24. October 2008

Kenda Bear Claw goes under...water.

Many of our customers are familiar with Kenda’s Bear Claw for use on ATV’s, but how many of you realised that it is also used on boats? More specifically on an amphibious marine craft manufactured by Sealegs. Sealegs has been specifically designed and developed to take all the hassle out of the boat launching and retrieval process. The Sealegs system consists of motorised, retractable and steerable wheels which are fitted to specially designed boats to give users a fully integrated, turn-key package. The Sealegs system works by having powerful motorised wheels which give a user variable speed of 0-10km/h (forward and reverse) powered by an on-board 16hp Hondamotor.


A Sealegs boat can be driven from a storage location, down a boat ramp or beach and into the water - all with the occupants staying in the boat and remaining completely dry! Once in the water, the Sealegs wheels are easily retracted into the "UP" position and are completely out of the water. The boat is then driven and used as normal. When approaching land, the Sealegs wheels are lowered into the "DOWN" position whilst still moving in the water.

It is then simply a matter of trolling towards the beach and the Sealegs powerful motorised wheels touch the bottom and drive the boat up onto land. The occupants can then disembark, totally dry and safe.


According to Maurice Bryham of Sealegs International Ltd, Kenda Bear Claw was chosen after ‘extensive testing found this tyre gave the best general purpose performance on the wide range of terrains on which customers use their Sealegs amphibious boats. This includes soft powder sand on ocean beaches, sand banks/mud flats and sand flats in estuaries, farm tracks to the water’s edge, and a variety of boat ramps’. Furthermore, ‘the Kenda Bear Claw has proved very reliable in various harsh conditions including driving over rocks and shells and crushed coral’.

See Kenda Bear Claw in action here:

Sealegs in action

To order Kenda Bear Claw or any other tyre or wheel contact your local STARCO office.