Marine

GIBBS Quadski to launch in U.S. next month

GIBBS Quadski to launch in U.S. next month
The GIBBS Quadski
The GIBBS Quadski
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A drivers' view from the GIBBS Quadski
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A drivers' view from the GIBBS Quadski
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After existing only in prototype form since at least 2006, the GIBBS Quadski is finally about to become a commercially-available product. The amphibious vehicle can be driven like a regular 4WD quad while on land, but it draws in its wheels and becomes a Jet Ski-like contraption upon entering the water – all within five seconds. At a press conference yesterday in Detroit, GIBBS founder Alan Gibbs and chairman Neil Jenkins announced that the Quadski will be available in select U.S. markets starting next month ... priced at about US$40,000.

The Quadski weighs 1,300 pounds (590 kg), has a 15-gallon (57-liter) fuel tank, and is powered by a 175-horsepower BMW Motorrad four-cylinder water-cooled engine – that engine also features electronic fuel injection, a double-overhead camshaft and dry-sump lubrication.

Both on land and water, the vehicle has a claimed top speed of 45 mph (72 km/h). Users just drive it into the water, then press a button to pull in the wheels and enable its jet propulsion system. Upon returning to land, it is likewise a simple matter to deploy the wheels and switch back to driving mode.

The GIBBS Quadski
The GIBBS Quadski

Manufacturing of the Quadski will take place at a plant in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Plans currently call for the opening of over 20 U.S. dealerships within the next year, starting this November. The vehicle will initially be available in a single-person model only, in a choice of five colors.

The company hopes to introduce the Quadski to other markets, such as Europe and Latin America, in 2014. Additionally, it was stated that the vehicle “will pave the way for a host of other HSAs [High Speed Amphibians] for consumers, sports enthusiasts, law enforcement agencies, first responders and other commercial enterprises.”

GIBBS currently also manufactures the Phibian and Humdinga II high-speed “Amphitrucks.”

Source: GIBBS

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21 comments
21 comments
Dax Wagner
Excellent concept and design, but... absolutely RIDICULOUS price! $40 grand?!?! Might as well buy a separate ATV and jet ski for a fraction of the price.
Adrien
I've seen the "buy a separate jetski and atv" comment on a bunch of sites about this (I'm in no way affiliated with Gibbs).
If you need to go somewhere that includes land and water, then having both is no use. You'd have to be able to tow your atv on a floating trailer behind the jetski on water and vice-versa on land.
The WHOLE point of this thing is it can do BOTH.
I think this thing would be excellent for boat owners (except for the weight). How many times you have to get something from a shop and you're anchored in a bay. With this thing, you just cruise into shore, and drive up to the shop. Awesome. And 40k is chump change for a megayacht owner.
Shawn Voitle
We should all own this to commute. Less bad accidents. Less polution. Less crowed highways. Im all for it. Now make it inexpensive.
zevulon
this thing probably consumes at least 50% more gas the average gas guzzling atv while driving and even more than 50% than the average wave runner.
i could care less about efficiency, the problem is that unless you're using this for commuting, your range on some sort of extended overnight adventure is very much limited by the amount of spare gas you can carry. this vehicle is probably very range limited.
however, for certain types of smuggling , stealth, or military applications, this thing could be pretty sweet.
Pikeman
Cool, but it costs too much.
Daishi
I ride ATV's and one of the things I notice about it is the wheel suspension and linkage doesn't look like it would hold up to much abuse. Sometimes that abuse is intentional (carrying too much speed etc.) but other times it just means carrying a normal amount of speed on bad terrain and hitting a tire-sized pot hole.
Salt water can be pretty unforgiving of something like this too. It definitely isn't an easy problem to solve.
WhyEyeWine
I'm going to stick mt neck out here and say, "If you find the price to be off-putting...well, you're probably outside their intended target group."
Me? I haven't bought a $30K automobile yet.
Bob Flint
Interesting, has it been tested on snow & ice? Could see one traversing a partially frozen body of water, could save your life over a top of the line snowmobile...
Can both jet & wheels be running simultaneously?
Joseph Boe
I've watched the development (or lack thereof - ha!) for years and am happy to see it finally come to market.
The perfect application for this is rescue-oriented jobs like beach lifeguards. It is such an obvious solution that I'm surprised it hasn't been developed by others a long time ago.
If it does get adopted by "Rescue" and, say, military orgs like Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, Seals, etc. it will get all the punishment it can take and that will make the 2nd gen version awesome.
As to the fuel efficiency, I think the kind of adoption above will force that issue to be improved as well.
I hope it succeeds so I can buy one with confidence.
SeanS.
You know, as a gay man I normally look at things like this as a str8 guy thing. No, I don't want to ride that because I am wearing light weight wool. That being said. I WANT ONE!
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