July 2021 | Iguana Yachts

There are two types of amphibious boats available on the market. Indeed, you can choose between an amphibious boat with wheels or with tracks. Iguana Yachts is today the only boat builder offering a tracked amphibious boat. Why did we choose this technology to equip our boats? We wanted to offer a more powerful and integrated solution. Iguana Yachts is aiming at designing and building the most high-performance amphibious vessels in the world.

ON LAND TRACKS ARE MORE CAPABLE THAN AMPHIBIOUS BOAT WITH WHEELS

All-terrain

The amphibious tracks enable the Iguana to land safely anywhere. Therefore, be it mud, soft sand, rocks or shingles: tracks can tackle any terrain. Thanks to the design of the tracks, the surface bearing the load of the boat is very large in regard to an amphibious boat with wheels. Thus, It is as if the boat had 6 to 8 wheels on both sides of the boat. As a result, the ground pressure is equivalent to an 80kg human being staying on one foot. If a person can walk, the Iguana can drive. This is obviously a strong advantage in regards to amphibious boats with wheels. Additionally, the center of gravity of the boat is right in the middle of the tracks. This means that as soon as the mobility system (the tracks) touches land, it grabs the ground with full power and tracts the boat very smoothly. This architecture is more efficient than having one or two wheels in the front trying to tract the boat and two wheels at the back which will stay in the water if the shore is steep. These are the reasons why the tracks system is very powerful even on steep and very soft terrain.

Inclines of 40%

The Iguana is very well balanced and can climb up to 40% inclines thanks to the amazing traction of the tracks and the overall architecture. As a result, it makes it very easy to land on steep beaches. On the contrary, an Amphibious boat with wheels can have difficulties getting out of the water in places with abrupt shorebreaks especially when the sand is soft at the limit between the sea and the beach. With Iguanas you can have peace of mind as you know you will always come out of the water.

Amazing load capacity and stability

With Iguanas you can easily embark 1.2 tons, about 12 passengers or more. Even loaded, the boat does not sink in the sand thanks to the wide tracks. Moreover, Iguanas are very stable because of their low and perfectly positioned center of gravity. Although the tracks might seem small (around 2m) in regards to the length of the boat, the boat is extremely stable because the front of the boat is long but light while the back of the boat is shorter but bears the engine, the fuel tank and a significant portion of the mobility system. Thus, the Iguana stays stable even with 11 people standing on the bow.

Safe landings in 1.2m waves

On its tracks, the deck of the Iguana is 1.2 meter above water which means that at landing the waves flow under the boat. On the contrary, it is more difficult to land with amphibious boats with wheels because in harsh conditions as the boat is lower you can easily get carried away by the waves and passengers can get soaked. Even in those conditions, it is safe and dry to land on the beach with an Iguana.

Manoeuvrability

A strong advantage of the tracked mobility system is the manoeuvrability. Iguanas can easily do 360° turns on the spot. It makes them very easy to park as you do not need a lot of space. The tracks are operated with two joysticks and you can move one track at a time. It is also a very precise driving system and you can easily drive in very tight spaces or garages. On the other hand, amphibious boats with wheels are usually operated through a steering wheel which appears simple but tend to impose a very large radius of rotation.

AT SEA IGUANAS ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN AMPHIBIOUS BOAT WITH WHEELS

Incredible seaworthiness

The first goal for Iguana was to create a powerful and seaworthy boat which would not be hindered by the mobility system and whose land capacities would come as a plus. Indeed, the Iguana’s seaworthiness and comfort are ideal. As a result, even in harsh seas, the Iguana easily pierces through waves thanks to the V-shape design of the hull. Once the tracks are folded, they are flushed seamlessly into the hull finishing the boat perfectly. Iguanas are fully integrated and designed as a whole.

Perfectly balanced distribution of weight

The weight of the mobility system is low compared to the boat size. Iguana offers rather big amphibious boats which are 9.5m long on average and you can easily embark 12 passengers. The boat was designed to absorb the weight of the mobility system. This means that all the materials used for the hull, the deck and the structure of the boat are very light (carbon fiber and glass, epoxy), so that the overall weight of the boat is very comparable to a traditional boat of that size. Moreover, the weight is perfectly distributed. The weight is positioned at the center of the boat and very much at the bottom which creates great stability and a very dry experience. People are amazed by the performance of the Iguana in terms of sailing.

Reaching speeds of 55 knots

Iguana are very fast amphibious boats which can reach up to 55 knots. The mobility system is perfectly integrated into the hull and does not compromise the boat performance.

Large space onboard

The mobility system of the Iguana does not impact the length of the boat. This means that the Iguana Commuter or the X100 are actual 30/31ft boats which can embark a large number of passengers with their luggages and equipment for a very comfortable and pleasant ride.

A FULLY INTEGRATED AND ELEGANT DESIGN FOR IGUANA AMPHIBIOUS BOATS

Beautiful design

Iguana was designed as a whole with an integrated mobility system. The folded land mobility system finishes the elegant and sleek lines of the boat. The tracks were designed to be perfectly parallel on the ground and once folded in the hull to create a perfect shape. Iguanas stand out by their looks and beautiful design.

Reliable Technology

The powertrain was designed to be robust and reliable with qualitative materials and sheer mechanisms. It seems more complex than wheels at first glance, but it was developed to withstand a harsh marine environment and to be easy to maintain. Tested for more than 10000 hours, built with fiber carbon, marine grade aluminium and stainless steel, the reliability of the Iguana mobility system is amazing and has been proven for more than 10 years.

THE ULTIMATE AMPHIBIOUS BOAT

The tracks are overall more efficient than an amphibious boat with wheels enabling owners to have peace of mind and to land in any conditions. Iguana owners can land on soft sand with steep slopes and in high waves with many passengers. However, the biggest strength of the Iguana is the overall performance of the solution as it is not only capable on land, it is a very good boat that exceeds expectations.

The UK Campaign was overall very successful and the X100 was greatly received by everyone that came on for sea trials. The location of Poole and the surrounding areas were the perfect environment for the Iguana to show its capabilities. The large tidal range and continuous changing sand bars proved to be no issue for an enjoyable time on board.

The biggest feedback from the campaign was how much internal space the X100 offers compared to other famous amphibious brands. People that came on board realized it really is a large platform and you can easily spend all day on the boat and have ample room for family and guests.

In addition to internal space, people were also surprised by the quality of the finish, the ability to maneuver over any terrain and how dry the boat was when traveling at +30 knots.

Brillant day spent with Iguana Yachts onboard their new 10m X100. The tracks enable you to drive into, and out of the water on any terrain - a perfect solution to beach landings as we found out yesterday!
Thanks to Iguana Yachts for the invite! We're very much looking forward to visiting the yard in Northern France in the near future!
Salt Superyachts

Unlike other amphibious tenders that typically feature wheels, Iguana's tracks retract all the way into the hull to create a flush surface. Amphibious tenders are often perceived by the market as compromising performance, but this is not the case with the Iguana X100 due to the total integration of the tracks into the hull.
Furthermore, when the boat was cruising in the water, it didn't feel like anything less than a high-performance RIB. The difference, of course, are the tracks, which add a whole new dimension to the RIB experience.
SuperyachtNews.com

BOATS ON DISPLAY AT CANNES 2021

IGUANA BEACH SOIRÉE - SEPTEMBER 10TH

FIND US ON PALAIS 131, VIEUX PORT DE CANNES