Valet Parking for Boats
Luxury RIBs are more akin to high-society toys than hard-earned prizes, but the rest of us can dream
Somewhere in a distant timeline there's an alternate version of you standing in a garage the size of a house, dressed in a tux, lamenting over your tired selection of cars. It's late in the social calendar for the Monte Carlo set and the Maserati and Bentley seem tired after a handful of gala dinners each. Then a thought emerges; the discreet yet palatial abode of your host tucks neatly into the coastline with a private jetty for guests. You fire up the Technohull Omega 45 and are pleasantly surprised to find a valet awaiting you upon arrival at your A-list destination.
Snap back to reality, the Bentley and the Maserati have yet to materialise and the tax-man has an all too intimate knowledge of your financial dealings. But one truth remains; the Technoholl Omega 45 is a vessel worthy of high-society adoration.
The luxury RIB has been gifted with the brand's patented DynaStream hull design tech, which facilitates top speeds in excess of 140km/h when laced with the option of four 400-horsepower outboards. Alternatively, the Omega 45 can be fitted with inboard engines for long-range purposes. Every little detail has been scrutinised, so it's not only a fast ride, but safe and seaworthy to boot.
A carbon fibre console suggests a racing pedigree, while refined teak decking and cushy shockproof seats provide the kind of comfort one rarely associates with the RIB class. Teak gunwales over the tubes give the vessel an extra edge by increasing the playing-space when at rest.
Additions such as an enclosed bathroom, generous storage spaces and ample cushioned surfaces for fair-weather lounging are reminders that Technohull are in the business of building practical boats that owners will find every opportunity to use.
Once you break it down, it seems a waste to hide the Technohull Omega 45 away in some millionaire's Riviera summer house when it's so well equipped for family weekends on the water or sprints to hidden coves for hedonistic pursuits. And since reality often requires us to choose between one luxury and another, we'd pick the Omega 45 over a Bentley any day. Why? It just looks like so much more fun, and isn't that what luxuries are all about?
SPECS
PRICE approx $700,000
LENGTH (overall) 13.8m (45'3”)
BEAM 3.5m (11'6”)
DISPLACEMENT 5.2t
FUEL 1100L
WATER 120L
ENGINE Inboard or Outboard options up to 4x400hp
WEB www.technohull.com