The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Is this the Fanciest (And Most Expensive) Pedal Boat Ever?

By Chase McPeak August 12, 2018

Beau Lake

We love a regular old pedal boat as much as the next guy, but this super-luxurious version by Beau Lake has got us thinking it’s about time to take out a loan so we can hit the local lakes in this bad boy.

But why would we need a loan? Aren’t pedal-boats pretty cheap you might ask? Most run around $500 these days, but unfortunately you’ll have to shell out a little more dough than that if you’re looking to putter around your local lake using only your legs since this little dinghy retails for, brace yourself, $20,000. Which, we’ll admit, is pretty insane. But, damn, look at this beauty.

1 of 2

beau lake pedal boat 3 — Beau Lake

beau lake pedal boat 2 — Beau Lake

The Beau Lake Runabout combines the classic design and styling of traditional wooden boats and yachts with eco-friendly (and old-school) pedal-powered propulsion. Composed of three main components, the molded fiberglass hull, cockpit liner, and inlaid, mahogany veneer deck, the Runabout also features an ergonomically designed tiller (hand-carved, of course) with a joystick steering component to make holding course as easy as a finger waggle.

Intended for slow cruises at sunset and sunrise and general low-key lake and slow-moving river/creek exploration, the Runabout features comfortable seating with in-inch thick leather covers that can be snapped off for easy storage, along with a compartmentalized cooler that’s been designed to fit within the sleek contours of the boat.

Great for short fishing trips with kids or grandparents or simply “messing about,” the Runabout is the perfect addition to a boat house that already features a full-sized vessel.

And now that you’ve got the boat, it’s time to figure out what to wear when you’re sailing, or in this case, pedaling it.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Auto

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chase McPeak is the former Lifestyle Editor. Chase regularly appeared on Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast where…

Outdoors

Oru’s Origami-Inspired Inlet Kayak Will Be the World’s Most Portable Watercraft

oru portable inlet kayak 2

Most avid outdoorsmen would agree that kayaking is awesome. Storing and transporting all the necessary gear isn’t. Finding a closet or crawlspace to hide a 12-foot or longer watercraft is frustrating, particularly for anyone living in an apartment. Using classic origami techniques, Oru Kayak resolved those problems and built the world’s most portable kayak in the process.

Oru Kayak Inlet: the Most Portable Origami Kayak Ever.

Outdoors

This 3-Pound Rapid Raft Is the World’s Lightest, Most Packable Raft

Uncharted Supply Rapid Raft

If Into the Wild taught us anything, it’s that toxic wild edibles can look suspiciously like non-toxic wild edibles. If it taught us another thing, however, it’s that a surprise river crossing can ruin your day. Whether you like your outdoor adventure on the extreme side or just prefer to be prepared with a bug-out bag to survive the apocalypse, having an ultra-portable emergency raft in your arsenal is never a bad idea.

Uncharted Supply touts its clever new Rapid Raft as “the lightest and most packable raft to ever be made available to the public.” While Guinness doesn’t keep official records of such things, we’re inclined to believe them. At just three pounds, the raft can be thrown into a survival bag or the trunk of a car and forgotten about until it’s needed. Once deflated, it compresses to a 5-inch by 15-inch footprint -- roughly the size of a loaf of bread.

Outdoors

This rooftop tent kit will turn your van into a pop-top camper for about $12K

Transform your two-person rig into a legit, four-person, family-friendly chariot

Camper van outfitted with Super Pacific's CloudCap pop-up roof tent parked among a stand of trees.

Van life usually means sacrificing comfort and living space for maximum portability. There's no denying that it's tight packing most of the amenities of home into the back of a hollowed-out work van. So, anything you can do to make the space feel a little roomier feels like a luxury. Super Pacific's clever CloudCap does just that by converting the unused space on your camper van's roof into a legit two-person "bedroom" with a view.
The details on Super Pacific's CloudCap pop-up rooftop tent for camper vans

Super Pacific bills the as "a private bunk house for the kids, a guest room for friends, or a panoramic Crow's Nest for you." Bottom line: It expands the living space of many two-person camper vans into four-person road-trip wagons. The simple kit includes the rooftop tent itself, plus all the instructions and mounting hardware you need to install it on the most popular Mercedes-Benz and Ford Transit vans on the road.