A demonstration of the capabilities of the "Sever 650K" amphibious aeroboat took place on the Moscow Canal in the Moscow region this week. Our correspondent was invited to test the capabilities of special equipment from the Krasnoyarsk Amphibious Plant (KAZ) "Sever" among seven other lucky ones. We share our impressions.
KAZ "Sever" is the leading manufacturer of aeroboats in Russia, assembling its machines at the Krasnoyarsk Amphibious Plant. From there, the company's equipment is actively supplied and used throughout Russia in the organization of passenger transportation, in oil and gas production, in rescue operations, geological exploration expeditions, and environmental protection measures. In addition to the plant in Krasnoyarsk, "Sever" has branches in Moscow and Irkutsk.
The model we were invited to test drive, the "Sever 650K" aeroboat, has a capacity of up to 8 people and a carrying capacity of up to 1500 kg.
At first glance, it is a serious machine. All-welded aluminum hull, engine on a longitudinal-transverse frame, additional air cushion made of high-strength polyurethane fabric, all-welded aluminum protection of the propeller, the propeller itself, vertical control keels, and a bottom protection kit. But we were interested in another point. How warm will it be inside?
It is no coincidence that the boat was developed by a plant with the name "Sever" (North) - they did not let us freeze inside. They know how to warm up in the north. The boat received two heating systems at once: two liquid and one autonomous heater. The front and door windows, and even the side sliding ones, did not allow cold air to penetrate inside. We drove with a breeze, but did not feel the wind.
The inflatable part of the boat consists of several cylinders, so it is quite difficult to puncture the boat. In the event of an accident, it will always reach its destination or return back, because you have to try very hard to puncture all sections at once. The cylinders are tied directly to the all-welded aluminum frame, so the body is very rigid and holds the load very well. Other manufacturers have a frame consisting of several segments.
The founder of the company initially looked for a boat of this format for his own purposes, but did not find anything suitable on the market. As a result, he built it for himself, then for his friends, and then production entered the wider market.
The "Sever 650K" model is completely built on a domestic component base, but there was no domestic engine for the boat - its heart is a Chevrolet LS-3 gasoline engine, which was officially brought to Russia with the payment of all duties and taxes. It can be heard a mile away.
The interior of the boat, in which we managed to ride, is glued with double sound insulation and finished with carpet, but we were assured that at the request of the customer, the interior can be made of wood or leather. Up to 8-10 people can easily be accommodated in the aeroboat cabin, there were seven of us, I repeat, together with the captain, and we were not cramped. If desired, the seats are transformed into sleeping places, but we did not manage to test how comfortable it was to sleep in it in practice. Our correspondent is usually motion sick on water transport, but this did not happen in the "Sever 650K". The amphibious boat drifted on turns, and the impressions remained for a long time.
The boat is specially designed to effectively overcome any type of surface: the Klyazma itself was already covered with ice at this time, and even winter fishing enthusiasts were found here and there. But still in some places it was possible to find unfrozen areas. The transition from changing the surface was not very noticeable, the boat has good shock absorption.
The interface of the dashboard is intuitive and easy to use. In front of the captain of the boat is a control panel on which the steering column, steering wheel, ignition lock, throttle control handle (gas), heater switch, headlight switch, navigation light switch, wiper switch, emergency ignition switch button with a pin, automatic circuit breaker buttons for the engine "mass" with an indicator and a cigarette lighter are located.
Other characteristics of the "Sever-650K" aeroboat:
- Cargo area — 1.9 / 1.7 m
- Dimensions — 7.77 / 2.85 / 2.60 m
- Transport dimensions — 7.38 / 2.20 / 2.60 m
- Power — 430 hp
- Engine capacity — 6200 cm³
- Fuel consumption — 25-70 l/h
- Fuel tank — 420 liters (enough for about 500 km, depending on the operating surface)
- Speed on water — up to 100 km/h
- Speed on ice — up to 120 km/h
Despite the declared design speed, a record was set at the Baikal Mile in 2022 - 178 km/h. The boat has a warranty of 1 year or 100 engine hours, depending on what comes earlier.
At the beginning of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin set the task of ensuring the supply of vessels necessary for the implementation of passenger and cargo transportation through the Anadyr Estuary in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The importance of transportation was explained by the fact that the capital of Chukotka, the city of Anadyr, is located on one bank, and the international airport of Anadyr (Ugolny) and the village of Ugolnye Kopi are located on the other.
In the autumn, the Ministry of Industry and Trade purchased 5 aeroboats from "Sever" - four "Sever 750K Long" airboats and 1 "Phantom 850A", which were built in the shortest possible time. Thanks to the boats, passengers will now be able to comfortably and quickly cross the Estuary.
In the future, KAZ "Sever" plans to develop a line of hovercraft (air cushion vehicles), the first such boat has already been tested on Lake Baikal and will transport tourists along it.
