Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/485263
'Swift water adventure craft' designed to get riders through a variety of waterways BY LIZ KEENER MANAGING EDITOR The AlumaSki is not your average modern per- sonal watercraft. Sure, it has a jet pump and PWC-style han- dlebars, and the rider straddles its seat, but from first sight, it's clear the AlumaSki is differ- ent. Most noticeable is the nearly flat, but thick, aluminum hull and its 5-foot width. Those differences are purposeful, however, as the AlumaSki has been designed as a "swift water adventure craft for use in shallow and hazard- ous water conditions," according to AlumaSki developer Mackinnon Marine Technologies. "We have a one-piece pre-stressed and bended aluminum bottom," said Slavik Lund, who works in operations for Mackinnon Marine. "With a near flat bottom to it, this allows it to ride on top of the water and not through the water. It also gives our craft incred- ible shallow draft capabilities. We access parts of lakes and shallow water streams that no one else can come up to because the water levels are too shallow." The AlumaSki has been developed as a go-anywhere machine, especially for the out- doorsmen of Mackinnon Marine's home state of Alaska. But with its versatility, Lund believes the PWC has endless potential throughout North America and beyond, in challenging swift and shallow water and in search and res- cue operations. QUICK TO MARKET The AlumaSki started as a personal project for company founder Brian McKinnon. He built the first version in his garage for fun. However, he soon drew attention as he began taking the prototype out of his garage and using it in public. A discussion quickly popped up on Alaskan Outdoors Forums, with the author asking if anyone knew anything about the aluminum PWC he had seen being trailered behind McKinnon's truck. "Everyone was talking about him driving down the road or whatnot, and he had inter- ested parties knock on his door, saying, 'We think you have a fine toy there, and we think you should really pursue it, Brian.' And so he took off," Lund said. "He got a business team together of advisors. They coached him on where to go, and along came business plans and investments." M a c k i n n o n Marine and the Alu- maSki launched in March 2014. It was then that investors came into the proj- ect. In April 2014, AlumaSki created a second prototype, but the new vehicle didn't fit McKinnon's origi- nal vision, so a third prototype was devel- oped, and that vehicle became the produc- tion model. Though Mackin- non's first plan was to have the AlumaSki on the market throughout last summer, because of the snag with the second prototype, the AlumaSki wasn't avail- able until August. ALUMASKI'S FIRST DEALER August is not an ideal time for a PWC to be brought to market in Alaska. By then the h u n t i n g s e a s o n i s winding down, and September brings rain that eventually turns to snow, explained Don Rathbun, who works in sales at Marita Sea & Ski/Alaska Power Sports in Anchor- age. But the dealership was glad to sign on with and become Mackinnon Marine's first AlumaSki dealer. "It was about time somebody made it, and it was the right project at the right time, so we actually got involved because we know we can sell it. It's made by Alaskans for Alaskans to do what you could never do before on this type of machine," Rathbun said. "It was an opportunity for us to have an exclusive piece of a brand new product that we think is going to be a hot seller." Though Marita Sea & Ski had little expec- tation for AlumaSki sales before this spring came, the staff was soon surprised. Rathbun sold two units by the end of August, and a third has sold since. "Honestly, considering the fact that when the prototype became the production model, it was so late in the season, we honestly didn't figure that we would sell really any over the winter," he said. "The fact that we've sold three of them in essentially Alaska's winter is phe- nomenal for us, so the sales have exceeded where we thought they'd be." A UNIQUE MACHINE What's driving customers to the AlumaSki? Rathbun says it's the versatility of the PWC and the fact that it takes the place of so many boats. "It's just a phenomenal machine. We saw the potential for this very early on because we saw the prototype, and we saw what this could be capable of," he said. "It can really do anything. In Alaska, you need such a variety of boats — you need a riverboat; you need a shallow water boat; you might even need a lake boat. This kind of does all of that. It does all of those things so well while being a personal watercraft-style machine. You can get to those hunting grounds, or you can get to those fish- ing grounds. You can get to those places that you couldn't get to before." Mackinnon Marine sees outdoors enthusi- asts as one of the AlumaSki's primary customer bases, with its early customers falling into that demographic. "This is the guy that he comes back from work; he grabs his boat, and he just wants to go up river to either catch some fish or shoot some animals and bring them home. And with this boat you can do it with plenty of payload to take a friend, and a pile of gear in the front or side holds or strapped to the rear deck. It loads on and off a (PWC) trailer just exactly the same. You hop on; you go, and you go until you want to stop. It's that last-minute, go-anywhere boat," Lund said. Also expected to be key customers are pow- ersports and boating enthusiasts who appreci- ate customization. Though an AlumaSki can be bought off a showroom floor at a starting price of $24,995 for a base model, AlumaSki offers a barrage of customization options. The com- pany expects most models will leave the factory with one of 5,000 custom powder coat colors and a number of accessories. "Everything's customizable, from fishing pole holders to racks to gas cans to storage compartments inside. It's really the boat that we're building for the customer to match their personality," Lund reported. AlumaSki also expects to sell well commer- cially among companies that need it for haul- ing, as it has a 1,000-lb. capacity, or for safety reasons, as its near-flat hull offers more stability than the average PWC and only a 2-inch draft. The vehicle can also be outfitted for use by gov- ernment search and rescue teams. "If a place has rivers, shallow water, search and rescue organizations that struggle with water in getting to certain locations, problem solved," Lund said. Communities that frequently have to per- form switch water and dangerous tidal inlet rescues where 30-foot tides are typical have found traditional PWC don't have the capabil- ity to survive the rough glacial feed waters, or offer the stability for side loading and person- nel rescues. With the AlumaSki's thick marine-grade aluminum hull, customers of all types won't have to worry about what underwater obstacles lie around each bend. "You hit a rock, no problem. The bottom of the AlumaSki's 2014 model is quarter-inch marine-grade aluminum, and that's tough," Lund said. AlumaSki gives outdoorsmen, rescuers an option 44 • April 6, 2015 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com PWC Above: The AlumaSki can be customized in more than 5,000 powder coat colors and with a number of accessories. Below: Martita Sea & Ski/ Alaska Power Sports in Anchorage is Mackinnon Marine Technologies' first AlumaSki PWC dealership. See AlumaSki, Page 51