POPULAR MECHANICS: Test Report 28' LAND N’ SEA CRAFT COMBINATION SEAWORTHY HOUSE CRUISER AND ON-THE-ROAD TRAVEL TRAILER Reprinted with the permission of Papulie Mechanics by the Hearst Corporation The LAND N' SEA CRAFT the BEST answer PM has yet seen for a combination travel trailer and water cruiser. iy GEORGE W. REIGER, Boating Eaitor Photeaty rm Beeston REAT CONCEPT — this combine sion on-ihetoad camper and howiehoat— Put he's too omy to nde well In roueh eater” 1 made that comment to myseit the day before or boot test. Was I eld Lidar aloud | The flowing afternoon we san full trotile beneath the Golden Gate sidpe and charged miles out ato. the tal Pacific. We tried the seep ocean. eels and we worked the hesey chop ‘ond the Gate. But nowhere could wwe make things too. tough for the tmonohedon deep hull. AL ane paint Me tren dicumed the povibilty of Tanning many miles farther offshore to fhe Farallon Isands. Bet our photog: faphy boat although especially built for offiore work, as not bolding up ab well ay we wore, and we decited not to chance. it, Our Ete "bresdbon” bad fe contest with cunning cieces ound lee conipaion.. ‘The Land N' Sea Craft evolved from oe man's dissatstaction snd another's i Alex "Sandy" Kaye haw always enjoyed inland cruising, but he wanted compact yet title oat ne ceuld Uke wlth him en the road. ‘Traerable howebaats he lacked at tected qualities {07 safest eatkortable boating rand A had isufiient cabin space, no storage room and ao. place (0 +h iain gues. And after deck at 100 stall to peoubi any tounge aten Sand B bisked power to get up on line and was so goodly muffled and lo ulated that sipper and visitors had to owe to We hei While under way Brand € srimped on baltin Ante tion, and her galley eondsted oaly of an alcohol. stove, icebox and siak with 4 food ump. There wax na. sdstourd toy ‘preparing food, Worst of all, she wis Atiffient to. maneuvie at high speeds aod ‘stable ia rough weather. $0 Suny found aw bout designer, 77. year-old Chaites “Bert” O'Hanlon, snd old of his sequinements. Their joint sffot i the. 26-0t and N" Sea Craft The evening betore the tes, Ber son, Pat, and | ited John and Ruth Marpraft™ aboard theie Land NT Seq howeboat which they” ase as a week: fend retreat pd. susumer home. They sve us a guided tout of thet Noating fotiage, and 1 saur how Sandy and. Bert fin solved some space probes By olny sway with walkways aloog the utule, the designers were able 9 Provide maimum ring abd stone space within gn eaBt foot team ith sll tnifenble without special highway permits. AR extra foot oF two lenathise was. provided by. puting the pits set practically ove the bow. But [was stil concemed about Band: ling on the open sea. Despite the deep- V'chagscier of the ul, the boat dra only 14 inches of water te Bons for Pinicking alone deserted beaches Just pull the beat ashore). bal I was ‘woreda the boat's height Ceaourh Tor 6 fect, 5 inchos at headroom in the forward cabin) might raise the center of guaity 50 that pasungen sing top. side might emake things angzaus in bumpy westhor. Other small housesute tad capstad wer such conditions. eee LAND N' SEAS spacious ant efficient Interior layout ‘The nest day We Launch north of ‘the Richmond-Son ‘Rafiel ridge and rom south past San Quentin pais and Angel Islnd inio Helredee. 40. ret our phocography neat. Then Beran the seal boat testing, Vm swe that my four companions-aneloding the bob's owe fr, Ray Shepherd, thought the nts on of all my rating, braking and sud den turning. arwund San Francis Bay was to Deak a f0W dishes, cause 2 few ewes and imybe even throw sen body overboard ! None of this happended; the expected! hard, slameing ride in heavy swotke While I sat at the wheel over the bow ever ateriatimd. We yode through the waver: net up and down on thee. Inspired by the sucess af PACE trip, Bert and Sandy invited a Los aAnseles astomer to San Francisco, gave him his ordered boat and persuaded hum to run it back ta Los Angeles off the Cali fornia coast. The boat confronted some {2foot seas and took a litle tagger to ‘make the joomey than expected, bat she sti made it Grom Son Francitca an 40 hours’ running time with stopover, st Monterey aid Sola Barbara. And ‘while osean touring ist a ropalar fea ture of every outers season, I's nice to know Land MT Sea hoe the sapublity o muke it, As Samy proufly says “We've the only (mllruble awebaat that’s ever made sued 4 tp.” yen with s 215 OMC YB powerphint ad stermrive unit, the aime welgbi for the boat ie jut twa tame-no ‘rouble tne Behind a Vi-powsted fax Since the boat wat sexigned for ‘uavel and camp ust, too, ome valuable feature f (is foklaway step section built into. the stem (iat. Thi chiminates ‘mwieldly sed possibly dangerous sep: lodgers at the campsie ‘The S4-gallon fuel tank allows » lone day's running in eenjunction with the seonomécal —inbeard/outboard —sysHem, But I sense Kmitations the 40: pallon fisstewater tank as standin equipment, Thirty gallons wor't go far with sink end shower uso in an active camping snd crulsing cet Land) N'Sea alsa fers = fying- Tidy modet with 2 venturi wind de action system that climates UN née fot & wikdbield, Ais eaters the venturi at the front base of the bridge and is funneled up so shat it emerges {rom a ‘op slot moving thier times faster than it went in. IF youtte cruising at 20 rap, the vertieal ststieum in front af he console K rushing ap to 60 mph, and You Inve an effective screen against ‘wind and even light a For mone data, write Land N" Seu, 1813 Souih 10th St, San Jove, Ca 95112