Japanese designer creates a ship that looks like a zip
Published on Jun 14, 2023 at 11:03 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jun 14, 2023 at 3:56 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A Japanese designer has come up with the weirdest-looking ship you’ll ever see.
It was created for a design contest and in addition to the crazy shape, it also has a long and complicated name.
It’s called the Opening The River, Zip Fastener Ship.
READ MORE: This 246-foot catamaran is a massive retro-futuristic supercar on water
As you can see, the ship is literally shaped like a zip fastener, the sort of thing we use to zip up our jackets or pants.
It looks unlike any other vessel in the world.
What makes this quirky project even crazier is it actually works.
You can’t sail it like a normal boat, but you can use it as a radio-controlled model.
And because it has a proper deck, you can do it from inside the ship.
This means that these pictures aren’t renders, the ship was actually photographed ‘opening up’ the Sumida River, the main river that flows through the Japanese capital Tokyo.
This, by the way, is actually the whole point of the project.
Yasuhiro Suzuki, the man who designed the ship, wanted to make it look like the ship could ‘open up’ the water.
The boat is actually quite sophisticated.
It is made from a blend of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, ethanol-based compound, foam, and recycled fishing nets
It isn’t small, either.
It’s more than 10 meters long and three meters wide.
This isn’t the first time we come across ships and yachts with crazy shapes.
Not that long ago, Bugatti unveiled a speedboat that looks like a supercar on water.
And then of course there’s Saudi Arabia’s turtle-shaped megayacht.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
