( CNN ) -- Those souped-up water ski machines are ideal vacation-time fun but they 've never been cheap . Thanks to British designer Ross Kemp , the world has been graced with a solar-powered watercraft that costs just a third of the price of your average powered water craft . Called ASAP , Kemp 's creation is part ski , part surfboard and part catamaran . Powered by the sun , it 's both free to run and fully sustainable . Read more : the smart streetlamp that will save energy . Why ASAP ? ASAP stands for `` As Soon As Possible , '' reflecting the vessel 's intended function as a rescue craft . Kemp dreamed up the idea while on a lifeguard training course , where he spotted a gap in the market for a more effective and more affordable water rescue vehicle . `` While doing my training , I found it incredibly hard to tow a body in the water and started looking at rescue equipment . I saw an opportunity to design something from scratch , '' says Kemp . `` A lot of rescue aids are simply re-purposed leisure equipment , for example a paddle board is just a surf board , and a Jet Ski is just adapted for rescue purposes , so rescuers adapt the way they rescue people to the equipment rather than the equipment for them . '' ASAP , however , has been designed with rescue missions in mind . Kemp spent months studying on-duty lifeguards to get an idea of how his concept could better assist the process . In his final year as a design student at Loughborough University he developed the first ASAP prototype in a tent in his back garden . Read more : The earthquake-proof table that offers reliable shelter . So what makes it any good ? Whereas traditional skiers can be cumbersome to get going , ASAP is lightweight and can be jumped on and launched immediately by one person . It has a sloping center platform to slide the injured onto quickly , getting them buoyant as soon as possible and its V-shaped catamaran hull means it cuts through waves to avoid slapping , making it much safer for towing a casualty . Kemp 's creation is timely . According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death around the world , yet with rising fuel prices petrol skiers are becoming an increasingly unfeasible option for local and charity run rescue stations . At the moment ASAP can travel up to 15mph , but it 's still under development : `` It 's not going to have the super power of a Jet Ski but it will certainly take the lifeguard to the casualty much quicker than swimming . We 're working on making the propulsion much stronger , '' says Kemp . CNN Blueprint set Kemp up with industrial design kingpin and mentor Ross Lovegrove , who loved the product but suggested he insert solar-powered lights so that ASAP glows as it goes . Although only at its second prototype , ASAP has already won an award for Best Startup Business in the UK Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards and Kemp is thinking about how to expand : `` I 'd love to be able to offer solar charging stations to local councils so they can charge their watercrafts whenever they need to . '' And the good news is that soon he hopes to introduce his solar-powered watercraft to the leisure market , which means we wo n't need to undergo any grueling training or save any lives to give it a whirl .
ASAP is a solar-powered watercraft which combines skis , surfboard and catamaran . It is fully sustainable and free to run and costs about one-third the price of a traditional water skier . The company has been working on its technology for over 10 years now with funding from several European governments including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark,