IMAGINE dropping anchor in a beautiful cove, then getting into your tender and flying quickly and easily to a nearby lagoon or some other hard-to-reach place for a refreshing dip. Imagine the looks on the faces of other boaters as they crane their necks to watch you swooping over their heads!

It’s possible, thanks to the invention of Italian ocean racer and pilot Doi Malingri, who first got the idea for creating a flying inflatable boat in the 1980s after instructing a group of hang glider pilots in central Italy. Soon after he founded Polaris Motor SRL and began producing more than 1,000 wings per year for both hang gliders and inflatable boats.

Safe, seaworthy, and simple to use and maintain, Malingri’s flying inflatable boats (FIBs) are now used around the world by yacht owners, resorts and even for navy seal missions. The rigid-hulled inflatables have the stability to take off and land safely even in rough sea conditions, keeping the pilot, passenger and engine 100 percent dry, and can cruise up to 80 kilometres an hour. The boat comes in two models—the FIB 582 (weighing 216 kilograms, with Rotax 582 two-stroke engine) and the FIB 503 (198 kg/Rotax 503 two-stroke).

Leonardo da Vinci would have been proud. Prices start at 21,000 Euros (approx. $32,300 Cad.). For more info visit www.polarismotor.it or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .