Arkup, a Florida-based company has introduced the concept of house floating on water. It’s off-grid, liveable luxury yacht, powered by 30 KW of solar and twin electric thrusters. These high-class ultra modern double decker units are equipped with hydraulic legs that have capability of stabilizing and lifting them out of water.
“Floating houses are popular ways of living in some parts of the world,” reads the Arkup press release, “in particular the Netherlands, US West Coast cities and South-East Asia.” I can’t say I’ve visited the first two examples, but I’ve spent some time in the latter, and it seems a little tasteless to compare the humble bamboo houseboats of Cambodia to the floating luxury apartments these guys are selling.
the hydraulic system installed in this self-contained, electric, double decker houseboat can put down its legs up to 20 feet down in the water to elevate itself out from the water swells. A liveable yacht that won’t make anyone seasick, and that harvests its own rainwater from a roof that doubles as a 30-kilowatt solar array, feeding up to 1,000 kilowatt-hours worth of lithium batteries onboard.
The luxury self-elevating floating home get its built-in communication suite, with 4G, Satellite TV, Wi-Fi and VHF radio. Its twin 136 HP electric azimuth thrusters can rotate it to 360 degrees to manoeuvre about the place or chug along at a sedate 7 knot top speed. The deck retracts when you’re on the move, there’s a boat lift to get your tender out of the water, and the sun deck can be fully immersed in water to become a protected sea-pool.
Arkup sees it as a future-proof luxury gateway that can be parked at a marina or anchor in a river or lake to enjoy scenic view without fearing from high rise of sea level. Even its ready to withstand the 155 mph winds of a category 4 hurricane as you think something after recent events.
The interior measures 4350 sq ft with sleek design, modern looking and high end. It can be customized to make a home, a vacation home, an event venue, a restaurant, a gym, a day spa or whatever you can build a business case for.
That might be where this kind of design shines, as a kind of aquatic, self-contained pop-up business. You’d have to charge like a wounded bull to recoup your costs, though, assuming this “liveable yacht” is as expensive as it looks.
