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X100 SEA TRIAL: HOW DOES IT WORK?

FIRST STEPS

The Iguana X100 is designed to deliver the most enjoyable times on the water: water skiing, fishing, sunbathing… But before living adventure without limits, the boat needs to be perfectly checked.  The first steps are to check the engines, the electronics, all buttons, lights… We make sure everything is perfectly working and is offering a perfect finish.

TRIAL ON SEA

Once all details are checked, it’s time to test the performance of the boat on the sea. An Iguana X100 must be able to reach speeds of 55 mph, and we make sure it is! Boating performance is a key element for Iguana Yachts. We know people might think that an amphibious boat is less performant than a traditional boat. However, we want to show that an Iguana is both a powerful boat and an amphibious boat.

Before disembarking on land we get closer to the beach and check an element that no other boat is checking: the deployment of the tracks. The great performance on the sea is linked to the fact that the tracks, once fold into the hull, maintain the hull’s sleek lines. But approaching the coast, the team needs to check that the tracks deploy in 8 seconds.

TRIAL ON LAND

When arrived on land, all the attention is focused on the Iguana Mobility System (IMS). It’s time to check the stability of the boat, its drive control… Most of the time, people are absolutely shocked to see a boat moving forwards and backwards on the beach. People’s curisoity is always part of our sea trials.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT IGUANA CAPACITIES ANSWERED

HOW WELL DOES THE IGUANA RESIST OVER TIME?

The first concern we might have is all this mechanism in a salty environment – will it rust quickly? The boat is made from GRP. The big frame of the landing gear is made of 5083 marine-grade aluminium for applications that need superlative corrosion resistance in hostile environments. 5083 is the strongest non-heat treatable aluminium alloy, maintains its strength even after welding and is finished in a protective epoxy paint. Finally, the bearings, rams and all other metal parts are made of 316 stainless-steel, this is the highest standard for marine use.

WHAT ARE THE BOAT CAPACITIES?

Many pictures and videos show sleek paradise beaches but what about mud, shingle, strong edges and waves? The Iguana’s capability is amazing. With a long, wide rubber track, the ground pressure is equivalent to an 80 kg human. It copes better with soft mud than a human on foot. This is 16 times better than a very good 4×4 vehicle and is the same on shingle. The track even grips with seaweed on it; it works perfectly. With the boat being 1.2m high on the landing gear, waves of this size just flow underneath. For many boats, land is a hazard, for an Iguana amphibious boat land is a shelter. Some wonder whether the boat is strong enough to bang in the waves at landing? The landing gear is designed to withstand up to 16 tons of load so it can withstand significant impact. It has been successfully tested from a 2m high drop. Landing is always very smooth because the operation is like an airplane, you just follow the waves and engage the landing gear before landing.

High-tech boats - amphibious Iguana tracks
High-tech boats - amphibious Iguana tracks

HOW STEEP CAN IT CLIMB?

It is true that looking from the outside the boat can look unbalanced. But the centre of gravity is perfectly positioned. The front of the boat is very light and empty as opposed to the back that carries the engines, fuel tank and landing gear. It has been tested with more than 11 persons standing at the front and the balance is maintained. Another great element for balance is the centre of gravity being only 1.3m away from the ground with a 2.2m width between the legs. It is balanced like a sports car. All these elements make the Iguana capable of climbing safely angles of up to 40% with all passengers and even greater in certain situations.

HOW WELL DOES IT NAVIGATE?

One would think the weight and tracks would compromise the boat performance. Antoine Brugidou, the founder of Iguana Yachts, and Antoine Fritsch, the designer have come up with a simple yet impressive concept. The landing gear has the shape of the hull when folded, cleverly finishing the hull to perfection, just like an airplane undercarriage. The performance is over industry average.

IS IT EASY TO OPERATE?

Docking a boat is often an art that requires experience, knowledge and training. Not everyone has the time or interest for learning how to dock in all situations, but still want the freedom and pleasure. The Iguana landing capacity and easy joystick drive is so simple to operate that some owners have taken the jump for the Iguana Yachts as their first boat. What we see with the Iguana Yachts is that they operate safely with all guests onboard and it is very rare to encounter a difficult situation. Everyone that has experienced it says that it exceeds by far the expectations.

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