How do you get around once you've sailed to your destination? Check out this video of our portable transport test, which includes everything from folding bikes to unicylces.
Carrying a set of wheels on board your boat makes life easier and more fun once you reach your destination. Whether it’s for a short trip to the marina office, visiting a chandlery, exploring the town, or even a spontaneous need for sundowners on a hill top, there are now wheels to get you there quickly.
And today’s choice includes some pretty fun toys which, once trialled, may just surprise you.
We tested out a range of the coolest and latest portable transport options including folding bikes, e-bikes and scooters that can fit in a cockpit locker or lazarette.
Our intrepid reviewers were asked to imagine hot summer days and large Mediterranean marinas, as they dodged rain showers in almost freezing temperatures at Berthon marina and boatyard in Lymington.
Can an electric scooter replace the trusty Brompton folding bike?
For decades now the go-to choice of portable transport for cruising sailors has been folding bikes, yet in the last few years we have seen this market explode with a variety of new options, particularly battery-powered e-bikes.
The advent of lithium-ion batteries has boosted the development of not only folding bikes, but also other powered toys such as lightweight motorcycles and self-balancing unicycles.
Even kick scooters – no longer just for kids – can have lithium-ion battery boosters, which negate the need to push. These sturdy yet compact adult machines provide another ‘grab and go’ solution.
“I can’t see any place for electric-powered wheels of any sort on a boat,” commented one of our test team. We set out to challenge this view looking at options and alternatives to carry on board and to use ashore.
Full results in the May 2017 issue on sale 13 April.