Nauticraft Corporation, a leader in manufacturing of pedal and electric boats, is excited to be celebrating the birthday of their premier Escapade Pedal Boat.  It was 1996 when Nauticraft first began building the rotomolded version (It had previously been built by Hoyt-Harken as the Mallard).

A look back at the long success of the Escapade:

• Early 1980’s – Garry Hoyt, renowned yacht designer from Newport, Rhode Island, designed a pair of pedal boats.
  • The first of these boats was the “Waterbug” of which the Harken Brothers (makers of yacht hardware) then built. And while the performance of the Waterbug was outstanding, there were some shortcomings to this boat (i.e. the small, tight cockpit made it unbearably warm in the summer, it was very heavy, it was expensive to manufacture).
  • Hoyt addressed these shortcomings of the Waterbug by designing the “Mallard”. This was a larger and more open boat with a stunning avant-garde design, but the fiberglass process was still costly.
  • Unfortunately, both of these boats were ahead of their time and Harken pulled the boats out of production.

• 1994 – Curt Chambers, a custom injection molder from Michigan, became aware of the Waterbug-Mallard project and the tooling and inventory for the two boats, along with a license to build, was purchased by Chambers and transferred to Muskegon, Michigan. The Waterbug project was set aside and focus on making the Mallard more cost effective began. The drive unit was replaced by an entirely new one which was developed around the rotational molded housing.
  • At that time the rotational molding manufacturing process for small boats was evolving, and it was determined that this could be viable for the Mallard. Molds and manufacturing equipment were contracted for and a new and simplified pedal drive system was developed.  The Mallard name was then changed to “Escapade” to reflect this evolution.
• 1996 – The rotomolded Escapade goes into production.
• 2002 – The Escapade Pedal boat earns a Guinness World Record for the fastest pedaled-powered English-channel crossing!
• 2005 – The low windshield Escapade is offered.
• 2016 – Nauticraft has molded and manufactured over 350 Escapade Pedal boats since their inception. We continue to receive rave reviews from happy boat owners. Pictures of the fun adaptations individuals have made to their Escapade can be seen at the end of this post.

In regards to developments made to the Escapade over the years….it really is basically the same boat. The same mold is used & therefore the design is the same.  The material is similar though in recent years black specs have been molded in with the white material – which in turn helps to hide dirt/smudges.  And the windshield arch is now removable for a more open feeling.

Escapade Customers’ Customizations:

Nauticraft offers 3 different kinds of boat covers for our Pedal, Pedal/Electric & Electric Boats.  This article will explain each of these covers and things to be aware of.

Bimini

Persons sometimes refer to this as a “canopy”.  The Bimini is easily raised/lowered while out on the water and provides protection from the sun and elements.  Due to its size, it is very difficult/expensive to package and ship.  We suggest that if you are considering adding a Bimini to your boat, that you do so at the time you purchase the boat.    Available in red (as shown) and turquoise.

Cockpit/Mooring Cover

The Cockpit/Mooring Cover is useful while boats are moored at a dock.  It snaps onto the upper perimeter of the boat and serves to keep the interior of the boat free of debris.  Nauticraft fastens snaps onto the boat ensuring that they line up to the snaps on the cover.  If purchased after the fact, the boat owner will need to fasten those snaps onto their boat.  And if purchased as a replacement cover, chances are the snaps on the boat will not line up to the snaps on the new cover. If a snap is in the “wrong” place it can simply be removed with a screwdriver and placed properly, then the hole filled with marine filler or a high-quality silicone-based caulk.

The Bimini can remain installed while attaching the Cockpit/Mooring Cover onto the boat.  It will rest on top of the Cockpit/Mooring Cover.  It will also fit under the Cockpit/Mooring Cover on the Encore after first removing it from its hinges and then lying it down inside the boat.  Available in gray (as shown).

Trailering Cover

The Trailering Cover is helpful in keeping the interior of the boat free of debris as well as rainwater from entering the hulls on the boat. This cover uses straps which go underneath the boat and is ideal for trailering or storage purposes.

The Trailering Cover will cover both the Cockpit Cover and/or Bimini (with the Bimini still attached to the boat and either resting on top of the Cockpit Cover or in the case of the Encore, with the Bimini lying down inside the boat). Available in gray (as shown).

OTHER

• Remove or change position of the seats in order for the covers to fit better.
• The installation of the snaps on the boat for the Cockpit/Mooring Cover is extremely difficult to do with accuracy. Nauticraft highly suggests that covers/Biminis are ordered at the time of purchase, so the boat owner does not have to do this on their own at a later time.
• The Sprite Pedal Boat provides for one cover that acts as both a Cockpit/Mooring Cover as well as a Trailering Cover. The Bimini for the Sprite will fit under this cover with it still installed on the hinges.

Nauticraft Corporation and its boats were recently highlighted on a segment of eightWest which aired on Wood TV 8 in August 2020.

We invite you to watch the following video and learn more about Nauticraft, its owner Curt Chambers and what sets our boats apart.

Enjoy!!