A boat with legs -- Sea Legs.

Of all the boats I saw at the Miami Boat Show, I’d have to say Sealegs was the most unusual. The company says they specifically designed and developed it to take all the hassle out of the boat launching and retrieval process. And how did they do that? It’s an inflatable boat (they make two models in the 20 foot range) with motorized, retractable and steerable wheels! A Sealegs boat can be driven from a storage location, down a boat ramp or beach and into the water - all with the occupants staying in the boat and remaining completely dry! Once in the water, the Sealegs wheels are retracted into the "UP" position where they are completely out of the water. The boat is then driven and used as normal. When approaching land, the Sealegs wheels are lowered into the "DOWN" position while still moving in the water. Then the captain slowly moves towards the beach and when the Sealegs motorized wheels touch the bottom, he/she can drive the boat up onto land. The occupants can then disembark, totally dry and safe. The Sealegs boats use two kinds of engines. The motorized wheels which give a user variable speed of 0-10km/h (forward and reverse) are powered by an on-board 24hp Honda driven hydraulic power-pack motor. In the water, the boat is powered by an outboard motor starting at about 90 hp. It can hit a top speed of about 35 knots, which is equal to 40+ mph on the water. The Sealegs system utilizes all submersible components and is Salt Water ready. I asked what the market would be for a boat like this, and they said mostly military, police, and commercial. I figured the boat was not “street legal” and it’s not. The construction looked top notch and they had impressive video at the booth, some of which you can see on the company’s website. A Sealegs craft is not inexpensive. They start at $69,700. That includes the motor for the pumps & wheels, but not the cost of the outboard, which is about $12,000 to $20,000 depending on the size of the engine.

www.sealegs.com