James Bond films are never complete without the high speed chases. James Bond: Quantum of Solace will have one of the one of the biggest ever boat chases in a Bond film.

Three high performance yachts from UK company Sunseeker are featured in the film, including the Superhawk 43 and the 121-ft (37 m) M4 behemoth (above), the largest semi-custom production motoryacht ever to be built in the UK.

Bond also rides in a classic vintage Sunseeker Sovereign 17 motorboat from 1970 at one point during the film. The James Bond: Quantum of Solace release will be the fourth consecutive appearance for Sunseeker luxury yachts.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s new $400 million, 555-ft. Eclipse, designed to be the world’s biggest (and so named because Abramovich desires that it overshadow all other boats at sea) will have a military-grade missile defense system to keep the oligarch safe.

Abramovich owns three other megayachts already: the 377 ft. Pelorus, the 282 ft. Ecstasea and the 160 ft. Sussurro but the Eclipse will be 25 ft. longer than Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s 530-ft. Platinum, currently ranked as the biggest yacht in the world.

Celebrity Solstice is a cruise ship for Celebrity Cruises. She is the largest cruise ship built in Germany and she left the Meyer Werft on September 28, 2008. This colossal ship can house as many as nearly 3,000 passengers !

The 315m-long ship is so wide it barely squeezed out of the Papenberg watergates, but ably helped by two tug-boats it escaped on it’s to the North sea, where it will head to Denmark.

Onboard amenities will include a large theater, multiple restaurant dining options, The Patio on the Lawn, numerous bars and clubs, Solstice Deck, youth facilities, Online@Celebrity, and many other common and unique features. Some new innovations that have been revealed include glass-blowing classes/demonstrations as well as The Lawn Club, a live grass lawn between the ship’s funnels on the upper deck.
This U.S. cruise ship will have four sister ships, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, and two as-of-yet unnamed ships. The sisters will enter service in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Celebrity Solstice will be officially launched some time in November this year, giving a huge challenge to other liners that have suddenly become so puny in comparison to this giant.

For the world’s wealthiest individuals, who are looking to create a magnificent incomparable interior of the finest luxury materials, Pietra Firma launched the exclusive limited edition LuxTouch range at the Monaco Yacht Show.

The LuxTouch floor, wall and ceiling tiles are hand crafted by master craftsmen utilising traditional skills using rare and precious materials.

The company targets customers who wish to create a priceless centre piece within their home, yacht or apartment by transforming a living area, bedroom or bathroom into a bejewelled work of art.

Catamarans have become increasingly popular over the last year or so. This one is the creation of Swedish design and engineering firm Vizualtech (designer : Bo Zolland), which was contacted by a customer from Dubai who was seeking a new design for a race boat. Starting with an R8 as its inspiration, Vizualtech set about creating what it is now named the Biocat R8 racing catamaran.

According to the Swedish designer, the 8.8 meter long R8 speedboat has been designed to use a V10 biodiesel marine engine or two smaller 320 HP diesel units helping it to achieve a theoretical top speed of 110 MPH.

The R8 Catamaran has an Audi inspired design and equally impressive technology that goes with it. The boat comes in a number of cool colors like metallic gray, black and red.

Vizualtech exec Bo Zolland is yet to confirm whether the Biocat will be produced but states that the original customer that commissioned the design is very happy with the initial concept.

Source : motorauthority

By international convention, a superyacht is any private vessel more than 30 metres (98ft) in length. A few years ago, there were only a handful but today, there are thousands of them and, amazingly, demand is on the up.

After a few years, the owner of a 30-metre yacht wants 40 or 50 metres of yacht and, right now, there are not enough quality shipyards in the world to cope with the demand.

Every year, buyers and sellers congregate in Monaco, and this year was busier than ever. At the Monaco Yacht Show this past weekend in Monte Carlo, there was an estimated $4.5 billion worth of yachts on display, and none of the 98 craft on exhibit were under 100 ft. !