G BOAT???

Is that thing armoured?
Now, who is it that likes to take their G swiming?

I did come across amphibious G's used by patrols on the Rhine, have googled and googled but have never found them again.

it obviously belongs to a G fan with "loads'a money!!

bet his bed and slippers resemble a G too.....

These were definately G's, or G based at least. SWB 460 inside and out.

You're not talking about the one with pontoons are you? I think it may have been white.... was made by some crazy german for exploring Africa but I think I had seen pics of him testing it in Germany.

I saw one of these at the international 4x4 show in munich, it did have the fron end of a g but looked like a boat with a hull and everything. didnt get to look at the axles.

It's an RMA AmphiRanger. Uses a few Mercedes G bits and pieces built into a salt-water resistant aluminium hull. Prop is power take off driven and electrically retractable. Engine, or at least one option, was a Ford V6 petrol. Primary gearbox and transfer box were from G-wagen, if memory serves me right. Independent wishbone and coil spring suspension at all four corners and disc brakes all round. It's bigger than a lwb G-Wagen. Handles on and off road conditions quite well and is very seaworthy. Steers via the front wheels.

AmphiRanger was designed and built by a German company called Rheinhauer Maschinen und Armeturenbau GmbH (RMA) and it was originally intended for the oil/pipeline industry. It was pretty expensive, eventually being offered at around £90K. I believe it was Folletts in London who ultimately tried to market it in UK without much success, despite touting it around the usual potential customers such as military, police and coastguard.

I had the good fortune to test drive one for a whole day around the streets of London before plunging into the Thames for a protracted drive up and down the river. One jobs-worth of a lock keeper wouldn't accept our licence to be on the Thames (we were legit) and refused to allow us through his lock. The Dutch guy I was with, who owned the vehicle, wasn't about to be put off; we went straight down over the weir, much to the fury of the lock-keeper.

Fabulous machine, unfortunately no longer in production which was pretty sporadic anyway. There are quite a few in private hands with various amphibious vehicle clubs. They seem to go in for that sort of thing in Holland and Belgium.

I have brochure for the thing somewhere in the office, but buggered if I can find it at the moment. I wrote it up for Off Road & 4 Wheel Drive magazine, but that was yonks ago.

http://www.4wdonline.com/Amphib/AmphiRanger.html

Lots of other sites if you Google "AmphiRanger"

Mike :wink:

Like this one?

http://users.belgacom.net/amphib/RMA-3.htm

pm me

Tom

No probs, if I can find it. My office at home is a bit of a tip, but I do occasionally catch a fleeting glimpse of long lost bits of paper. I'll pm you when I find it. Don't hold your breath! ;)