Ocean Craft Marine brand ambassador partnership with boat enthusiasts, Ted Widen and Mark Kaplan

Ocean Craft Marine's Amphibious Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats © Ocean Craft Marine

Ocean Craft Marine, the manufacturer of AMP, a world-class line of purpose-built Amphibious Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), today announces a brand ambassador partnership with local Chicago-area boat enthusiasts, Ted Widen and Mark Kaplan. Widen and Kaplan will represent Ocean Craft Marine in the Great Lakes region to increase brand awareness and provide sales and marketing of the AMP RHIBs to prospective customers in the Midwest.

"With a passion for the boating lifestyle, both Ted and Mark are the perfect ambassadors for the Ocean Craft Marine brand and our Amphibious RHIBs, and the Great Lakes region is the perfect area for our AMP product as dock space and safe harbors are so limited. We are excited about our new brand ambassador program and look forward to working with them closely to help recreational boaters in the Midwest successfully accomplish their individual boating missions," said Jo Stapleton, Director of Sales and Marketing for the Americas Region, Ocean Craft Marine.

The AMP is a high-performance Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) with a one-of-a-kind four-wheel drive amphibious wheel system allowing the boat to be driven out of the water and onto the beach of lake front homes or onto a trailer. The boat's patented deep V hull with reverse U chines assures the ride on water is dry, stable, safe and fast, capable of reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour on the water. The AMP's BAS-100 Amphibious wheel system is holistically integrated into the boat, is comprised of 4 independently motorized wheels powered by an independent 40 horse-power Briggs and Stratton engine, and offers fly-by-wire control to raise and lower the aircraft-grade marinized aluminum wheel legs and power the vessel forward and reverse on land. A single steering wheel offers power steering of the front wheels in addition to the propulsion engines, making the boat easy to use, while its automatic electronic braking system makes traversing on land safe.

The AMP is available in three sizes: 7.1M (23ft), 8.4M (28ft) and 9.8M (32ft). Topside layouts are available in multiple configurations.

With a vast knowledge of the Chicago area, Widen is a top performing real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services of Chicago. His career has revolved around knowing the Chicago Scene and every aspect of all the city's neighborhoods. In 1998, Widen launched ChicagoScene.com as one of the first local online entertainment and social website in the country. In 2001, he unveiled the very popular Chicago Scene Magazine. For over 20 years, Widen has been producing events including the New Year's Eve Party at The Drake Hotel & The Chicago Scene Boat Party. He founded Chicago Scene Boat Party in 2000, the most talked-about Power boating event of the summer in Chicago. Each year hundreds of boats participate with over 10,000 attendees.

"We see the AMP not just a cool toy, but as a real solution for Lake Michigan boaters frustrated by the lack of protected inlets and marinas in the area," said Widen. "Plus, Ocean Craft Marine is a great manufacturer who stands behind their product with a real dedication to customer support."

Kaplan is a successful entrepreneur with real estate, development and investment knowledge. He currently works as a Realtor and Developer with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago. Kaplan helped start the Chicago Scene Boat Party in 2000. Kaplan started Chicago Sailboat & Yacht Charters, which provides guests with exclusive and luxury boating experiences on Lake Michigan.

In addition, Ocean Craft Marine will be the Presenting Sponsor of the celebrated Chicago Scene Boat Party being held on August 6, 2022. The event is celebrating its 22nd anniversary. The Boat Party has become one of the largest and most attended boating events on Lake Michigan.

For additional information on Ocean Craft Marine, visit oceancraftmarine.com. Stay connected with Ocean Craft Marine on Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.