Japanese Man to “Hang 10″ in Pacific Journey with Wave-Powered Boat
There are various ways to travel the sea in style. One of the most environmentally friendly ones would certainly be using sails alone. I mean, wind is free, right?
Well, a Japanese man named Kenichi Horie is attempting to be just as environmentally friendly but without the sails.
How does he do it? With a wave-powered boat. Wave power has been discussed quite a bit recently, with a lot of applications including traditional grid energy generation. However, Kenichi is taking things to the next level by powering his ocean going vehicle with the very thing it bobs atop.
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As you can see in the photo (click for larger view), the boat is powered by two fins that raise and lower with the tide, which drive the propellers. On board energy is provided by solar panels and the boat is primarily made out of recycled aluminum.
By sailing from Japan to Hawai’i, Kenichi and his Suntory Mermaid II hope to set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled in this type of wave-powered ocean goer. To be sure, this boat doesn’t go very fast (it’s got about half of the speed potential of a diesel powered craft), but this type of innovation is certainly interesting to see. As long as recreational sailing exists, why not try to minimize environmental impact as much as possible, right?
In fact, if you visit the sailor’s page you can track his progress as he crosses the wide Pacific. As of writing he looks to be almost there!
Source: EcoFuss and Kenichi Horie’s page
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March 28th, 2008 at 3:44 am
KOREA NUMBER 1!! JAPANESE NEVER SAY SORRY!!
March 28th, 2008 at 4:27 am
actually it looks like he’s just starting his journey – he’s going from hawaii to japan.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:35 am
Hmmm, you said sailing from Japan to Hawaii? Don’t you mean Hawaii to Japan? Looking at his previous posts it shows he departed from Hawaii. Which I guess means that he’s not almost there quite yet.
March 28th, 2008 at 6:50 am
Obviously, it is moved by the waves, not the tide as stated.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:30 am
“the boat is powered by two fins that raise and lower with the tide” Are you sure you don’t mean “waves” here?
March 28th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Hmmm, Benjamin Jones, your credibility is slipping!
He is not going from Japan to Hawaii, so is not nearly finished. He is going from Hawaii to Japan, so has only just started.
The boat is not powered by fins that ‘raise and lower with the tide’. It is powered by the energy of the waves, not the tide.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:15 am
“half of the speed potential of a diesel powered craft” – can you be any more vague?
Do you mean with a 1 bhp diesel or a 100 bhp diesel?
March 28th, 2008 at 11:11 am
That’s a big trial to go green, he really needs a pat on the back
March 28th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Amazing… it’s always great to see applied innovation, when can I get one?
March 28th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Yes, because we all know sails produce too much pollution.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Does Benjamin Jones proofread? Anyways, I think this technology is the same that driftwood uses to reach a shore …
March 28th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
To top off all the other problems with the article already mentioned:
“the boat is powered by two fins that raise and lower with the tide, which drive the propellers”
Actually, there are no propellers. If you read the articles on his website, he says he uses hydrofoils which move the boat forward, similar to how a dolphin moves.
So it’s not going to Hawaii, it’s moved by waves not tides, and it does not have propellers.
Plus, “it’s got about half of the speed potential of a diesel powered craft”, is silly as someone mentioned, because diesel all depends on the size of the engine. I see “2 knot potential” mentioned all over his website, so I’m thinking that 2 knots speed potential is a lot more accurate of a statement.
April 14th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
This guy is way cool. What a neat idea for a boat.
You can follow his story at the wave powered boat and Kenichi Horie fan page: http://yachtpals.com/wave-boat
Looks like the boat is moving at about 2.2 knots, and is doing well. Another month or two and he’ll be in Japan.
April 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I read about this recently in a yachting magazine. What the author of this article above does not mention is the antique age of the guy involved, or that he’s got a bit of an obsession with this kind of trip.
There’s my penny’s worth
Chris
ps
writing a sailing maintenance site help me sharpen it, by leaving comments or subscribe for the ezine
http://www.boatpride.com
May 7th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
[...] Japanese Man to “Hang 10″ in Pacific Journey with Wave-Powered Boat [...]
September 28th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Quick, hide the moon!
March 12th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Well the Inventor should get a pat on back……….. The author ,it seems, needs a dope slap……… Can’t tell the start of a journey from the finish ….. And I too am stilll wondering just what the diesel comparison was about…… And writing about the sea and not knowing tides from waves…….. Are we sure this isn’t an automobile running on goose farts ???