I saw this thing floating around the city last week
Bay Quackers – San Francisco Duck Tours — San Francisco is developing some of the most unusual touring gimmicks. I’ve previously mentioned the Segway tour, now this. It’s a real amphibian and they take you around town then into the Bay!
Your tour begins as you board one of our “Duck” (DUKW), an original, refurbished World War II Amphibious landing craft.
Over the next 90-minutes, your Captain will take you on a wacky journey through the neighborhoods of San Francisco – Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, North Beach, South Beach, Union Square, Soma, China Basin, etc.
Just when you thought the best was over, your Captain will drive you out of San Francisco and into the San Francisco Bay for a cruise into Alameda County. Get your camera ready as you catch a spectacular view of the city skyline and Bay Bridge from the water!
We promise lots of fun and laughs for the whole family.
Not a new idea… Boston’s had Duck Tours since 1994, and even they didn’t invent the idea.
http://www.bostonducktours.com/
I’ve seen thes running around Seattle as well… interesting concept.
Boston’s been doing this for years, and they’re usually sold out days ahead of time.
its been around for a while in D.C.
I guess someone decided to bring it to the Bay Area
I went on one in Boston some years ago, enjoyed it!
Here’s a link to a brief history of the DUKW http://www.justduckytours.com/history.html
We had some bad flooding last September, but they were not used. These things would be great for search and rescue operations.
Here is one that is a bus http://www.buyaduck.com/images/hybridnew.jpg
Not to pile on, but — I saw one in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, also.
Yawn. SF isn’t even ahead of Albany, NY one this one!
http://www.albanyaquaducks.com/
JoAnn
This has been one of the main gimicks in Wisconsin Dells for decades. People from Chicago come and drop money for half an hour bouncing around in one of these things all summer long.
OK OK OK..I get it. This is hardly a new idea.
Not only have we had this in Ottawa Ontario, but a few years back one of the craft managed to sink and kill a bunch of people because they couldn’t get out in time…lovely.
They have these in Washington DC too – it’s really startling to see one of these sail up to the shore and then abruptly drive up onto the land.
It may not be a new idea, but it is a great concept for San Francisco!
Do you know that the Boston Duck Tours is the NUMBER ONE Tourist Attraction in the State of Massahusetts? And they operate over 25 of these Ducks … usually sold out a few days in advance.
All I can say is … it is about time San Francisco has a DUCK TOUR of its own. I won’t be surprised if they become a great success….. so far, some of the feedback I have heard from their customers have been excellent.
I heard the Captain has a third nipple.
I’ll QUACK to that !
Just a brief list of DUKW”s I’ve been on, Seattle, Portland, D.C., Galvaston Tx., Wisconson Dells, Everglades Swamp Tour, London England..plus a private one in College Station TX and the one I keep in repair for the Admiram Nimitz Museum in Fredricksburg tx. Is a shame to see them cut up and changed from their military configuration, the Coast Guard requires it…but any DUKW is better than no DUKW at all
For your information, the DUKW used by the San Francisco Duck Tour is in its original military configuration. Unlike the DUKWs used in Seattle and other cities, the DUKWs have not been cut up, and elongated.