Amphibious Super Duck One ready for debut in Portland

PORTLAND – Portland is getting its first amphibious tour boat capable of cruising both the narrow streets of the Old Port and the deep water of Portland Harbor.

Super Duck One is the first such amphibious boat in Maine. They have already proven popular in other places like Boston.

Operations Manager Jonathan Radtke said Portland is a natural place for such a business. “You’ve got a beautiful city, a beautiful bay,” he said. “This is the perfect place to do it.” The 39-foot contraption makes its debut on Friday.

“I can’t wait to give it a spin,” said Rich Imbeault, one of the seven captains employed by Super Duck Tours.

Radtke is not just banking on summer tourists to fill Super Duck One. City residents will receive a 10 percent discount on tickets.

“This is the new adventure in town,” Radtke said. “We’d like everyone to be able to hop on.”

Radtke said he has worked closely with Herb Adams, a local historian, to make the tour interesting for anybody, including native Portlanders.

“We don’t want this to be some boring history tour,” he said. “We want people in Portland to take a ride, and maybe they’ll be surprised about what they learn about their town.”

Super Duck One is different from the World War II-vintage amphibious boat that sank in May 1999 in Hot Springs, Ark., killing 11 people.

Radtke said a truck was modified to meet his needs, so it doesn’t have the years of wear and tear as the old amphibious boats. It can accommodate 49 sightseers, a tour guide and driver. A second duck is being built.

The duck boat is classified as both a boat and a commercial vehicle, so all of the captains of Super Duck Tours were required to go to commercial drivers’ school. “It’s actually more maneuverable than a school bus,” Imbeaulet said.