Top Yacht Toys

Luxury yachts are continually adding to their toy boxes—and to the definition of “yacht toys” itself. Used to be, a good setup for playing aboard meant a plastic kayak, wooden water skis, and a waterproof deck of cards. Nowadays, yacht toys can be anything from a seaplane to a technical setup that enhances your fun day and night.

The 205-foot Codecasa Apogee , for instance, is equipped with underwater lights so its scuba-diving charter guests don't have to miss a moment beneath the surface. That feature is, of course, in addition to the megayacht's two Novurania tenders, four Kawasaki Jet Skis, tournament fishing gear, twin Explorer kayaks, and more.

Want to play like the big boats do? A good place to start is with these hot yacht toys.

Giunio Santi Engineering makes several models of mini-submarines, some designed for explorers and others designed for scuba enthusiasts. A three-foot window in the sub's bow, along with several two-foot windows on its sides, allows all passengers to enjoy a view of the deep ocean blue as the sub cruises at four or five knots—sometimes farther than twenty nautical miles on one rechargeable set of batteries.

The hulls of these mini-submarines can be as thick as 60 inches, and the subs themselves can be as much as 30 feet long. This, of course, translates into a hefty weight that yacht designers will have to take into account, in some cases around 7,000 pounds. Yacht owners, meanwhile can focus on pricing: With various personalized features, the subs range in price from $2 million to $3 million.  

Contact Sean Dooley at Nautilus Underwater Systems in Fort Lauderdale , Florida , (954) 525-1655, www.yachtdive.com.

Clear Blue Hawaii claims its Napali model is the world's only transparent kayak that folds for easier stowage, making it an excellent choice aboard yachts of all sizes. And, at just 26 pounds, the Napali's weight won't drain performance out of your perfectly ballasted hull—or out of your legs if you want to tuck the kayak into your backpack during an across-island hike.

It's made of a military-grade urethane skin supported by a carbon-kevlar frame system, which is a fancy way of saying the kayak is strong enough to hold a 300-pound person. That may be true of some other kayaks, too, but how many of them can also boast a presence in the Museum of Modern Art thanks to their luxurious looks?

Price is $4,755, plus $225 shipping if you want the kayak delivered to your marina in the continental United States .

Contact marketing specialist Andres Segrera at Clear Blue Hawaii in Honolulu , (808) 832-2438, www.clearbluehawaii.com

More and more yacht owners are creating onboard garages to hold their touring motorcycles, making crane systems, loading ramps, and customized davits their specifications of choice. You'll need all that “toy-support equipment,” too, if you want to rev along the winding roads that encircle islands from Italy to Antigua aboard your favorite Harley-Davidson.

The legendary company touts its new-for-2006 XL Sportster 1200L as a custom street bike, with a lowered suspension and mid-mount foot controls that help to keep the ride comfortable no matter where in the world you choose to cruise.The two-up seat that rests a hair over two feet from the pavement makes you feel like you're practically one with the road, and you can order the bike in “brilliant silver” if you want her to match the stainless-steel rails on your yacht's aft deck. Price is about $9,600.

Contact CEO Jeffrey Bleustein at the Harley-Davidson Motor Company in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , (414) 343-4056, www.harley-davidson.com .  

Have you always wanted to trade your water skis in for a wakeboard, but can't figure out how to stay upright on the darn thing? The folks at Sky Ski have a solution for you: a hydrofoil that tows behind your yacht's tender just like a wake board, but that you can sit on as it jumps wakes and takes you as high as 20 feet off the water's surface.

The hydrofoil feature itself extends from the bottom of the board on which you sit, letting you lean back comfortably and enjoy the ride while holding on to your yacht tender's tow rope. Your feet will be secure, too, inside adjustable-strap braces. Model number 10-0500 is a limited-edition stainless-steel design that retails for about $4,500.