Here at Expedition Portal, we generally focus on vehicles with wheels; things like trucks, vans, motorcycles, and trailers (does a trailer count as a vehicle?). But the truth is, for some adventures, crossing Greenland for instance, other means of transportation are occasionally necessary. In this case, I’m specifically talking about landing craft: boats that are designed to safely deposit you on remote shores (or ice sheets) where you don’t have the convenience or safety of a dock.
One company that designs and manufactures landing craft is Hard Drive Marine (HDM). Their boats can deliver heavy vehicles to remote destinations, with hydraulic gates that allow drive-on/ drive-off capability. With these unique boats, the world of overlanding is a bit bigger, given the ability to reach previously inaccessible terrain.
Custom Solutions, Hand-built in the USA
HDM doesn’t offer a “line” of vessels that you can just pick up from your local harbor. Instead, they hand-build these made-to-order aluminum boats individually. Each is uniquely designed to fulfill different and specialized needs across a variety of industries including oil and gas, commercial fishing, law enforcement, tourism, and more. HDM generally produces four to five boats annually, and all are built with a high level of craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Additionally, HDM offers a selection of features that are developed around its patented technologies.
MAXGATE Landing System – A 3,000-psi hydraulic system controls this drive-on/drive-off landing gate. A set of articulating spikes dig into whatever surface the vessel is landing on and can pull the vehicle ashore or push it back into the water (this can even be accomplished remotely via a wireless control system). Additionally, the MaxGate system spikes can act as outrigger stabilizers if the vessel needs to remain dry between tides. This system can also be used in conjunction with a conventional dock to allow easy loading and unloading without the need to lift heavy items over the vessel gunwales.
The MaxGate
MaxHelm Modular Helm Station – This effectively allows you to control the vessel from anywhere. The MaxHelm can be mounted anywhere on the vessel that has a double gunwale. This means that you can captain the boat from forward, aft, port, or starboard.
Controlling the boat from inside the cargo with the MaxHelm
JaxCab – Like the MaxHelm, the JaxCab is a modular cabin that can be repositioned forward or aft depending on the needs of the day. It slides on a rail system and gives the option of repositioning passengers for increased comfort or optimizing cargo positioning as well as trimming the boat without trim tabs.
Explore the Hard Drive Marine website to learn more.
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