A Part Ferry, Part Plane Hovercraft Gliding Above Water Was Invented in Boston

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

I'm so IN with this futuristic travel.  Honestly, weren't we supposed to have flying cars by now?  That's okay, I'll take flying ferries.  I mean, Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban believes, and this wasn't even on the reality show.

Leave it to two aerospace engineering graduates from MIT to invent this technologically advanced, futuristic-looking part boat, part plane, part ferry.  I've attached a couple of videos at the end of the article.  But will this take over ferries?  Probably not, simply because of its capacity and pricier travel tickets.  However, it's sure to make an impact for those of us that travel for business or pleasure between coastal towns and cities quickly, and it's emission-free.  It's called a seaglider, and flies just above the water's surface.

According to Boston-based startup, Regent Craft, seagliders can travel up to 500 miles at a maximum speed of 180 miles per hour.

Our mission is to drastically reduce the cost and headache of regional transportation between coastal cities.  Our vehicle, called a seaglider, is a wing-in-ground-effect craft that operates a few meters off the water's surface and couples the high speed of an airplane with the low operating cost of a boat. Built to the same safety standards of all modern aircraft and watercraft, our vehicle will service routes up to 180 miles with existing battery technology, and routes up to 500 miles with next-gen batteries, all via existing dock infrastructure.  Our team of MIT-trained, ex-Boeing engineers are leveraging maritime vehicle development pathways to bring our zero-emission, high-speed seagliders to market within five years.

Seagliders are 100% electric and obviously, like ferries, only travels between coastal towns.  Just think about how much faster Mainers can get to the Cape or Bostonians to Block Island.

https://griffo-house.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/REGENT+Craft+Introduction.mp4

Regent says it plans to have seagliders not just in coastal towns and cities around the country, but around the world.

https://griffo-house.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/REGENT+Brittany+Ferries.mp4

Regent Craft and its founders, Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker, are on a mission with this future of travel, with orders from top aviation operators around the world. One of its biggest financiers, as you know, is Shark Tank Reality Show investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, according to PR Web.