Living Amphibiously
Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat manufacturer Ocean Craft Marine is changing the nature of Great Lakes-area boating
Published: Thursday, May 12, 2022 12:00 pm
A version of this article appeared in the Launch (May/June) 2022 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
The Great Lakes provides some of the best boating opportunities in the world. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a boat sitting on the beach in your backyard that you can drive in and out of the water?
Boat builder Ocean Craft Marine has the solution with the AMP. It’s the world’s most capable Amphibious Vessel. Starting with one of their professional-grade high-performance Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB), Ocean Craft Marine has added a one-of-a-kind four-wheel drive amphibious wheel system allowing the boat to be driven out of the water and onto the beach of lakefront homes or onto a trailer. The boat’s patented deep V hull with reverse U chines assures the ride on water is dry, stable, safe, and fast, capable of reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour with a 300 HP outboard motor. The AMP’s BAS-100 Amphibious wheel system is holistically integrated into the boat, is comprised of four independently motorized wheels powered by an independent 40-horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine, and offers fly-by-wire control to raise and lower the aircraft-grade, marinized aluminum wheel legs and power the vessel forward and reverse on land. A single steering wheel offers power steering of the front wheels in addition to the propulsion engines, making the boat easy to use, while its automatic electronic braking system makes traversing on land safe.
“Ocean Craft Marine has been selling boats here [in the Great Lakes] for more than 10 years, and the biggest complaint we hear is how hard it is to keep a boat in the area and it's impossible to keep a boat at your lakefront home,” said Ted Widen, Sales & Brand Ambassador for Ocean Craft Marine in the Midwest. “Ocean Craft Marine has now given us an answer to this problem, and we’re really excited to bring it to the Great Lakes area.”
Jo Stapleton, Director of Marketing and Sales for the Americas Region of Ocean Craft Marine, said, “When we first launched our AMP line in the US, we figured it would be a no-brainer for folks who had waterfront property. It wasn't until we met Ted and Mark that we realized how much this boat could be transformative for folks in the Great Lakes area.”
The AMP is a go-fast, turn-on-a-dime, high-performance RHIB, with a dry, smooth ride with the added benefit of an easy-to-use Amphibious system. Whether you need to reach your beach house directly or want to explore shallows or the islands of the Great Lakes, the AMP lets you go just about anywhere and pull your boat right up on the beach.
“And when you’re ready to get back in the water,” Stapleton added, “wheels up and off you go. It’s that easy. And if you’d rather trailer your AMP, it’s just as easy. Park the trailer and drive the AMP right down the ramp. No need to try to back the trailer into the water or tie up and move the trailer after you launch the boat.”
The AMP’s available top-side layouts are feature-rich and provide options for whatever it is you want to do on the water—fishing, paddle sports, diving, and cruising are all possibilities. Available in 23, 28, and 32-foot models, the AMP is likely to be a game-changer for those who wish to have easier access to their boating lifestyle.
“People see a boat with wheels and they are just floored,” said Mark Kaplan. “This boat is what the homeowners all around the Great Lakes have been waiting for.”
The AMP will be available for sea trials later this spring. For more information or to get on the sea trial list, contact Ted Widen at 312-593-1180 or Mark Kaplan at 312-953-3982 or visit www.BoatWithWheels.com. For more information on Ocean Craft Marine and their entire line of purpose-built rigid hull inflatable boats, visit www.OceanCraftMarine.com.
tags: Boat Technology, Great Lakes, Inflatable Boats, Personal Watercraft
