Beach Powered Mobility Beach Cruiser Review 2023

Do you love the beach? 

Have you been missing because you’re just not able to get around like you used to?  

If you answered yes to either (or both!) of those questions, then this review is going to make you smile.

In the sections that follow, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at the Beach Powered Mobility Beach Cruiser.  Unless you live in northern Florida, we’d be surprised if you’ve ever heard of them. 

About Beach Powered Mobility 

They hand-build their own line of manual and powered beach wheelchairs, renting them to people vacationing at Florida beaches, and their products are so good and so beloved by those who have used them that they’ve also begun making and selling them to individual buyers.

Note that these are not mass-produced vehicles pulled off of an assembly line.  Each one is hand built for every owner, and as such, while all Beach Cruisers have a few things in common, each also reflects the tastes, preferences, and needs of the people who order them.

Not everyone likes buying handcrafted equipment.  For one reason, these sometimes lack that “polished” look you get when you purchase something mass-produced.  Machines that are built by hand tend to have a homespun look and feel.

That’s not the case here.  In fact, unless you explicitly tell someone you had your ride hand-built, few people would be able to tell!

In short, these are very good machines.  So good, in fact, that the Beach Cruiser placed a respectable 3rd place finish in our recent roundup review of the best powered beach wheelchairs on the market today.

Even if you ultimately decide to go with another brand or model, we think you’ll agree – it’s hard not to like this chair. If you’re excited to know more, read on!

Beach Powered Mobility Wheelchair Overview

As we mentioned briefly in the last section here in our Beach Powered Mobility Beach Cruiser review, the first thing you’ll notice about it is that it doesn’t look handmade.  It’s got a relatively high degree of polish, which at first, or even at a second glance makes it look a lot like a mass-produced product.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and in fact, the guys at Beach Powered Mobility pride themselves on their ability to accommodate most buyer requests, so if you want something “extra” added to your machine, be sure to give them a call and discuss it with them when you’re ready to place your order.  You’ll be amazed at what they can do!

With that in mind, there aren’t many “standard” stats we can give you where this chair is concerned because so many aspects of it can be customized to taste.  

Chair Specifications

Here are a few though:

Adjustability

The Beach Cruiser is much more customizable than it is adjustable, but it’s got the basics covered.  You can adjust:

As we mentioned though, the guys at Beach Powered Mobility are more than willing to work with you. So, if you want to make something else adjustable, there’s a good chance they can make that happen.

Comfort

In a similar vein, where comfort is concerned, the sky’s the limit.  If you want a Captain’s style seat mounted onto the frame, and you want to include extra (or hydrophobic) padding, they can do that.  If you want a simple mesh seat that’s less comfortable but also more breathable, you can have that too.  It’s entirely up to you.

Here’s something else you’ll love:  Beach Powered Mobility has an eye for detail.  They don’t miss the small stuff, which is why, for example, all their chairs come with anti-tip wheels standard (no need to pay extra for this small but critical feature), a low battery warning light to reduce the chance of getting stranded, and a tire repair kit in case you have a mishap while you’re enjoying the day.

Let’s face it, you’re thinking about getting one of these things, so you can go out and have fun with family and friends.  It’s nice to know that the company is sweating the small stuff, so you don’t have to, and can just relax and have a good time.

Extras

At the start, we mentioned that the company mostly makes these chairs for themselves, to rent them to Florida’s numerous beach-goers.  Over time though, as an increasing number of people used and fell in love with them, they started taking orders from individuals who had rented one in the past, or who had heard about how great they were from family and friends.

With that in mind though, they don’t carry an extensive array of “stock” enhancements and extras, but they are quite willing to work with you and can accommodate most requests.

Among the extras currently on offer are:

On-Board Storage

The Beach Powered Mobility wheelchair also has a modestly-sized storage rack under the seat.  Sure, we wish the storage space was bigger, but we actually love this.  Here’s why:

The “standard” place most companies put wheelchair storage is on the back of the seat.  That makes sense because it’s an otherwise unused bit of chair real estate. The problem though is that these chairs are built for people with mobility issues, and the whole point of a motorized chair is, so you don’t need to have an attendant to help you.

So…given all that, how are you supposed to get to the stuff in the storage compartment behind the seat, without having to get up, which you may not be able to do?

It’s just never made sense to us, which is why we much prefer under-seat storage.  The person sitting in the chair can get to whatever is there, without getting up, and without having to call for help.  It’s a small thing, but it’s actually super important, in our view.  Kudos to Beach Powered Mobility!

Not Really Portable

So far, we think you’ll agree that this is an excellent design, with not much in the way of weaknesses.  Even if there were weak spots in the basic design, given that these are all hand-built, totally custom machines, you could simply engineer your way around any aspect of the design you weren’t happy with.

Any aspect, save for one.  These machines don’t collapse down into a nice, tidy footprint, and they’re heavy, which means that they’re not very portable.

You’ve got three basic options here:

If you don’t have, or can’t get any of the above, then this isn’t the chair for you, unless you literally live on the beach.

Very Slight Learning Curve

There’s really not much of a learning curve on the base model, or at least, no more so than there is on any powered wheelchair.  Each one handles a bit differently, and if you’ve never driven around on those comically big tires, it will take you a few minutes to get used to it.

That said and keeping in mind that these are individually hand-crafted machines with virtually unlimited customization possibilities, the learning curve is what you make of it.  The more “stuff” you add, the longer it’ll take you to master its use.

Not Intended for Indoor Use

This will be a short section, but we wanted to include a quick note, lest readers think we forgot.  It should go without saying, but a chair like this isn’t designed for indoor use.  At best, you could possibly take it down a central corridor inside a shopping mall.  Anything more restricted than that, and you’re going to be bumping into everything and knocking stuff over. It’s an outdoor wheelchair.

Pros & Cons of Beach Powered Mobility Wheelchair

The Beach Cruiser wheelchair is a robust design, offered by a great, well-respected company in northern Florida.  Not only is the base model chair a wonder, and with surprisingly high production values and aesthetic appeal for a hand-built product, but you can get just about any bell or whistle you can imagine added on.

There are, however, a few things that might prompt you to give this one a pass in preference for some other option.  In no particular order, they are:

Regarding that last point, in particular, you could, for example, save a tidy sum of money if you opted instead for AJ’s Cruzr, offered by Hotshot Products.  The trade-off is that those chairs have a more homespun appearance and lack the professional polish of this design.  If that doesn’t matter to you, then it’d be an excellent choice.  If it does, then you’re better off sticking with this one.

We don’t regard any of the items above as outright deal breakers, but we recognize that some people will. Even so, the Beach Cruiser Power Beach Wheelchair gets so many things right that it’s hard not to be impressed.

Beach Powered Mobility Beach Cruiser Review Conclusion

We really like both the company and their beach wheelchair.  The Beach Powered Mobility Beach Cruiser is well-deserving of its 3rd place finish on the roundup review.  A solid product with very few weaknesses.  Absolutely recommended.

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Official Manufacturer Support

References & Resources

• Beach Powered Mobility, Official Brand Website.
• Choosing a Wheelchair, Which.
• Wheelchair Buying Guide, Clearwell Mobility.
• What Are the Benefits of a Power Wheelchair, Sharecare.
• Wheelchair Harnesses and Occupational Performance, Invacare.