Portland Ducks features a new generation of amphibious vehicles. The "Duck" name comes from World War II personnel carries used to ferry supplies and troops to beaches. It was named DUKW from the sequence of code letters used by General Motors for its first year of production, vehicle type, drive system and axels.
Other than sharing a similar historical name, our state-of-the-art amphibious vehicle is far superior to the antique World War II DUKWs used by many duck tour companies throughout the United States. Specifically, Portland Ducks' vessel is built brand new with aluminum instead of steel to avoid rust issues. In addition, chambers within our vessel have been filled with foam to create positive buoyancy. Unlike World War II DUKWs, our vessel cannot sink because it is filled with foam. While this vessel was much more expensive than a DUKW, we believe that the added safety features were definitely worth the additional cost.
McCall's Mallard --
Portland Duck's Namesake:
Portland Ducks' flagship vessel has been
named "McCall's Mallard" in honor of former
Governor Tom McCall, Oregon's 30th Governor.
Governor McCall was responsible for many of
Oregon's ground breaking environmental
achievements including enacting the nation's
first "bottle bill", for cleaning up the
Willamette River, for maintaining public
ownership of beaches, and for implementing
the Urban Growth Boundary that has limited
urban sprawl throughout Oregon.
Governor McCall was also known for his
remarks in a 1971 interview with CBS News'
Terry Drinkwater where he said, "We
want you to visit our State of Excitement
often. Come again and again. But
for heaven's sake, don't move here to live.
Or if you do have to move in to live, don't
tell any of your neighbors where you are
going!"
Specifications:
This vessel is 40' long and 8'6" wide.
It has been designed to hold 46 passengers,
a U.S. Coast Guard Certified Captain, and a
First Mate / Tour Guide. The vessel
itself has passed an extensive United States
Coast Guard certification process and all
hull construction as been to A.B.S.
standards. The lower section below
floor in the side sections is filled with
foam. The foam fill materials meets
military specifications and is approved by
the Coast Guard. The floor is made of
a lightweight aluminum sheet attached to the
vessel's main structural members.
Soundproofing is installed in the entire
floor area and includes a lead septum sound
barrier to reduce engine noise.
Interior:
Portland Ducks' vessel is fully covered with
an aluminum top and features removable glass
windows for all weather touring. There
are 46 padded, bus style seats for
passengers (2 person per side, 4 per row
with 12 rows of seats). The Captain
and First Mate have two additional seats at
the front of the vessel. This vehicle
features a Bose marine quality sound system
that serves as a public address system and
for playing music on special chartered
events.
Power Train:
The vessel is powered by a 300 h.p. Turbo
Diesel 7.2 liter Cummins engine. It
also features an Allison heavy duty
automatic transmission, a heavy duty
alternator, dual batteries, an engine block
heater, and dual rear wheels. Power is
available simultaneously for beaching and
provides 100% combined power application in
water and to the land drive.
Exhaust is piped out the rear with a 4" pipe. Exhaust is discharged above the vehicle via a chrome stack. The vehicle's radiator is mounted in the rear of the vehicle and is cooled with a hydraulic fan. Hot air that passes over the engine and transmission discharges at the rear of the vehicle.
Marine propulsion is accomplished with a huge 26" bronze propeller on a 2" stainless steel shaft. A velvet drive 5000 series reduction transmission. Solid steel ballast weights protect the propeller from any damage. This has eliminated propeller cavitation and maintenance on the previous outdrive style marine drives.
Steering is accomplished with an electric linear actuator that moves the rudder to port and starboard without cables. A rudder angle indicator is located on the dash.
Full live suspension system is mounted directly to the hull at reinforced mounting points. Weight capacity of suspension is 26,000 lbs. The heavy duty disc brakes are standard equipment along with 4 wheel anti lock computer brake control system that meets all 50 states D.O.T. Standards. The vessel is also equipment with R20 radial tires.
The dash, instrument panel, windshield, wipers, heater / vent, steering wheel and power steering system are all built into a padded dash assembly that also contains driver's air bag for safety.