A Brief History of the Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of boat consisting of two hulls joined together by a frame. In fact, the word catamaran comes from the Tamil words kattu, which means “to tie,” and maram, which means “wood” or “tree.” A catamaran is, quite literally, two trees tied together!The original catamaran was invented by the Paravas, an aristocratic fishing community on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, India. They were used as early as the fifth century A.D. by the Tamil Chola dynasty when they conquered the areas we now know as Burma, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The first mention of the catamaran in English comes from adventurer and pirate William Dampier who wrote about them in 1697 after visiting India in search of business opportunities. However, the catamaran we know today actually evolved from the swift sail and paddle boats made out of two widely separated logs and used by the Polynesians to travel from one island to another. In the 1870s, an American named Herreshoff began building Polynesian-style catamarans to his own specifications and their speed and stability soon made them popular pleasure craft.
In 1967 another American, Hobie Alter, produced the first 250-pound Hobie Cat 14 and two years later he introduced the Hobie 16. More than 100,000 Hobie 16s have been manufactured in the past thirty years and they are still in production!
Today, catamarans cover the full spectrum of boating, from small “Beach Cats” to huge super- and mega-cats that can exceed one hundred feet in length. There are even a number of powered catamarans available such as the Lagoon Power 44 shown below.
An ingenious new technology from South Africa, Landing Eyes are a unique lighting system for private airstrips. These small and highly cost-effective lights employ solar power, batteries and a series of reflective strips to safely illuminate landing strips for night time landings. Developed by an engineer and amateur pilot from Durban, Landing Eyes are a revolutionary product on a continent where only 10% of private and public airstrips are equipped with electrical landing lights. 
Whether for personal enjoyment or marketing an island for sale, obtaining aerial photographs is a popular and often necessary task for island owners. However, ordinary camera equipment generally lacks the needed stabilization and resolution for crisp, high-quality aerial photographs. Special technologies are available that have been designed to allow for perfect images when flying at high speeds and elevations.
For all its pleasures, owning a private island comes with certain challenges. Transportation certainly tops the list, particularly in remote locations. For those who have access to small planes, the time it takes to get to one’s own slice of paradise can be greatly reduced. Airstrips are a necessary component for these lucky island owners.
Perfect for recreational fun or even short-distance island transportation, this ingenious foldable canoe makes moving and storage a snap. Developed by an outdoors enthusiast who was frustrated with the awkward size of conventional watercraft, the Instaboat folds completely flat and can easily be tucked away when not in use. Composed of durable and lightweight aluminium and neoprene, the unsinkable boat can be unfolded and ready for use in just two minutes, and has an optional-use detachable 2hp motor. Ideal for portage, at only 30kg the boat can easily be carried by a single individual and has a capacity of about three average-sized adults. The Instaboat is a perfect sport fishing vessel, and as an added measure of safety, cannot be sunk even when filled with water.