiansen who left the company in March.Halley is a 25-year veteran of the marine industry having served most recently as Mercury Marine’s PD&E Director, Program Management & Product Planning, a role he has held since 2011.During that time, Halley and his team were integral to the success of many of Mercury’s outboard platforms including the 150hp FourStroke, the 75-115hp FourStroke and the new 3.4L V-6 platform.Prior to working at Mercury, Halley was employed at General Dynamics and Lockheed in Ft.

Better Way Products Expands Custom Capabilities

Known in the marine sector for its dock boxes, Better Way Products is a provider of OEM fiberglass parts. From its founding 30 years ago, it has grown to become one of the largest composite manufacturers in the U.S. This accomplishment is due in great part to its continual investment in new technologies. The company routinely builds intricate, multi-piece molds that maximize design intent. Recent examples of its capabilities can be found on Smoker Craft, Manitou and Avalon boats.

TOPCAT Launches Modern Catamaran Fun for Beginners

TOPCAT is the epitome of multihull sailing fun in Germany. For almost 40 years, sports and beach catamarans made of polyester have been highly regarded around the world by recreational skippers and racing fanatics alike. With the K4X model the company, which is headquartered in Inning am Ammersee close to Munich, has brought a 15-foot boat to market in 2017 that has been optimized using computer simulations. The innovative hull shape of this all-rounder offers greater buoyancy – thanks to its U-frame hull (instead of a V-frame) – and therefore greater safety…

Simrad MX Now GLONASS Compatible

Simrad says that its new MX Series MX521B Smart Antenna, and HS80A and MX575D DGNSS Compasses are compatible with both Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) system in operation — the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian Federation's Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS). A space-based satellite navigation system operated by the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces, GLONASS provides additional satellite coverage to GPS. Enhancing heading and position performance, and reducing the time taken for position acquisition…

The Landing School to Graduate 78 Students

Founder and President of Michael Peters Yacht Design to Give Keynote Address. On June 21 The Landing School will celebrate its 35th annual commencement, graduating 78 diploma students, a record high. Graduates in the Marine Systems, Yacht Design, Composite Boat Building and Wooden Boat Building programs will hear speaker Michael Peters, Founder and President of Michael Peters Yacht Design. Students and their families will also enjoy the christening of the boats built this year. The Wooden Boat Building program will christen three Flyfisher 22s and three Joel White Pea Pods.

NISI’s XPRESSO Series Introduced

The first model in NISI’s XPRESSO multihull series—NISI 50 XPRESSO—represents the culmination of decades of development and design in the power multihull market: a high speed multihull purposely designed and developed by people with a unique combination of knowledge and skills. Codenamed “X50,” this XPRESSO is introduced as the fifth NISI model in the company’s collection. The highly anticipated X50 is the first multi-hull to focus on the desires of traditional monohull owners.

Boeing Participate in Racing Yacht Recyling Project

Boeing and Oracle Team USA (winner of the 34th America's Cup) are collaborating to recycle 7,000 pounds (about 3,175 kilograms) of carbon fiber of USA-71, a yacht built for the America's Cup campaign in 2003. The hull and mast of the racing yacht will be processed and repurposed, a first-of-its-kind effort for what will likely be the largest carbon structure ever recycled. Boeing and Oracle Team USA, working with research partners, will utilize a technique developed to recycle composite materials from Boeing's 787 Dreamliner…

Hall Spars Celebrate 33rd Anniversary, Revamp Website

Opening the doors to a small shop on June 9, 1980, in Bristol, Rhode Island, Eric Hall and Phil Garland founded Hall Spars & Rigging with a staff of four mast makers and a receptionist. 33 years on they have grown to have high-performance spar and rigging factories in the US, Holland and New Zealand. Hall pioneered the combination of autoclave curing and seamless carbon construction. Milestones include expansion into multiple state-of-the-art factories on three continents, a hand in three America's Cup victories…