The BeTriton: Unconstrained by Convention
A most unusual new small-boat design
It’s been called an “amphibious mobile home” an “e-bike camper” and “something from the set of Wes Anderson’s Life Aquatic.” Part bicycle, part camper, part boat, the BeTriton looks something like what you might have sketched on your middle-school math homework while you daydreamed.
It’s hard to say at a glance if the “form follows function” maxim has been kind or cruel to this highly unconventional craft, but watch this product video of the father and son’s overnight adventure and try to tell me there’s another vehicle anywhere that offers this kind of magic carpet experience.
The idea began with Aigars Lauzis, the inventor, co-founder, and CEO, embarking on an 19,000 mile cycling journey from London to Tokyo. It was during this ambitious trip the concept of amphibious campers took shape in his mind. On the company website you can see some of the early prototypes and the design evolution.
There are now 3 versions availble, the Full, the Trailer, and the Mini.
We caught up with Aigars to ask about him a few questions about his fantastic creations.
Your boat—an amphibious electric tricycle—is obviously one of the most unique craft we’ve come across, but then it also seems uniquely suitable for certain types of camping and adventure. What are some examples of a perfect use or trip for BeTriton?
The craft is mainly intended for recreation use on a rental basis. We started rentals last year with pre-designed 2-days / 40km routes for people to boat and sleep on three different lakes—plus cycle through beautiful forests. People drop our folding anchor and just sleep anywhere they like. Nobody wants to do that on land. Everyone wants to sleep on water. Other uses are listed on our website, but families with kids, couples, wildlife enthusiasts, outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen and others are our typical.
What are its biggest limitations on land and water? Compromises or tradeoffs.
Road infrastructure—lots of stupid drivers in this world. The vehicle is 1.45m (4’9”) wide on the road with maximum 25 km/h (15 mph) speed, so it does slow down the traffic. But its future will be in national parks, cities with slower traffic, or even car-free areas. Another limitation is transition from land to water—it need slips, boat ramps, or beaches with compacted sand or gravel to make launch and retreival pleasant. It’s quite heavy from 130-200kg (286-440 lb) depending on model and load. Taking it out of the water can be challenging if it’s a muddy shore. Take a look how easy it is on a proper ramp in Amsterdam:
Or Zurich…
For those interested in learning more about buying, or even becoming a dealer, where do they go for more details?
We have over 180 direct pre-orders, all organic from our website, but we want to focus on B2B sales—to companies who will offer BeTriton rentals—campsites, resorts, RV / Boat / Bike rental companies, etc. We have more than 20 leads from around the world. We have a dealership form on our website as well.
For information on the BeTriton’s equity crowdfund, click here.
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I am always amazed at the wealth of ingenuity from the artist among us. Many times the strange becomes the common place eventually. Who knows where this idea will go.
If it meets a need and is not used inappropriately, it's a good boat. Consider our first reactions to some of Bolger's designs. They now fit within our concept of acceptable . . . interesting.