The floating homes set to revolutionise yachting revealed at Miami Yacht Show
Visitors to the Miami Yacht Show, which ended on 18th February, were given a sneak preview the future of living and sailing.
Regular attendees would have been familiar with seeing an array of superyachts being flaunted in the Florida sunshine, but design company Arkup’s floating homes certainly bucked the trend.
Homes on water are, of course, not unique in their own right, (as any Dutch national will tell you) but Arkup claims what makes its house yachts different is their mobility and stability – plus the $5.5 million price tag.
At 23 metres long the homes would barely register in the shadow of even a modestly sized superyacht, but the design could act as a precursor for larger models.
The homes are fully solar powered and equipped to harvest rainwater and, therefore, to be completely autonomous from the usual constraints of modern-day life.
Even category four hurricanes are no match due to the liveable yachts having 40ft-long hydraulic legs.
In adverse weather conditions the vessel is able to anchor in water depths of up to 20ft and to lift above the sea-level.
And most importantly they are fitted with two electric propellers to carry the vessel at a speedy 7 knots.
With populations increasing across the globe and some countries facing shortage of affordable housing there is clearly a desire for innovative, economic solutions.
Whether this translates into a market for luxury house yachts floating around the Mediterranean is yet to be seen.
