Practicing social distancing? Enjoy spending time outdoors? Nauticraft has you covered with our Escapade or Sprite Pedal Boats!
We have a build-up of inventory right now & need to move some boats out of our shop. We’re offering a 20% discount off the price of a new boat and options (exclusions apply). Place an order now and we’ll be ready to ship shortly after we are allowed to reopen for business. Contact us via our website at: https://www.nauticraft.com/contact/
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Nauticraft Corporation is thrilled to be hosting a tour of our factory as part of Muskegon Area Earth Week. Come see how our rotationally molded pedal boats are made. The event takes place on Tuesday, April 21st from 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at 5980 Grand Haven Road, Muskegon, MI 49441. We hope to see you here!
If unable to make the tour, come visit us at the Earth Fair Expo. We will once again be showcasing our Escapade Pedal Boat at the Expo. This event is taking place on Saturday, April 25th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Muskegon Farmer’s Market, 242 W. Western Ave., Muskegon, MI 49440.
Nauticraft boat owners oftentimes ask what the best way is to store their boat during the off-season as well as suggestions as to how to dock their boat during seasonal months.
The ideal way to store a Nauticraft boat during the off-season (or seasonal) months is on one of our modified Karavan boat trailers (see prior blog posting) and preferably inside a building. If storing the boat inside is not an option, we would highly recommend it be covered with a trailering cover or a tarp while stored outside in order to keep dirt and debris (as well as critters!) from getting inside of it.
If a trailer is not available, Nauticraft boats can be stored sitting on their keels. The Escapade with its single keel, will need to either lean on a wall in order to keep it upright – or sit on a Storage Cradle. Nauticraft manufactures and sells Storage Cradles made specifically for the Escapade that securely hold the boat in an upright position.
A Launching Wheel Set is available for the Encore and can be used while the boat is sitting on its two keels (ideally on a hard surface) as well as launching it (see prior posting). A Styrofoam block may also be placed under the bow of the Encore, thereby giving it additional support.
The Sprite Pedal Boat is a relatively flat-bottomed boat and will easily rest sitting on its keel once the swing up drive units are removed and the rudder is swept up.
Boat lifts can also be used to store a Nauticraft boat when not in use. Bunk risers added to a Personal Watercraft lift (similar to a lift used for a jet ski) will be needed to help with fitting the deep keels on the boats.
For boats maintained in tidal waters, suggestions are “Tideminders”, a Tidewater Boat Lift or a floating dock, which allow for the rise and fall of waters.
For ease of docking a Nauticraft boat, hand holds have been molded in at the stern of the boat as well as a cross hole thru the bow, all of which allow the boat to be tied off.
Another option is to mount a manual or electric davit to a dock to facilitate taking a boat in/out of the water. A jib (or gantry) crane and electric hoist would be needed. An Encore or Sprite can then sit on the dock, while a storage cradle for an Escapade would work best for that particular boat. The below pictures reflect an Encore boat hoisted at the factory and how the hand holds and bow hole are used for this purpose. (Note that the boat should not be stored on the hoist.)
The above are just a few of the ways to store/dock a Nauticraft boat. Nauticraft boat owners have been very creative in what works best for them!
NOTES:
A common question that we hear from new Nauticraft boat owners is how they are going to get their Pedal (Electric) Boat into the water. And once it’s in the water, how to best store/dock it (to be discussed in a later blog posting).
Keep in mind that our boats are somewhat large and heavy. The 4-person Encore Pedal Boat weighs 375# without any accessories. Add the electrical components to it as well as a battery, and the weight increases to almost 500#. With a length of 14’2”, this is a sizeable pedal boat.
Our 3-person Escapade Pedal Boat weighs 325# without accessories. This boat is two feet shorter in length than the Encore, but still a sizeable boat.
We would highly recommend that a boat owner purchase one of our boat trailers for use in launching their Nauticraft boat. We start with a Karavan personal watercraft trailer and then modify it to fit the deep keels on the boats. With a draft of just under two feet for each of the Encore and Escapade boats this modification is needed to allow the boats to sit comfortably on the trailer. (Note that we would suggest purchasing the trailer at the same time as the boat, as shipping a trailer at a later time is very expensive.)
