Platypus amphibious 4x4 to land at under US$40,000

"Simplicity of design to keep reliability up and cost down has been one of the design foundations. If any part was getting complicated, we got rid of it and designed something better from scratch.

"The safety aspects are paramount and took the majority of our efforts. On water it must be able to handle rough conditions with stability and ease, and from our experience, few amphibians of the past have ever done this.

"Our twin tunnel design with light weight and high free board accomplishes this. Some clever ducting and bilge design ensures that any water that may get in - it's unlikely but possible - gets pumped straight out. A full wave dump over the bow in a one to two metre swell is easily handled. The ducting system also takes care of one of the major problems with amphibians - that of overheating. Our new design makes sure it stays cool in all conditions. Not once has it overheated in all our testing both on land and driving the jet hard on water in conditions up to 42 degrees.

"Our initial design of gull wing doors with no doors in the hull has been retained for our rough water version of the new model. Once its all hatched up you can survive seas that would scare much bigger vessels. You wouldn't do it for fun but it will get you home safely should the need arise, and that was our aim.

"The vehicle is nearly ready for production and we're tweaking the system and expect to begin producing vehicles before mid-year with an expected delivery price of AUD$55,000.

"We're now seeking agents and local manufacturers worldwide to get the Platypus swimming all over the world.

Boyd can be contacted at boyd@ecn.net.au