A demonstration of the new Sea Scooter here in Amesbury in June, 1922, brought crowds to the ferry landing (now the site of the Marina at Amesbury Point) to witness the unusual watercraft being launched and tested. Built in Amesbury by the Amesbury Auto Co. for a Boston company, the Scooter resembled today’s air boats or swamp boats. A four-cylinder gasoline engine and airplane propeller, mounted high on the back, pushed the “scooter” forward at speeds up to 35 miles per hour.

The boat was built in Mill 10, in the heart of industrial Amesbury. That mill was demolished years ago and stood at the site of the amphitheater in today’s Upper Millyard.

The scooter’s appearance must have caused quite a stir as it was transported from the Millyard along Main Street to the edge of the river. When it finally arrived at the river, reported The Amesbury Daily News on June 17, 1922, “a huge crowd” had gathered, and “it was with difficulty that the ground was cleared of the people in order that the boat could be launched.” The launching was also greeted by “large fleet of curious river navigators in all kinds of Merrimack river craft.”

No wonder there was so much excitement. Few had ever seen such a watercraft -- it looked like a speed boat atop two steel pontoons, with the engine and propeller up even higher. Seeing it on its test run from the ferry landing to the Chain Bridge and back would have been something to remember.

But as unusual as the craft seemed for its day, said the news report, it had borrowed an ancient twin-hull catamaran design “dating to the boats of the far east that made wonderful trips on rough seas propelled by sails and paddles.” And the 35 mile-per-hour top speed was only a temporary limit, said the report. Its speed was capable of being increased “almost indefinitely” with “some changes.” What’s more, the 20-foot boat could navigate in only 4 inches of water, allowing travel across shallows and marshes just easily as today’s air boats zoom across the Florida Everglades.

And there was more than just excitement about new technology. Hopes were high that this was a new growth industry for Amesbury, one that was “well adapted to the skill of our workmen.” This model was only the first of ten to be built in Amesbury.

Unfortunately, no records of how many were actually built and sold have been found, but the company seemed to allocate a significant budget to hiring talented advertising writers of the day. A July 10, 1922, advertisement in Motor Boat magazine gushes about “A Radically New Design in Which Power Finds Its Highest Expression and Speed Its Fullest Development.” Ads also described the Scooter as the “acme of safety.” Capsizing or sinking was impossible, and “the whole boat is fireproof.”

Even winter weather couldn’t dampen the ad writers’ enthusiasm. A December advertisement in Motor Boat explains how to enjoy your Sea Scooter in winter: simply disassemble and ship it to “Palm Beach or other Southern waters.” The Sea Scooter was also ideal transportation for duck hunting, or so claims the advertisement.

The price, not including shipping from Amesbury, was $1,495 -- about $27,000 in 2022 dollars.

To those of us who take pride in Amesbury’s history, the Sea Scooter is more than just a curiosity. It’s also a tribute to the skill and ingenuity of Amesbury’s craftsmen and their ability to produce quality products, no matter how novel and unusual.

Read more: “Sea Scooter in the Media”

Wouldn’t it be exciting to learn more about this invention? Was it successful? How many were built? Do any still exist? If you have any information about the Sea Scooter or its manufacture in Amesbury, please contact ACM.