Fully-equipped overland rigs will get you past all manners of earthen obstacle to beautiful, rarely-seen patches of terra firma, but any large body of water will stop them dead in their tracks. On the other hand, the water’s edge is where the fun gets started for the StabiX 250, an amphibian purpose-built for plunging forward on land-sea adventures and turning unpeopled islands into private base camps. Part boat, part all-terrain terrestrial rover and part camper, the innovative 250 supports adventures like few to no other vessels ever conceived. Off-roading becomes off-landing, and overlanding turns over-watering.
For a short minute, we thought the all-new Storyteller Grand Bohemian might be the ultimate ticket to mind-expanding extended adventure, our heads heavy with visions of exploring the trackless points beyond already-remote destinations. But a mere day later, we stumbled on the StabiX 250, and the Grand Bohemian vanished in a poof, replaced with daydreams about even more ambitious trips requiring passage over land and water. The vessel’s all-out boat hull-based design opens up unique land-and-sea expedition possibilities you wouldn’t dream of doing with other boats or amphibious machines.
In fact, when it comes to amphibious RVs, the trailer – or trailerable boat – tends to be the de facto format. Actual propulsive power on land relies entirely on a tow vehicle that stays behind on shore when the rig sets sail on the water. We have seen a couple impressive full-size amphibious motorhomes, but while proficient at road travel, rigs like the CAMI Terra Wind are big, heavy boxes lucky to thrash slowly and clumsily through the water.
StabiX builds a different beast: a proper boat with sleek, integrated all-terrain wheel system akin to a vessel from Sealegs. Each 250 is prepared as a versatile multipurpose vessel that can spec up into the ultimate land/water adventure camper for exploring coastlines and islands that can’t be accessed via conventional land routes. It opens up a whole new world of adventure travel and private, pristine camping.
StabiX spun off from Stabicraft, a more conventional, 35-year-old New Zealand boat builder, in 2021. Stabicraft cofounder and chief Paul Adams was feeling a bit confined by his desk job and yearned to get back in the design room and on the water. And what could possibly be more freeing than developing an entire lineup of innovative amphibious crafts?
Adams had some experience with amphibian development before founding StabiX. In 2014, Stabicraft had worked with Sealegs in developing an amphibious version of its 2100 Supercab. “More of that” was the order of the day when it came to getting StabiX up and running.
StabiX
The brand launched its first product, the 24-foot (7.3-m) amphibious 240UCC in 2021, and followed up with the 25-foot (7.6-m) 250UC (Ultracab) in 2023. Beyond being a foot longer than the 240, the 250UC brought in a wider cabin and a more versatile, multipurpose platform designed specifically so buyers could personalize it into their ultimate amphibious adventure machine, whether a pleasure cruiser, serious fishing boat or multi-day expedition camper.
A year later, StabiX added the 250SC (Supercab), identical to the UC except for having a raked-back windscreen in place of the forward-tilted screen on the UC. It developed that model in response to customer feedback requesting a swept-back cabin option, and the new profile definitely seems more laid back and recreational to us.
StabiX
Beyond the different angles of the windscreen and resulting cabin shapes, the 250UC and 250SC feature the same hull and available layouts and options in a roomy cabin that stretches across the 2.6-m (8.5-foot) beam. They come standard with a 300-hp Mercury or Yamaha outboard and 300-L fuel tank. Each one can carry five to seven passengers.
From that standard spec, the fun really begins, and StabiX offers a tall spec sheet filled with equipment that can upgrade each 250 into your personal weekend thrill machine. We discovered it as a camping vehicle, and it’s easy to spec into a very familiar-looking RV layout with convertible vis-a-vis dinette, galley block with dual-burner diesel cooktop, 30-L Dometic drawer fridge and electric toilet. StabiX says it can sleep three to four adults on a combination of the convertible V berth in the bow and converted seating.
StabiX
Buyers can also decide how they want to close off the cabin from the elements, adding in a complete hard wall with glass door toward the stern or a deployable tent-style canvas wall. StabiX can also extend the roof farther back to offer more interior space and add diesel heating for all-season use.
With a fully equipped camper package, StabiX 250 owners can enjoy nights of camping on the water, on the beach, and perhaps even away from the beach if the terrain cooperates in deeper roaming. They can then launch multi-activity adventures, exploring rarely seen, water access-only wilderness areas for hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing and other activities. They can sunbathe on empty, isolated beaches, surf private breaks and fish shallow rocky waters miles and miles away from the parking lot crowds and boat swarms.
On land, the 250 crafts rely on an S25 all-wheel-drive system from New Zealand amphibious drive specialist Anura. The drive uses a small 40-hp Briggs & Stratton V-twin motor to power the four 26-in tires secured to articulating legs that lift up when the vessel hits the water. Control comes by way of a drive-by-wire system at the helm.
StabiX
In case it wasn’t already obvious by the vessel’s boat-on-tiny-wheels form, the Anura system’s 5.6 mph (9-km/h) top speed limits where 250 owners will be able to drive it. It’s really designed for driving over one’s property, and perhaps down private or local access roads to the beach and into the water. Specific regulations will vary by jurisdiction, but long-distance highway travel will still require a trailer. However, the ability to launch and land the boat quickly and seamlessly without a dock, launch ramp or trailer promises to make that wheel system a prized feature.
StabiX does not list top water speeds, but CEO Paul Adams mentioned a top speed in the low 40s (mph, mid-80s km/h) when discussing the 240 at a trade show a couple years ago. That affirms it’s in a different class than a large, lumbering amphibious motorhome while offering easier launching/landing compared to non-amphibious boats.
The 250 series starts right around NZ$467,500 (approx. US$273,000). StabiX was kind enough to supply us with a full options spreadsheet that we used to quickly calculate the base price of a fully outfitted camper model. We started with the 250SC and added in the galley, refrigerator, toilet, diesel heater, extended roof, canvas wall, roof vents, and even a Rhino roof rack to make it look like a proper waterborne overlander. That pushed the price up just under NZ$525,000 ($306,550). Swapping in the rear wall with glass door for the canvas wall adds another NZ$10K ($5,850).
StabiX
Beyond those camper specs, StabiX offers numerous other options, including navigation electronics, angling hardware, solar panels, and outboard and cockpit control upgrades. It also offers various paint schemes, upholstery choices, stitching and more. And if you don’t see it on the spec sheet, StabiX invites you to ask.
StabiX designs, manufactures and sells all its vessels directly from its factory in Invercargill, New Zealand, producing about 25 models annually. It does not have an international dealership network but does sell to customers around the world, including in the United States.
At over 8 minutes, the video clip below is a little long, but it does a better job showing what the StabiX 250 experience is all about than we could do by writing a series of novels on the topic, and the incredibly gorgeous Lake Manapouri and Fjordlands National Park serve as the ultimate backdrop. “We have never, ever shared a beach with anybody else,” teases Owen Springford, one of two happy customers featured in the video.
StabiX 250UC – Built for Overnight Adventures
Source: Stabix