Good news, boat owners. You can say good bye to costly repainting of boat’s hull because there is this little hight-tech helper called Keelcrab Sail One – the world’s hull cleaning drone. Unlike many underwater drones you have seen thus far, Sail One is designed specifically to attach itself to the hull of any boat and carry out automated cleaning the hull. With an IP68 camera and accompanying 400 lumen LED, you can view the progress from a 7-inch display-equipped tethered remote control device. A generous 65 feet (20 meters) Kevlar-reinforced floating power supply cable provide Sail One with the reach while ensuring it will snap when tugged.
Additionally, an intuitive directional button on the remote control device, much like those found on a game controller, allows you to intervene the process, directing the Sail One to any section of the hull you see fit, or simply to check on the conditions of the hull. Speaking of checking, Keelcrab Sail One also doubles as a handy hull inspection drone too, allowing you check on the drone without diving into the water. Here’s how Keelcrab Sail One does the magic:
“Keelcrab is characterized by an exoskeleton in plastic material with neutral hydrostatic balance. The vacuum / aspiration force is generated by a central impeller or turbine (propeller), driven by an brushless motor, which performs the dual function of keeping the robot attached to the hull and removing algae formed thereunder. The movement is driven by rubber brushes on tracks that allow movements in all directions”
Sail One is capable of covering 1.5 square feet of hull per 60 seconds and each Sail One boasts interchangeable brushes with nylon bristles of a variety of strength to suit the hull’s specific needs. And did we mentioned that Keelcrab Sail One is 100 percent made in Italy. Yeah, it is and it is patented (in 2009) too. Keelcrab Sail One, if delivered as promised, could be the biggest revolution in boat maintenance and it could prove to be an ultimate cost saver for boat owners in the long haul. Speaking of which, it is not to say Keelcrab Sail One is affordable.
At a starting price of €1,649 (roughly US$1.848), it is obviously not, but it could save you the cost in long run. Imagine never have to haul your boat off the dock to scrap those nasty stuff off hull and repainting them every few years. Seriously, if you are a boat owner, that is a cost you’d be be saving, or you could put on your diving gear and scrap them underwater yourself. Your choice.
Images: Keelcrab.
