USA: The futuristic boats used in various James Bond films are on display at the New York Boat Show

In between sipping martini's and chasing villains, Ian Fleming's world renowned character, James Bond frequently used boats and other water craft as part of his endless supply of high-tech gadgets. Now the super-spy's high-tech vessels are on display at the New York National Boat Show. Entitled 'The Boats of Bond,' the exhibition features actual boats used in five Bond films. One of the favorites is Q's Jet Boat, featured in 'The World Is Not Enough.' Fifteen of the power-packed jet boats were built for the film, however only eight survive. One of those on display is the boat that performed the famous barrel roll stunt, where Bond jets out of the water and over his rival's vessel. The Bond boats are a first for the show. Manager of the New York National Boat Show, Mike Duffy said that people come specifically to see the pieces of Hollywood history. "People's fascination is tied to the adventure of Bond. He's a super spy, and actually boating is an adventure sport so you get those two married together in a movie and it's a great draw for people," said Duffy. The Amazon Chase Boat used in 'Moonraker' still has its water mines and rocket launchers and boasts real-working gadgets, whereas most of the Bond boats had only mock technical capabilities. Bond used the boat - which also contained a hidden hang glider - to out race enemies on the jungle river. Two Neptune Submarines were built for 1981's 'For Your Eyes Only,' and the actual working wet sub is among those featured in the exhibit. Powered by Bond to fight an underwater villain, the giant sub was operated by stunt men using scuba gear. Tow Sleds, underwater towing machines, were used throughout 1965's film 'Thunderball.' While originally 14 were built, only two are known to still exist. The sled was used by both Bond and the villain Largo for underwater getaways. Lastly, the 'Diamonds Are Forever,' Bath-O-Sub, which resembles more a spacecraft than submarine, was used in the thriller by 007's nemesis Blofeld to escape an oil-drilling platform. It is one of only two built, it can be seen in the film where Blofeld climbs inside and is lowered into the water. Although many of the boats of Bond look high-tech and futuristic on film, fans may be disappointed to see that the technical gadgets are mostly props. Bond fan Edward Williams enjoyed the exhibit, but liked the boats better on film. "It's entertaining to see how they make them look so much better on film and when you look inside at the computers and you see the wooden laptop, it's kind of fun to see the differences between what you see on film and what's actually there," he said. Another fan, Jay Bodner was just excited to see one of his idol's toys. "Basically big toys for big boys. That's what James Bond exemplifies, so to see them in real life is really cool," said Bodner. If Bond gets boring, the boat show also boasts an impressive collection of consumer ships as well. One of the highlights is the Azimut 55, a luxury yacht with a price tag of $1.35 million (USD). With a spectacular open plan layout, the ship features three bedrooms, crew's quarters, and a spacious saloon stocked with high tech amenities. For the sportier types, the new XBoard is gaining acclaim at the show. Pitched as the world's first jet board, the machine is a sort-of motorized surfboard, allowing its rider to surf the water with or without waves. Produced by Aqua Xtremes, Inc., XBoard combines surfing, wake boarding, and jet skiing into one new adventure sport the company calls 'jet surfing.' Catching the wave on the XBoard is pricey, however, with a cost of just under $8,000 (USD). The Boats of Bond and rest of The New York National Boat Show will be on display until January 8 at New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. ENDS.

ITN Source | January 5, 2006

Tags:. .mines. .luxury. .stunt. .specifically. .rivals