Amphibious

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July 27, 2006 The English channel is without doubt the world’s busiest waterway, even before the raft of record attempts we have seen for amphibious vehicles in recent times. Yet another amphibious vehicle took to the waters this week, and although the outright amphibious vehicle record remained intact, and the amphibious car record also remained unscathed, there’s a new record for hydrofoil amphibians which has been set by Rinspeed and its outrageous Splash concept car. Read More

MILITARY

US Military FCT contract for High Speed Amphibians

By Mike Hanlon

June 19, 2006 It was only a matter of time really – Gibbs Technologies’ High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology has wowed the world with the Aquada sports car, Humdinga AWD and QuadSki amphibians so sooner or later it was bound to come under the scrutiny of the most technologically adventurous fighting force on the planet. Today it was announced that Gibbs has won a US Department of Defence (DOD) Foreign Comparative Test contract to evaluate its existing HSA technology for military purposes. Founder Alan Gibbs said of winning the contract, “it’s a major milestone for the company because we have solved a problem which has beset every major General since Alexander the Great.” Read More

ON THE WATER

50 mph Quadski converts from Jetski to ATV in five seconds

By Mike Hanlon

Alan Gibb's Aquada and Humdinga high speed amphibious vehicles have been making the headlines for the last few years, partly because they work, partly because they have compelling feature sets and partly because the Aquada has set a few records, most notably in the hands of Sir Richard Branson. Now there's a new affordable Gibbs amphibian on the way that instantly becomes one of the most desirable recreational vehicles on the planet - it's both a quadbike and a jet ski and converts from one guise to the other at the touch of a button in under five seconds, using the 140 bhp motor to reach 50 mph (72km/h) on both land and water. The design offers a new class of recreational vehicle, along with a range of capabilities that make it ideal for life saving clubs, search and rescue, military, emergency services and aid workers who will be able to reach areas and people no two or four wheel drive vehicle could reach. Gibbs Technologies intends to license the design and technology for the Quadski and is seeking expressions of interest. Read More

ON THE WATER

The Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA-R) amphibious assault ship

By Mike Hanlon

January 24, 2006 The United States Defense Acquisition Board has approved the Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA)-Replacement amphibious assault ship program to enter system development and demonstration (SDD) phase. The Northrop Grumman LHA(R) will be the U.S. Navy's newest multifunctional and most versatile, amphibious assault ship, incorporating enhanced aviation capabilities centred around the STOVL F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and the V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey. The LHA(R) will be a variant of the gas-turbine powered LHD 8. This longer and wider ship will provide increased aviation capability, vehicle lift, cargo magazine capacity, better survivability, increased habitability standards and greater service life margins. Read More

ON THE WATER

smart amphibious vehicle

By Mike Hanlon

December 23, 2005 While this vehicle was conceived by Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design of North America as yet another ingenious adaptation of the smart as a rescue vehicle for the adventures of BayWatch Southern California lifeguard types, we can’t help but think it’s the ideal vehicle for any water-side dweller anywhere in the world. Amphibious vehicles make loads of sense, particularly when the vehicle can carry five people to the beach AND happily entertain everyone in the surf when you get there. The concept is mid-engined and has an 800cc turbo smart engine that sits between the front and rear foam seats and powers the jet pump when in amphibious mode. Read More

ON THE WATER

The SeaLegs Anaconda Amphibious Concept

By Mike Hanlon

December 2, 2005 With the vast majority of the world’s population living very close to the water, amphibious vehicles make loads of sense – which means we love amphibious vehicles at Gizmag, having previously reported on the original launch of Sealegs, the Gibbs Aquada Sportcar, the Gibbs Humdinga 4WD amphibian, the Platypus 4WD amphibian, the Rinspeed Splash, the Phibicat,the world’s only mass production amphibian, the Amphicar. More recently, we’ve written about the Sealegs rugged aluminium amphibious craft which which halved Sir Richard Branson's English Channel record set in an Aquada in June. Interestingly, the country where most amphibious innovation is occuring is New Zealand, home of both Gibbs and SeaLegs and one of the most interesting tertiary courses in the world – Massey University’s Bachelor of Design in Transport Design. Our latest amphibian is a concept craft created by a graduate of Massey Designs Marine Transport Course, Matt Gibson. This year Matt’s final year project was sponsored by Sealegs International and the aim was to develop a futuristic amphibious craft, which eventually took shape as the “Anaconda” pictured here. Read More

