Sealegs To Challenge Fastest Channel Crossing
Auckland, 16 June 2004: Sealegs International, the New Zealand based manufacturer of amphibious boats, has today
announced that it will challenge the amphibious vehicle Guinness World Record for fastest crossing of the English
Channel.
A New Zealand built Sealegs amphibious boat will next year challenge the 1hr 40min record for the 35km crossing set
earlier this week by the Aquada amphibious car driven by Richard Branson.
The Aquada amphibious car managed the crossing with an average speed of 20kmph. The Sealegs amphibious boat has a top
speed on water of 65kmph and CEO David McKee Wright is confident “of making the crossing in well under 1 hour, which
would smash the current record.
“Ours is a true amphibious boat, which is designed to perform in typical sea conditions - with its deep “V” 21 degree
hull it doesn’t need to slow down when conditions get a bit choppy or rough,” he says. “It also has a very dry riding
hull, so occupants of the Sealegs boat can expect to make the crossing without getting wet”.
With its high torque hydraulic wheel motors and large all-terrain balloon tyres, the Sealegs amphibious boat will easily
drive in and out of the water over rocky or sandy beaches.
Mr McKee Wright is also quick to point out that unlike the Aquada, when it reaches the French Coast the Sealegs
amphibious boat “definitely won’t need to be helped out of the water by a group of young men waist-deep in the water.”
ENDS