Photo: Alex Vickroy Company
It's hard to get into the recreational adventure vehicle game without looking like a big show-off with too much time and money on their hands. If you're class conscious but have some cash to burn on a toy, you can own something a heck of a lot more dignified and unintimidating than a speed boat or a yacht.
You could even buy something that's just as at home in the air as it is on the water. Say hello to this beautiful 1954 Beechcraft Model 18 twin-engined floatplane conversion. For those not in the know, the Model 18's been flying since the late 1930s. It originally had used in the Armed Forces of the British, Canadians, and Americans. Some even came equipped with M1919 .30 caliber machine guns as armament.
But the Model 18 had a second renaissance after the war. Some 9,000 have been built and are just as important to the twin-engined private market as the Cessna 172 is for single-engined private planes. This mid-1950s example was spawned from this historical design, well after its days serving in the armed forces. This example underwent a conversion into a floatplane with twin landing pontoons in 1972. It's called lakes and rivers across America home ever since.
Under the proverbial hood of most standard-issue Model, 18 Beehchcrafts were twin Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp engines rated at 450 horsepower each in their standard configuration, with LH engine 297 SMOH and RH engine 801 SMOH (Since Major Overhaul). Similar to those found in other famous planes of the era, including the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Vought OS2U Kingfisher, and the Grumman G-21 Goose. The paint was refurbished in 2005, as was the interior. An assortment of modern avionics, communication, and navigation equipment makes for a package just as capable as it is classic to behold.
It can be all yours via the Alex Vickroy Company based out of Duluth, Minnesota, for the price of $699,000 before taxes and fees. That may sound like a lot, but they do sell speedboats with added champagne flutes and rare earth construction materials to justify its bonkers price. At least this Beechcraft can fly away from other smug marina goers for some peace and quiet. Oh, and the 1974 Chevy Truck in one of the photos is inluded in the price of the plane, as if you needed any convinving.
But the Model 18 had a second renaissance after the war. Some 9,000 have been built and are just as important to the twin-engined private market as the Cessna 172 is for single-engined private planes. This mid-1950s example was spawned from this historical design, well after its days serving in the armed forces. This example underwent a conversion into a floatplane with twin landing pontoons in 1972. It's called lakes and rivers across America home ever since.
Under the proverbial hood of most standard-issue Model, 18 Beehchcrafts were twin Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp engines rated at 450 horsepower each in their standard configuration, with LH engine 297 SMOH and RH engine 801 SMOH (Since Major Overhaul). Similar to those found in other famous planes of the era, including the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Vought OS2U Kingfisher, and the Grumman G-21 Goose. The paint was refurbished in 2005, as was the interior. An assortment of modern avionics, communication, and navigation equipment makes for a package just as capable as it is classic to behold.
It can be all yours via the Alex Vickroy Company based out of Duluth, Minnesota, for the price of $699,000 before taxes and fees. That may sound like a lot, but they do sell speedboats with added champagne flutes and rare earth construction materials to justify its bonkers price. At least this Beechcraft can fly away from other smug marina goers for some peace and quiet. Oh, and the 1974 Chevy Truck in one of the photos is inluded in the price of the plane, as if you needed any convinving.
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