In lieu of a boat trailer, an Encore boat owner might consider using our Launching Wheel set to launch their boat in/out of the water. Note that a hard surface is needed to more readily maneuver the boat; as well as a boat ramp without a significant degree of tilt. A bar will also be needed to place thru the cross hole in the bow to better allow two persons to lift and move the boat. (Note that if the boat is shipped, this bar will be included as part of the packaging.) Please refer to the maintenance videos on our website for additional information on the launching wheel set: https://www.nauticraft.com/boats/encore/encore-videos/
A Nauticraft boat owner may rather prefer to use their own personal watercraft trailer in which case bunk risers will be needed. These can be purchased at a local major trailer/marine dealer or on-line. Note that the trailer will sit higher, and as such it will be necessary to back it further into the water to safely launch the boat.
A boat marina is another suggestion. Most (larger) boat marinas have the means to launch a boat and retrieve it out of the water. Having a new boat delivered to a boat marina is an ideal way to get the boat into the water and may even cost less for shipping purposes. (Note that boats shipped from Nauticraft are packaged on a skid and in a large cardboard box.)
Sietech Dollies are another option – more so for an Escapade Pedal Boat. With its large tires, the Sietech Dolly helps with maneuvering a boat thru the sand. Note, though, that pulling a boat out of the water onto a launching ramp requires a very strong person. Also, the Sietech Dolly doesn’t travel very well across hard surfaces.
Bottom line – if the boat is being launched just 1x/season, most likely 3-4 able-bodied persons can lift the boat in/out of the water. If the boat is to be launched more frequently, though, we suggest using one of our modified boat trailers or one of the other options as described above.
Nauticraft Pedal boats have undergone various modifications over the years and as such, when boat owners contact Nauticraft for replacement parts, it is important that we know which generation boat they own so that the correct parts are sent to them.
One way in which boat owners can tell the generation of their boat is based upon the drive shaft &/or the end piece on the propeller. We thought the following would help with that determination:
Encore
– 1st Generation (boats molded prior to 2010 – approx.)
Drive shaft = fiberglass – round on the outside & hexagonal shaped on the inside; large bolt in middle of end piece
– 2nd Generation (boats molded in 2010 (approx.) thru mid-2015)
Drive shaft = aluminum tube (crimped on both ends); no bolt in middle of end piece
– 3rd Generation (boats molded mid-year 2015 thru mid-2019)
Drive shaft = aluminum rod
– 4th Generation (boats molded mid-2019 thru current)
Drive shaft = aluminum tube (somewhat similar to 2nd generation, but no crimp on front of tube)
Escapade
– 1st generation (boats molded prior to 2008 – approx.)
Hex-shaped rod (inside & out) & white fiberglass; screw in middle of end piece
– 2nd generation (boats molded in 2008 (approx.) thru current)
Round plastic rod (3/4” diameter); no screw in middle of end piece
Note that changes to the drive shafts were needed mainly
due to our suppliers. Either the parts were no longer available,
or those suppliers were not providing us with parts up to Nauticraft’s standards.
Nauticraft will have a display of the Escapade Pedal Boat at Muskegon’s 6th Annual Earth Fair Expo . It will be located at Montague High School, and is scheduled for April 22nd from 11am to 3pm. The Escapade is the boat which crossed the English Channel in record time & helped Paul Tucker make it into the Guinness Book of Records. Come check it out and visit all of the festivities!
Nauticraft often gets asked about what is “needed” as far as options go, and we’ll be taking a look at those over the next few months.
Relating to the Christmas gifts which are being offered, customers ask if they need a Storage Cradle to store the boats on while out of the water. The Storage Cradle was designed specifically for the Escapade pedal boat to accommodate the deep narrow keel of the boat. The Escapade can’t sit on its keel as many flat bottom boats do, so when taken out of the water it lays on its side which may over time affect the shape of the hull. The storage cradle is designed to fit the keel and also to hold the “belly” of the boat while keeping the boat upright. It is also very useful during shipping, as supports are needed to keep the boat upright during the shipping process. The Encore models do not need any sort of a storage cradle as it will set on the double keels and the bow of the boat without issues.
One thing about using a storage cradle is the challenge of getting the boat onto it. The Escapade weights about 325 lbs, and is awkward to lift even with 4 people doing so. Using a pulley system is a good bet when lifting the boat up onto the cradle. For more specific instructions or for questions you may have contact Nauticraft directly at the factory.
