Platypus On Wheels Leads Revival

Sun Herald

Sunday March 27, 2005

Daniel Dasey

IT'S a boating enthusiast's dream.

You drive your car to the lake or seaside and instead of having to unhitch a boat from the back, you just motor on in.

Now an Australian-made amphibious vehicle is promising just that to people with $55,000 to spend.

Queensland inventor Boyd Wyatt says he has already taken six advance orders for his Platypus car/boat hybrid and hopes to begin large-scale production by the middle of the year.

He said the craft would be fully roadworthy and would appeal to fishermen, recreational boat users and government departments.

"They're great for anybody who lives on an island for a start," Wyatt said.

"They're great for exploring and doing things you would not normally do.

"With an amphibious car you have a bridge wherever you go."

The craft is one of a range of modern amphibious vehicles being produced as the category enjoys a resurgence.

Wyatt, who lives on Macleay Island in Brisbane, said he developed the Platypus after buying a Chinese-made amphibious car and thinking he could build something better.

He said his craft, which he believes is the first Australian-made amphibious vehicle, utilised a regular internal combustion engine in both water and land modes.

Adapted from a Suzuki four-wheel-drive, the craft uses unleaded fuel and can hit speeds of up to 100 kmh when driven on the road.

When the vehicle is running, power is channelled to a regular drive shaft and to a shaft that operates a jet drive. The drive turns even when the craft is on land.

When the driver of the vehicle wants to take to the water, he simply drives in and disengages power to the wheels, increasing the power to the jet.

On the water the Platypus is capable of speeds up to seven knots.

Wyatt said the vehicle's twin hull, deck and internal sections were all made of composite material, meaning it would not be prone to corrosion.

The current design has no doors, to ensure a good water seal. Users step in over the vehicle's sides. The front wheels act as rudders in the water.

Wyatt said he believed there was a significant market for the vehicle.

"Sydney Harbour would be ideal for them," he said. "I expect you'll see a lot of them down there."

A number of amphibious vehicles have recently excited consumers.

The sports-car-styled Gibbs Aquada, unveiled in Britain in 2003, is capable of speeds of more than 160kmh on land and about 26knots on water.

But it comes with a hefty price tag: about $400,000.

A Swiss-made Rinspeed "Splash" concept car seen for the first time at the Geneva motor show last year is powered by a 103-kilowatt, 750cc turbo natural gas engine and has a top speed of 200kmh on land.

A hydraulic mechanism turns this sports toy from a car to a speedboat, with a top speed of 45knots, by deploying a series of hydrofoils which lift the vehicle so it "flies" about 60 centimetres above the water.

DRIVE ON IN

* Boyd Wyatt's Platypus is based on a modified Suzuki Jimny four-wheel-drive.

* Its twin tunnel hull, deck and internal sections are made from composite material to reduce corrosion.

* It is powered by a petrol engine which drives the wheels on land and runs a jet drive for use in the water.

* On the water it can obtain speeds of seven knots.

* On the road the vehicle is capable of speeds up to 100kmh.

* In the water the front wheels act as rudders. The driver simply turns the steering wheel to change direction.

© 2005 Sun Herald

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