DUTTON 4wd S2 COMMANDER

The Car

If ever a car needed 4 wheel drive it is an amphibian - imagine not being able to drive over desert sands or up a river bank or on a beach. One day you could find yourself on the water, miles away from a proper slip-way with no way of getting back to land - then you will be glad you choose 4wd.

6 years ago we drove to Folkestone, England and slipped into the water and drove 27 miles across the English Channel to within a couple of miles off the coast of Boulogne, France. Half way across the sea state worked up to an F4 wind, the Amphijeep took it in its stride.

Marine

Speed in water

According to the official press release in the 1960's the maximum speed in water for the Amphicar was quoted as "Wasserfahrt: -Hoechstgeschwindigkeit 10km/h" (6.2mph/5.4knots). No manufacturer would deliberately undersell his product therefore it is fairly safe to assume that 6.2 mph is in fact the max speed you will ever get out of an Amphicar. You might have thought that with over 40 years more development that we could better this - well you can't. Water speed for a DISPLACEMENT HULL is a function of the square root of the water line in metres multiplied by 2.8 for mph, 2.4 for knots or 4.5 for kph. So even if you made a car 100 ft (30M) long it's max speed would only be 16mph! The 4 Wheel Drive Dutton with its 8" diameter impellor (upgraded from 6" on the 2wd) has a speed of approx 6mph, which ties in very neatly with the above formula and is impressive considering the extra carrying capacity, size and specification compared with the much smaller 2wd Amphicar. To obtain this sort of speed in a large 4wd amphibian you definitely need the full 60+ bhp engine power to drive the jet.

Early amphibians had no problems with low powered, cool lamps but today's modern lamps run hot and it is not possible to drive into water with them switched on without cracking the glass, for this reason every front and rear lamp on the Dutton is protected with high impact 5/16" (8mm) clear acrylic plastic so none of the lamps can ever contact the water.

Special attention has been paid to the sealing of the prop shafts (the only components going thru the hull).

To eliminate the need for a chassis the hull and deck are manufactured as one piece mouldings which are then bonded together to form a single homogeneous monocoque self coloured structure, all the load bearing areas - engine, gearbox, transfer box, steering, f/r axles, shock absorbers etc - have marine grade stainless steel spreader plates imbedded into the laminate. The advantage of self colour Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP or FRP) is that it can be repaired and scratches easily rubbed out. An anti-slip pattern is moulded into various areas of the deck as an aid to safety. Being GRP there is never any need to wash the car regardless of whether it has been in fresh or salt water.

Vehicle Specifications
Proper doors (can you imagine getting into an amphib with the weather equipment on with no doors? - or even more importantly trying to get out quickly in an emergency). The Dutton doors open ABOVE the water line so can be opened safely when the car is in the water. FULL 4 seater with proper lockable easy access doors (other seating arrangements are available). Left or Right hand drive. 5 speed gearbox, selectable 2wd high, 4wd high, 4wd low and PTO. Clock. Stereo radio and CD player. Central locking doors. Immobilizer. Catalytic converter. Power steering. Front stainless steel towing eye. Glovebox with lid. Fully reclining front seats with head rests. Tilting rear seats, with head rests.	Vanity mirror on sun visor with operating instructions. 9 gallon/40L fuel tank. (larger tank optional) Diagonally split dual brake system, servo, disc front, drum rear. 15" steel wheels with 205/70 off road tyres. (aluminium wheels optional) 1 internal, 2 (electric) external mirrors. Halogen headlamps, hazard warning, rear fog, reversing and side repeaters. Foul weather bonnet flap, controlled from cockpit. 2 speed wipers and delay. Speedo, rev counter, fuel gauge, water temp, oil temp, engine bay temp. Full set of Dutton decals. 3 speed heater fan 2 bilge pumps with auto float switches. 26 row oil cooler. Battery master switch. Red/green/white navigation lamp. Rear boarding platform. Stainless steel heat exchangers for engine water and oil.

Driving Techniques

On land the car drives just like a Suzuki. The jet steering is permanently coupled to the "road" steering so to drive into water simply follow the instructions printed on the sun visor:-

Turn both bilge switches to "auto" (normally always kept in "auto").
Put foot on clutch (car can still be rolling forward i.e. down a slip way).
Engage jet clutch lever (marked red).
Take foot off clutch and drive or roll down to water.
When in water put foot on clutch put transfer box lever (marked black) back into 4L then forward until “JET ENGAGED” lamp comes on and gearbox into 3^rd and off you go.
Water speed is controlled by the car accelerator pedal.
New for 2006, to reverse – simply put gear lever in reverse and transfer box in 4H.

