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Commercial Amphibious Vehicle Is Part ATV Part Jet Ski
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post reports that a new vehicle could soon be zooming out of James Bond's garage — or pond — as the Quadski, a one-person all-terrain vehicle that doubles as a personal watercraft, is being billed by its makers as the first high-speed, commercially available amphibious vehicle. Scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. by the end of this year for around $40,000, the four-cylinder, BMW-supplied engine can drive up to 45 miles per hour on land and do a brisk 45 miles per hour in the water (video). 'You just drive straight into the water, quite fast, and keep on going. It's sort of magic,' says Alan Gibbs, the founder of Gibbs Sports Amphibians. The company is also preparing to introduce the Phibian, a 30-foot long, 6.5-ton model, and the Humdinga, a 22-foot, 3.5-ton model, which are both intended for the military and first responders. The company plans to produce 20 Quadskis per day with 150 employees when the plant is in full operation and expects to sell around 1,000 Quadskis in the first year. 'We'll respond to how the market develops,' says Gibbs. 'We wouldn't be doing it without being very confident people will love them.'"
man I saw the videos yesterday...
looks like it would be great for out in the bush up here in Alaska!!!
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http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-57532892-48/gibbs-demoes-atv-jet-ski-mashup/
http://www.gibbssports.com/quadski
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Enclose the cockpit, add some seat belts and safety features and that would be a heck of a commuter car for people who live someplace like Seattle. No more ferry lines!
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
Pffft, I had a car that had half that functionality 20 years ago. Driving OUT of the water though, that would be new for me.
You seem to regard science as some kind of dodge... or hustle.
Limited use, really. Sure, the video makes it look great, but it has a much wider wheelbase than your typical ATV (more like one of those utility side-by-side vehicles) and looks like it doesn't have great ground clearance.
It only takes 50 days for them to hit the quote they're expecting to sell. That's roughly 20% of their capacity. What are they using the other 80% on? Otherwise they'll see some massive layoffs.
"Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
This seems like little more than an ad for a product. It's a cool recreational vehicle, but is it really "New For Nerds"?
Well, rednecks don't make enough money to afford one, and real rich people don't do actual outdoors stuff where you get wet/dirty, which means the only other people who will buy it are geeks.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
... Out of a large one.
Alan Gibbs is a kiwi rich-lister who is monomaniacal about amphibious vehicles - typical for otherwise uncreative people who think they have had a good idea. Most engineers I know probably have a more viable commercial idea every month or two.
He has squandered probably in the region of $100 million on developing amphibious vehicles, but to date the world has yawned, because there is almost no one who could or would actually have a use for such an expensive and high maintenance folly with compromised performance on both land and water.
I saw this in the news yesterday and contacted a friend who worked there for a while. He said the company is a billionaire's toy shop and nothing has ever come to final production. He thought this project was shelved and told me to not hold my breath.
Very cool, but not the first of it's type. Ever hear of an Argo? Check out: http://www.argoatv.com/ although they are not fast, they sure are fun in the bush.
If it gets up on a plane, 45mph on water is entirely believable - 45mph limit on land is likely for safety, not lack of power to go faster. I took an ATV up to 50mph on a backwoods trail once - was great fun as a branch whizzed past my head... decided that was enough fun for one lifetime and I keep the ATVs under 30 in the woods now.
At least he's having fun, and spending his money instead of using it for insulation in his mansion.
This is the most overwhelming problem of all COST!!! Maybe there is a Search and Rescue market, but this is a tough sell for consumers.
For every benefit you receive a tax is levied. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
The price may be steep for many tasks, but I would think for california Lifegaurds, for example, this could be enough better, IE they don't need to offroad much, but need to be able to cruise the beech, and rescue surfers, this could significantly improve their performance if they can strap a backboard to the back.
Hovercrafts don't do well over rough terrain. This thing might be a bit better. It's hard to get a hovercraft to climb a steep hill whereas this thing could do it (if there was a road - remember this is America - we're gonna put roads everywhere before we're done).
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!