Read Marine owner Latham Wardhaugh tests a Sealegs
amphibious boat in Kitchener St, Dunedin, this week. Photo
by Stephen Jaquiery.
Rest assured - this is a very wheel boat.
An amphibious Sealegs boat, believed to be the only one of
its kind in Otago and Southland and one of only a handful in
the South Island, was in Dunedin this week for servicing.
The boat belonged to a Balclutha-based businessman, who
wished to remain anonymous, Read Marine owner Latham
Wardhaugh, said. He had owned the 6.1m pleasure craft for a
year.
"By all accounts, it is a real head-turner when it approaches
the water."
The New Zealand-built boat could reach speeds of more then
70kmh on the water, but travelled at a more sedate 10kmh
while on land, although it was not a registered motor
vehicle.
It had three wheels, which allowed the boat to be driven into
the water, before the wheels were retracted. When the boat
approached land, the wheels were lowered.
"You don't need a trailer. It can stay on its wheels the
whole time," Mr Wardhaugh said.
However, that convenience came at a price, with the
amphibious boat costing 50%-70% more than standard boats.
In 2005, a Sealegs boat smashed the world record for crossing
the English Channel in an amphibious craft.
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