Yacht owners often carry onboard exclusive water toys that enhance and improve their vacations with lots of fun options. But if you are a true adventurer and explorer, you’ll need a vehicle that will allow you to maneuver and cover your land transportation needs in remote, exotic, and harsh destinations. Such is the case of amphibious ATVs, personal submarines, and sports cars specially designed to be carried in the hulls and garages of superyachts. But none of them offers the extreme the off-road capabilities of the dynamic Sherp ATV.
Sherp was introduced by designer Aleksei Garagashian with the goal of creating a vehicle that would be able to ride through the most challenging environments on the planet while—at the same time—offering easy handling, buoyancy, significant autonomy, and the ability to climb over obstacles up to 2,5 feet tall. The result is a surprisingly effective ATV.
Soft, powdery snow is no obstacle for the Sherp.
Garagashian devised a light vehicle—it only weighs 1,300 kilos (2,870 lbs)—that moves on four giant wheels of variable pressure, capable of overcoming almost any obstacle it might find on its way. The Sherp also provides buoyancy and navigation capability with a maximum speed of 3 knots per hour, making it the most complete amphibious off-road vehicle in the market.
The impressive wheels, 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) high, have a pressure control system that modifies the level of inflation according to the particular needs of the terrain. In fact, it is the low tire pressure and deformation capacity that allows the Sherp to overcome and climb obstacles in the terrain without any problem.
Despite its robust and imposing appearance, the Sherp has a small turbo diesel engine from Kubota— only 1.5 liters and 44 horsepower—which, combined with a 5-speed manual gearbox, can reach a maximum speed of 45 km/h (27 mph) but has enough thrust to drive on any surface, which comes in handy when you are exploring areas of difficult access.
Sherp’s variable pressure tires allow the vehicle to ride on all kinds of terrains.
Another interesting aspect of this state of the arts ATV is that each wheel has an independent traction system and can turn on its own length—which optimizes the traction—distributing independent power to each wheel, according to on the needs of the moment.
With room for six passengers in its closed version and a load capacity of up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds), the interior of the Sherp is not fancy or luxurious, but rather typical of an industrial machine that gets the job done with a great deal of efficiency and ease. However, seeing it move through swamps, snow, ice, sand, or driving through impassable fields and navigating waters at any depth, will help us to better understand its extraordinary capabilities.
With a base price of $65,000, Sherp seems to be the perfect vehicle for adventure travelers who like to explore difficult paths, those who still want to go where very few people have been. If you have a truly adventurous spirit and want to see the most remote corners of the world from your megayacht, the Sherp ATV is undoubtedly a must-have addition to your expedition aboard your luxury megayacht. ■