To leave water

Put foot on clutch and engage transfer box lever (marked black) into 4wd and gearbox lever into 1st.
When wheels touch land take foot of clutch and drive out of water.
Put jet clutch lever (marked red) into neutral.
Whilst driving, dis-engage foot clutch and move transfer box lever from 4 low to 2 high and off you go, it is recommended that you drive with the brakes lightly on for a few 100 yds (100M) to warm them up (this will stop them sticking if you park and leave the handbrake on)

For anyone who is not used to boating we will be more than happy to spend a couple of hours with you when you collect your Dutton showing you how it works on water and giving advise on which side of the river to drive, collision avoidance etc.

To date we have not found any Country that requires you to have either insurance or a licence to drive an Dutton on water.

Weather Equipment

The car is fitted with a rollover bar manufacturer from 45mm dia x 3mm thick steel tube.

GLASS DOOR SIDE WINDOWS.
Top grade marine windows finished in black anodised aluminium with locking and sliding automotive glass, fits both soft and hard Targa tops. Attached by 3 screws and is easily removable.

SOFT TARGA TOP. (fitted in front of roll over bar)
Soft canvas, available in black or white (other colours optional) easily removable.

HARD TARGA TOP. (fitted in front of roll over bar)
Solid GRP, attached to body with slam locks, available in black, white or car colour easily removable.

SOFT TOP. (fitted behind roll over bar)
Canvas, aluminium hood irons, clear plastic side windows and rear window. Rear window has side zips for easy rear access. Available in black or white (other colours optional)

HARD TOP. (fitted behind roll over bar)
Solid GRP, attached to body with bolts. Automotive glass fitted to side and rear. Rear glass is hinged for easy access and is lockable. Available in black, white or car colour.

SURRY TOP. (fitted behind roll over bar)
Solid GRP roof, attached to deck with bolts, available it white, black or car colour. Has an increased headroom of 6” over normal hardtop

SURRY SIDES.
Canvas, 2 clear plastic side and 1 clear rear window, attaches to Surry top with poppers. Each of these 3 windows can be used separately or together. Available in white or black (other colours optional)

TONNEAU.
Full length canvas tonneau, this fits over the cockpit area to protect the seats/dashboard etc from the elements. It is very quick to fit to add a degree of security to the car without having to fit the targa and soft/hard tops. In addition, there is a zip that runs down the centre that allows half the tonneau to be rolled up (on the drivers side) so that the car can be driven with the tonneau fitted. Available in black or white (other colours optional)

Technical Specifications

Engine-:

1300 cc Petrol, multipoint injection, 16V 85bhp @ 6000 rpm, 110Nm @ 4100rpm.
1500cc Diesel, common rail, 86bhp @ 3750 rpm, 200Nm @ 1750 rpm.

Jet-:

Stainless steel drive shaft.
All bearings "sealed for life" and maintenance free.
8" diameter cast impellor in marine grade LM6 aluminium.
Unit can be "run dry"
Stainless steel rudder
Drive to jet from mechanical take off from back of transfer box.
Jet disconnected from drive train via dog clutch lever between front seats.

Dimensions

	inch	mm

Length inc rear platform	186	4720

Width excl mirrors	66	1680

Height on land	64	1630

Height on water	41	1040

Track	54	1370

Wheelbase	101	2570

Kerb weight	2500lb	1150kg

Arrival angle	35deg

Departure angle	30deg

Ground clearance under differential	8	200

Ground clearance under hull	10	250

Technical & Special Projects

Over the years we have carried out some weird and wonderful modifications to the standard Dutton: -

Shorter (to fit side-ways on boat deck).
Longer (for greater loads, to carry more people and for surveying).
More seats, by fitting a 3 seater bench seat behind the driver and fitting 2 single seats we can easily increase the capacity to a 7 seater.
Collapsible windscreen/roll over bar (to fit in restricted area in hold under boat deck).
Extending rear boarding platform and adding davit (to hold a one man submarine).

All the above modifications have been handled on a one off basis and if you have any specific requirements please contact the factory, many modifications can be carried out free of charge.