Captain Bob Montuoro and Dr. Ferdinand Becker are seated on the newest addition to Airboat Adventure Tours. Theater-style seating provides better sight lines for viewing the abundance of wildlife found at Lake Garcia. A local facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Becker takes a tour of the marsh to pursue his avocation of outdoor photography.
With his airboat powered by a 496-horsepower Chevy engine, Robert Montuoro drives his passengers out of the water and right up onto the grassy bank at the Blue Cypress Recreation Area. Normally, this maneuver would ruin the hull and tear up the motor. But that’s the beauty of riding around in an airboat. With a Teflon-like bottom, these versatile craft can sail across deep waters, skim through the shallows and even drive right up over a canal bank.
At a county-maintained boat launch seven miles west of the Vero Outlets off State Road 60 and just a mile north on County Road 512, Montuoro — also known as “Captain Bob” — spends his days off taking customers on a spectacular airboat ride into the wilds of western Indian River County.
His boat takes you by surprise when you greet him at the boat ramp. It doesn’t look anything like the typical silver and gray airboats you see cruising the swamps on television. Montuoro’s custom-built 18-foot, yellow and blue boat looks more like a comfortable water taxi.
Read the entire article in the April 2005 issue
True Tails is a series written by Amy Robinson for Vero Beach’s dog lovers. Ask Amy about your dog’s behavior by clicking below.
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