A sea tractor is a
motor vehicle designed to travel through shallow seawater, carrying passengers on a platform elevated above a submerged chassis. The sea tractor was most popular during the early 1930s, as a unique way to give scenic tours to patrons of waterfront hotels and resorts. In other applications, sea tractors were used simply as a ferry through shallow waters. The use of sea tractors has declined since, as
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically found on inl ...
s,
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
, and other aquatic vessels often serve the same function much more efficiently and comfortably.
Examples
![Ballbunion Sea and Cliff Rescue - Atlantic 21 Launch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Ballbunion_Sea_and_Cliff_Rescue_-_Atlantic_21_Launch.JPG)
The
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
at
Burgh Island
Burgh Island is a tidal island on the coast of South Devon in England near the small seaside village of Bigbury-on-Sea. There are several buildings on the island, the largest being the Art Deco Burgh Island Hotel. The other buildings are thr ...
operates a sea tractor, to carry hotel guests and other visitors the to the island at high tide, when the causeway connecting the island to the Devon mainland is submerged. The current tractor is the third one to be used at this location.
A sea tractor is also used at South Sands Beach near
Salcombe
Salcombe is a popular resort town in the South Hams district of Devon, south west England. The town is close to the mouth of the Kingsbridge Estuary, mostly built on the steep west side of the estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area o ...
, Devon. The beach has no jetty or pier, and the South Sands Ferry therefore cannot reach dry land to pick up passengers. The sea tractor transports passengers to the ferry waiting a few metres out to sea.
The
operates a three-wheeled sea tractor called the Coastal Research Amphibious Buggy (CRAB). This vehicle consists of a wheeled tripod supporting an operating platform above ground level. It can move at on land and at a somewhat slower speed in water. It was built for scientific research on
beach nourishment
Beach nourishment (also referred to as beach renourishment, beach replenishment, or sand replenishment) describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from other sources. A wider beach ...
.
Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue, based at
Ballybunion
Ballybunion or Ballybunnion () is a coastal town and seaside resort in County Kerry, Ireland, on the Wild Atlantic Way, from the town of Listowel.
Tourism
Ballybunion has two main beaches, divided by the Castle Green. The Ladies Beach is to ...
in the west of Ireland, operates a specially-constructed, tracked sea-tractor, used for launching and recovering the group's
Atlantic 75-class lifeboat
The Atlantic 75 is part of the B-class of lifeboats that serve the shores of the United Kingdom as a part of the RNLI inshore fleet.
The Atlantic 75 is the second generation Rigid Inflatable Boat
A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid ...
.
Popular culture
Books, TV, movies, and games
Sea tractors have been featured on the famous child's TV Show ''
Teletubbies
''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...
''.
The Burgh Island sea tractor also appears as the method of transport between the mainland and the island in the 1941
Agatha Christie novel ''
Evil Under the Sun''. As a result, it also appears in the "
Evil Under the Sun" (2001) episode of
ITV's ''
Agatha Christie's Poirot
''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...
'' TV series, and features prominently in the 2007 adventure game ''
Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun'', both of which were adapted from the novel. In the game, the player can use a phone on the beach to summon the tractor to transport Poirot from the island to the village on the mainland.
The second Burgh Island sea tractor features in the 1965
Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...
film ''
Catch Us If You Can
"Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. It was the title song for the film of the same name, which was retitled ''Having a Wild Weekend'' in the Unite ...
'' (1965).
The Burgh Island sea tractor appears in the 1994 episode of the TV series ''
Lovejoy'' "
Somewhere: Over the Rainbow?" (episode 66 of 73).
The third episode of the first series of the British pre-school television programme ''Milkshake Monkey'' features a sea tractor.
See also
*
BARV
A beach armoured recovery vehicle (BARV) is an armoured recovery vehicle used for amphibious landings.
There have been three different BARVs in British service since their introduction during World War II. They have also been used by Dutch and ...
, a tracked military vehicle designed to wade through seawater up to deep.
*
Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway
The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was a unique coastline railway in Brighton, England, that ran through the shallow coastal waters of the English Channel between 1896 and 1901. It was designed by Magnus Volk to extend ...
, a late 19th-century railway that ran on submerged rails.
*
Sea-going tractors, for tractors used in water without an elevated platform
*
Swamp buggy
A swamp buggy, also known as a marsh buggy, is a motor vehicle used to traverse boggy swamp terrain. Swamp buggies may be purpose-built buggies or vehicles modified to traverse swamp terrain. Swamp buggies are capable of traveling through or over ...
, for tractors designed to move through shallow water in a swamp
References
External links
English Ferry Wades Through Ocean Wavesfrom ''Science and Mechanics'', 1935
Burgh Island Sea Tractor near missin heavy seas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sea Tractor
Vehicles by purpose
Wheeled amphibious vehicles
Tractors