http://www.boatinternational.com | May 2018PHOTOGRAPHY: PIOTR DEGLER
snowboarder. Taking the already stylish
Q camera, with its 24-megapixel full-frame
CMOS sensor and Wi-Fi integration, Leica has
added a premium white leather chassis and
matching case and shoulder strap. This is
a rare one – production was limited to 300 units
worldwide (£4,300, leica-camera.com).
Television design is having a moment and
one company, Loewe, has been leading the
field when it comes to aesthetics – thanks to the
recent addition of Bodo Sperlein as creative
director. After his triumph last year with the
Bild 9, Sperlein has struck gold again with
the Bild X (top left), suspending a thin 4K 65in
OLED screen within a steel frame. The design
itself has been inspired by the way sails are
attached to a mast (POA, loewe.tv).
Bang & Olufsen has always considered
quality design paramount, going right back
to the achingly cool Hyperbo radio and
gramophone designed by Peter Bang himself
in 1934. Its latest headphones continue this
tradition and are among the best-looking on
the market. The Beoplay H9i cans (above right)
are over-ear, wireless and noise-cancelling(the holy trinity), with a stitched cowhide
leather headband, anodised aluminium ear
cups, and lambskin pads with memory foam.
The sound is superb and the 770mAh battery- good for 18 hours’ playback – can be swapped
out so you can carry spares. The best bit?
A proximity sensor lets the H9is pause music
when you take them of (£449, beoplay.com).
Tech is always welcome when it is
upgrading traditional craftsmanship. The
BorromeodeSilva monocoque paddle
canoe (above) mixes modern materials with
traditional manufacturing skills; this craft’s
hull utilises both copper-woven carbon fibre
and classic teak for a combination of beauty,
strength and lightness – even the oars tuck
away into fin-shaped recesses in the rear.
The company is even working on integrating
a small electric motor. Currently a one-of,
BorromeodeSilva is hoping to bring this to
commercial production (borromeodesilva.it).
One boat that is on the market right now,
however, is the Frauscher 740 Mirage. It is
powered by a 60kW electric engine, propelling
the 7.47 metre vessel with you and five other
passengers through the waves at considerable
speed but with minimal damage to the
environment. Onboard tech includes a high-
end Bluetooth audio system and, perhaps best
of all, an under-seat 30 litre chiller drawer
(from €215,652, frauscherboats.com).
Lastly, if an even closer connection with
the water is more your thing, the new G2X
electric surboard (far left) from Radinn
has the unique advantage of not requiring
any waves whatsoever to work. Its electric
brushless motor produces a smooth, silent ride
on completely flat water with speeds of up to
34mph. A waterproof remote displays speed
and battery life data while you ride, plus that
battery is good for 45 minutes if you spec the
XL version. Cleverly, when the board ’s power
is getting low, the remote vibrates so you know
to return to your boat before you need rescuing
(from €9,900, radinn.com).
Yes, this is a halcyon period for high-
tech. No longer do you have to make a choice
between a good-looking gadget and one that
actually does what it’s meant to do.
Jeremy White is product editor of Wi redThe Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9i
is covered in genuine cowhide
leather, which gains a patina
over time, ageing beautifullyCopper wire woven
into the carbon fibre
surface of the
BorromeodeSilva
paddle canoe makes
it shimmer in sunlightIt was Steve McQueen
who said that God was
in the details, and he
was absolutely right