LR9 Safari
A river and lake boat
A shallow-draft, high-capacity, fast boat for tours.
Available in and
Some of these are design renders, not photographs.
- Passengers
- 12 or 20
- Length overall
- 9 m29.5 ft8.97 m29.4 ft
- Beam
- 2.8 m9.2 ft2.81 m9.2 ft
- Draft
- 0.35 m1.1 ft0.33 m1.1 ft
- Top speed
- 40 kn
The LR9 Safari is a shallow-draft river and lake boat, built for safari tours, passenger rides, water taxi routes and sightseeing charters on shallow, sheltered water. All twenty passengers sit forward of the helm, open to the water and the run of the boat, while the two crew work from behind with a clear view of both the passengers and the route ahead.
The draft is around 0.35 m, so it reaches shallows and shorelines that larger passenger boats cannot. It also fits on a trailer, which makes it easy to move by road between waterways.
Engine options
Outboards from Suzuki, Mercury and Yamaha, 200 hp to 400 hp, with the same measured speeds across the three brands. A single 300 hp outboard suits most routes. Twin motors are worth it where redundancy and top-end thrust matter more than running cost.
The boat can also be delivered without engines, rigged and ready for installation. Your own local dealer fits the motors of your choice and becomes your first call on engine warranty and service, which is worth having close to home.
| Power | Speed |
|---|---|
| 200 hp | 32 knots |
| 300 hp | 38 knots |
| 400 hp | 40 knots |
Waterjet and inboard diesel (Yanmar) are available on request on the aluminium hull. Ask us before specifying either on the HDPE hull.
What operators use it for
Water taxi work, adventure and safari tourism, dive excursions, and light cargo duties. See the boats we have delivered and what each operator runs.
Specifications
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length overall | Aluminium9 m29.5 ftHDPE8.97 m29.4 ft |
| Beam | Aluminium2.8 m9.2 ftHDPE2.81 m9.2 ft |
| Draft | Aluminium0.35 m1.1 ftHDPE0.33 m1.1 ft |
| Displacement, light (hull only, no engine) | Aluminium2,700 kg5,952 lbHDPE1,560 kg3,439 lb |
| Payload | 2,000 kg4,409 lb |
| Max weight, loaded | Aluminium4,700 kg10,362 lbHDPE3,560 kg7,848 lb |
| Hull material | AluminiumAluminiumHDPEHDPE |
| Capacity | |
| Passengers | 12 or 20 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Maximum persons on board | 22 |
| Trailer transportable | Yes |
| Propulsion | |
| Engine options | AluminiumOutboard (Suzuki, Mercury, Yamaha), 200 to 400 hp, twin recommended. Waterjet or inboard (Yanmar) on request.HDPEOutboard (Suzuki, Mercury, Yamaha), 200 to 400 hp, twin 150 hp recommended |
| Fuel capacity | 400 l106 US gal |
| Maximum speed | 40 kn |
| Certification | |
| CE design category | C |
On the water
See it running
Boats already working
Three LR9 Safaris have been delivered and are carrying passengers. Two went to a tour operator in northern Albania, and one runs a children's programme on the river Main in Frankfurt.
The LR9 Safari, in aluminium or HDPE
All our boats are offered in aluminium or HDPE. Aluminium is the material a working boat is normally built from, and nobody has to be talked into it. HDPE is the more affordable alternative, and it brings a longer list of benefits of its own. Both are built with experienced partners in Estonian shipbuilding, an industry with a long history here.
Aluminium
- Built to the CE standard and assessed by IMCI, an independent notified body.
- Durable.
- Minimal maintenance. Anodes in salt water, and the usual engine service.
- Traditional workboat material with known qualities.
HDPE
- Naturally buoyant, which counts when you are carrying passengers.
- Does not corrode. No anodes, no cathodic protection, no antifouling in fresh water.
- No paint to keep up, because the colour is the material itself, UV stable right through.
- Flexes on impact and returns to shape, dock after dock.
- Quiet, as it damps vibration.
- Craftsmanship makes an HDPE boat look unexpectedly good.
- Recyclable at the end of its life, so the hull goes back into use instead of into waste.
The LR9 Safari, at twelve or twenty
Every boat is delivered CE marked, and documented for either twelve or twenty passengers depending on what your country's rules allow. It is the same hull and the same build either way. Only the paperwork changes.
We have already read the rules in 31 countries. Tell us where you will operate and we will tell you which set of papers you need.
Ask about your countryWhat's included
Fitted to every LR9 Safari at the base price.
Options and configuration
Specified at order and quoted separately. This is not the whole list, so ask us about anything you need that is not on it.
The full record
