Awesome Boats

This high-energy sport combines the physicality of rowing and a tug of war competition in one. Watch as two teams go head-to-head in a swimming pool to see who can pull the other team across the center line by rowing backward.

Every now and then you hear about a ship that collided with another in the dark of night. You’d think that the solution would be to equip them with headlights like cars, right? Casual Navigation explains the optical properties at work which makes the idea suboptimal, and explains the other kind of lights that ships do have.

Did you know that there’s a boat out there that has its own U.S. zip code? We sure didn’t. Half as Interesting explains the story behind the boat that floats up and down the Detroit River, delivering mail to freighter ships that can’t afford to waste time docking to pick up parcels.

A while back, Brick Experiment Channel built a 100-wheel LEGO car that drives like a train without rails. Now, they’ve applied the same idea to boats. They linked together a set of 10 different boats using ball joints to see how they would handle the water and waves. The brick-built flotilla reminds us of a water snake.

Driving your sports car into a lake is a very bad idea – unless it’s actually a boat that looks like a car. A group of three friends in Egypt came up with the idea of these custom-made powerboats which look just like convertible sports cars. Sadly, they’re not amphibious, so they only work on water, but they still look awesome.

Outside of Bangkok, Thailand, adrenaline junkies pilot longtail wood boats with modified car engines that can make 500 hp or more. The boats can hit speeds upwards of 70 mph (112 km/h) as their captains steer inches from their powerful motors. CB Media offers a first-hand look at one of the world’s most bonkers activities.

Xyla Foxlin likes to build all kinds of things but has a special affinity for canoes and paddles. Using an existing canoe as a mold, she created a translucent fiberglass vessel that she wired up with strips of RGB LED lighting, making it the most vibrant and colorful boat on the water.

If you’ve ever been on a small boat on choppy seas, you know it can be a workout for your brain and body. Whistle Sports’ compilation of videos by Benjamin Bakke shows just how challenging it can get for fishermen when they’re below deck in rough weather.

It’s nearly time for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, the world’s toughest row 3,000 miles from the Canary Islands to Antigua. Teams and solo rowers battle the elements, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and the occasional marlin beak piercing their boat hulls. Celebrate with Talisker 10-Year and watch last year’s recap.

Christened in 1940, the S.S. America was a glorious oceanliner that could carry 1200 passengers in luxurious surroundings. But a series of events led the vessel to eventually being abandoned and becoming a rusted-out shipwreck. Bright Sun Films looks back at the unfortunate history of this once-impressive cruise ship.

We’ve been to lots of places, but have yet to make it to The Netherlands. For now, we can at least enjoy it from afar thanks to this 4K time-lapse video captured from the mast of a sailboat as it was towed from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. We enjoyed watching all of the bridges open up to allow the ships through.

LEGO My LEGOs uses stop-motion to show off the assembly of a really cool Chinese dragon boat model, complete with mechanical oars. This impressive looking model isn’t actually a LEGO kit, but comes from a company called Xingbao. The 3325-piece kit is a veritable bargain at just $68 from Brick Me up Scottie.

Paddling along in a canoe can be a quiet and relaxing pastime. But the guys at The Hacksmith are having none of that. So they took a couple of jet engines from a past project and mounted them to the back of their boat. The finished canoe is crazy loud, quick, and looks dangerously flippable.

Not too long ago, Colin Furze built himself an incredibly rad, incredibly capable homebrew screw tank. But one thing that it couldn’t do that some military-grade screw tanks can do is float on water. So he’s back to make some mods to improve the balance and buoyancy of his ride, in an attempt to make it seaworthy.

Designed and built by architect Aigars Lauzis, this unique mobile home combines an electric tricycle, a boat, and a tiny living space in one. Its motors propel it up to 25 mi on land or 19 mi on water, and its wheels fold up when floating. Its interior has removable bench seating and a small sleeping area for two.

What started as a bet between two fishermen to see who could race to the pub fastest has turned into an annual tradition in Riverhead, Australia. Great Big Story gives us a look at this crazy high-speed boat race in which teams zip through tricky obstacles in tiny aluminum boats at speeds up to 90 km/h (~56 mph).

Sailing across a lake in a boat made out of ice seems like a bad idea, especially when it’s one of the warmer lakes on the planet. But YouTuber Ryan Trahan did just that, and spent three months building a 4000-pound frozen boat for his melty and futile journey. Perhaps some rowing lessons would have helped.

Exploring Alternatives introduces us to Catherine and Wayne, who have lived for nearly 30 years on a tiny man-made island in Tofino, BC, Canada. Freedom Cove was built by hand, using recycled and sustainable materials. It has multiple greenhouses, an art gallery, and a floating dance floor.

So when you’ve got to dry dock a big ship, you need to get it out of the water somehow. Watch in awe as Boskalis show off their BOKA Vanguard, the world’s largest heavy lift sea vessel. Measuring over 900 feet long, it’s capable of lifting even the enormous Carnival Vista cruise ship.

A few years ago, Oru created a kayak that could fold up like origami. Their latest design is the smallest yet, packing up into a suitcase that’s small enough to fit just about anywhere. Somehow they managed to fold a 10-foot boat down to just 42″ L x 19″ H x 10″ W. An optional pack lets you carry it and your paddle on your back.

The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center now has a 3D printer that can crank out objects up to 100 feet-long, 22 feet-wide, and 10 feet-high. In this brief time-lapse, watch 72 hours condensed down to 30 seconds as it outputs a 25 foot-long boat that weights 5,000 pounds. And yes, it floats.

4K time-lapse footage of the construction of AIDA Cruises new flagship AIDAprima as it was built at the Koyagi Plant of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan. It’s mindblowing to see such an awesome and massive vessel emerge from the bare drydock.

Lexus teamed up with Italian design studio Nuvolari Lenard and Marquis Yachts to create a production version of the Sport Yacht Concept. The 65-foot boat sleeps six, and is detailed with stainless steel, real wood trim, and custom furnishings throughout. This time, they went with Volvo Penta boat engines instead of Lexus V8s.