Stan's Web Site AmphibAlaska
by Mary
Glover
The July, 2008 issue of Popular Science features Alaska’s Stanley Hewitt’s amphibious vehicle.
This led me to “Google” Stanley Hewitt and hence, this story. Stan and his gracious wife (Punkie)
of 52 years live in Ketchikan. The Hewitts have five grandchildren between the ages of 14 and 23.
Stan is no Chichaco to Alaska! He knows the terrain and what Alaskans need! Take a look at
his third amphibious prototype … the AmphibAlaska. Stan’s first prototype was about twenty-
five Alaskan years ago when he built his first water/land vehicle to go duck hunting. The new
AmphibAlaska is featured on his website is a result of past years knowledge gained and two
years of hard work into this finished prototype of which, the patent is currently pending. ( website)
or (Watch video.) Stan told me over the phone, “I am not an internet person but have some nice
people in Ketchikan that put the website together for us.”
A little information about Stan taken from his website: “Hewitt learned to weld as a young man in
the U.S. Air Force. He later worked as a commercial welder, specializing in aluminum welding.
Hewitt earned commercial fixed-wing and helicopter pilot licenses and owned a Southeast Alaska
air taxi business. He's built and rebuilt aircraft. He's built and rebuilt commercial marine vessels.”
We could also do another story on the Hewitts as Stan and Punkie owned and operated The
Fireside (restaurant and lounge) in Ketchikan. Stan built it and designed the interior. He was also
the primary chef.
When asked Stan if the AmphibAlaska would work for Kachemak Bay and Seldovia, he answered
in the affirmative. The AmphibAlaska easily reaches speeds of 30+ mph on both land and sea.
What’s more it converts in minutes. It is comparable to a 23 foot boat. It hauls up to 5
passengers and as you can see, the bed is like a truck bed or open boat. Would I like to own
one? Yes!!! Just imagine being able to get in one, drive to the beach and boat across to Homer,
do your shopping, etc. and come back. Wouldn’t that be amazing! So far AmphibAlaska is not in
production, which is the next big step.
Stanley Hewitt our hat is off to you! Congratulations are in order. Know the AmphibAlaska was a
lot of hard work and what a beautiful and practical machine you have created! This machine
would work in search and rescue, disaster relief areas, and just about anywhere. We wish you
much success in the development of the AmphibAlaska!
The second-phase AmphibAlaska is bigger and more powerful. It's faster on the ground
and afloat.The payload is increased, allowing for more passengers and cargo onboard.
Garage inventor builds amphibious vehicle that works
By SCOTT BOWLEN KETCHIKAN DAILY NEWS
KETCHIKAN - Stan Hewitt might be the new king of garage inventors.
His amphibious vehicle - imagine a cross between a work skiff and a 1950s sci-fi movie Mars rover - looks cool and actually works.
Its tank-like rubber treads can carry the craft across land at speeds of up to 30 mph. And, in water, the treads flip up so the Volvo Penta SX outdrive can propel it just as fast on calm seas.
"This is not the regular, everyday rig you're going to see," Hewitt said recently, after testing the "Hewitt Amphib" prototype successfully in Tongass Narrows.
Its 17-foot aluminum hull gleams in Hewitt's garage, where he's spent much of the past 10 months building the vehicle. Except for the treads, engine/outdrive and some metal work, the amphib is entirely his creation, fabricated in his garage.
"I've got all the welding equipment and the presses to build this thing," he said.
But why would someone spend more than $70,000 and countless hours to build something like this? Duck hunting, for one.
Hewitt wanted an amphibious vehicle to access areas such as the mud flats near Wrangell that have prime duck habitat. He's also got property on Gravina Island that's basically inaccessible when the tide is down.
And, he simply enjoys making mechanical things.
Hewitt has a background that includes work as a mechanic in the Air Force and ownership of the Fireside Restaurant in Ketchikan. He's also a pilot and once operated an air-taxi service.
This is his second attempt at building an amphibious vehicle. His first was about 20 years ago, when he constructed a wheeled vehicle that went about 7 mph in the water.
He took it to Wrangell, but it wasn't fast enough to navigate well in river currents.
At a boat speed of 7 mph, "you're not going anywhere," he said. "You may be backing up."
Hewitt started thinking seriously about amphibious vehicles again when he traveled through Florida and Louisiana in 2002.
"Louisiana's got water everywhere," he said.
He began to research existing designs when he returned to Ketchikan.
"So many have been tried, and so many of them are failures," Hewitt said.
The main failure had been performance in water. The key is improving speed. And while speed was important, Hewitt also wanted a vehicle that could go just about anywhere on land.
"All I'm doing in the water is getting from this piece of land to that piece of land," he said. "This is 80 percent land vehicle and 20 percent boat."
A tracked vehicle solved the land side of the equation. An advantage tracks have over wheels is that they spread the vehicle's weight over a larger surface area, improving traction and reducing the vehicle's impact.
On Nov. 9, Hewitt powered it up for a spin in a calm Tongass Narrows.
"The thing went over 30 mph in the water, which was all I wanted it to do," Hewitt said. "I'd said if it would do 20, I'd be tickled to death, but it did 30. It felt like just as nice a boat as you were ever in."
