Road runner
It so simple, you wonder why no one’s done it before. But this Kiwi invention – a 4m amphibious inflatable with an integrated trailer – has been five years in the making.
The Penguin – a 4m amphibious inflatable with an integrated trailer – has been five years in the making.
We’ve all been there: waiting on the boat ramp for the guy who’s parked his trailer half a kilometre away. The queue to retrieve is backing up as Mum stands up to her thighs in the water, hanging out the boat, while the kids wriggle and whine and want to get out NOW! A better way? What if the trailer was actually part of the boat? A a simple idea, but it’s taken thousands of hours of design work and years of development to get the first Penguin amphibious inflatable on the road – and on the water.
Former investment banker David Gibson has turned his longterm interest in amphibious craft into reality, working with Craig Loomes and Andre Moltschaniwskyj at Lomocean Design to develop the first production boat, launched in May. Loomes and Moltschaniwskyj are also shareholders in the Penguin venture. The first batch of 15 boats is now under construction in Indonesia, and will be ready for new owners in August.
Gibson is a lifelong boatie, having owned a range of vessels, including a 7m Sealegs which he kept at his bach at Onetangi, on Waiheke Island. “It’s the capital of amphibious craft – there are 25 or 30 Sealegs at Onetangi. At every barbecue all the boys stand in one corner and talk about their Sealegs and amphibious vehicles. There’s something about the transformation from land to water that makes everyone go ‘wow, that’s cool’. I love the Sealegs and it’s a great