ON THE WATER

The Amfibidiver: an amphibious submarine

By Mike Hanlon

Belgian diving enthusiast and inventor Rene Baldewijns found that dive boats were rarely available when or where he wanted to dive and that a lot of dive time was lost looking for the area he wanted to dive in. So he conceived a boat that that could drive itself off the trailer, along the road and into the water whilst carrying larger quantities of air and equipment than any diver could carry. His dream boat could travel to the dive area like a speedboat and then literally ... pull the plug out and dive. Whilst dived, it had to be able to cruise around underwater until he found the right area, then park on the bottom as an underwater base to support diving activities for two. When finished, the idea was to blow the ballast, surface, and return to land at high speed, driving out of the water and onto its trailer. The prototype he built has achieved all those aims. Read More

ON THE WATER

Sealegs unveils rugged aluminium amphibious craft

By Mike Hanlon

August 24, 2005: New Zealand-based Sealegs has unveiled an all-new aluminium amphibious craft. The 5.6m amphibious D-Tube features a 4mm marine grade aluminium hull with 3mm aluminium D-Tube shaped pontoons. An inboard air-cooled 16hp Honda engine powers hydraulic wheels motors, allowing the D-Tube to drive at up 10kmph on land and 60kmph on the water. Once in the water, a button is pushed to hydraulically retract the wheels and the Sealegs D-Tube becomes a normal sea-going boat. The boat is based on the boat which halved Sir Richard Branson's English Channel record in June. The standard SeaLegs boat cut the previous record of one hour, forty minutes and six seconds to 43 minutes and 12 seconds ( see pics inside of record).

Gizmag has covered a wide range of amphibious vehicles in recent times, including the original launch of Sealegs, the Gibbs Aquada Sportcar, the Gibbs Humdinga 4WD amphibian, the Platypus 4WD amphibian, the Rinspeed Splash, the Phibicat and the Amphicar. Read More

ON THE WATER

Sealegs amphibious boat now boasts all-terrain capabilities

By Mike Hanlon

Sealegs International today announced that it has developed a new all-terrain version of its amphibious marine craft. The new 5.6m Sealegs All Terrain Amphibious Craft (ATAC) can carry a payload of 500kg (6 adults) on land and sea will sell for US$65,000. The Sealegs ATAC has a top speed of 10kmh on land but is far more capable as a water-going amphibian. Once driven into the water, the Sealegs ATAC hydraulically retracts its wheels to allow speeds of up to 60kmh. Later this year Sealegs will make an attempt on the world record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle.

ON THE WATER

The Amphicar - the only non-military amphibious vehicle ever to go into mass production.

By Mike Hanlon

A spate of new amphibious vehicles in recent times and the seeming resurgence of interest in the area has seen us receive a wave of correspondence informing us of many amphibious projects around the world. One of the most fascinating amphibious vehicles to come to light has been the German-produced Amphicar - the only non-military amphibious vehicle ever to go into mass production. Like the Gibbs Aquada, the Amphicar was a convertible and a serious watergoing vessel and a number of lengthy sea voyages were recorded, most notably Africa to Spain and three crossings of the English Channel, once in a Force 6 gale. Note, the Aquada now holds the record for an English Channel crossing by an amphibious vehicle.

ON THE WATER

Platypus amphibious 4x4 to land at under US$40,000

By Mike Hanlon

Like the Australian marsupial from which it takes its name, it isn't pretty, but it sure is functional. With a top speed of 100 kmh on the road, it's not as fast as its celebrated fellow amphibians such as the Gibbs Aquada or Rinspeed Splash. But it is capable of seven knots on the water, can withstand heavy seas, and it's hardcore four-wheel-drive capabilities will get you just about anywhere you can imagine going. Most remarkable though is the price - when production starts in mid-2005, the Platypus will sell for less than US$40,000. Read More

ON THE WATER

Sealegs plans Rugged Amphibious Craft

By Gizmag Team

November 30, 2004 Sealegs amphibious vehicles can drive straight from land into the water using high-torque, motorised wheels and 'legs' that retract when the craft is afloat. The New Zealand company has unveiled designs for a new Rugged Amphibious Craft (RAC) targeting commercial, military and recreational applications which featues a 140hp inboard engine, jet drive and a solid aluminium hull. Read More

ON THE WATER

Humdinga - the 4WD amphibious vehicle

By Mike Hanlon

Kiwi entrepreneur Alan Gibbs, the man behind the Aquada amphibious sports car, has unveiled an SUV/4WD amphibious vehicle concept designed specifically to access remote and hostile terrain. The 5-seater ‘Humdinga’ concept vehicle is a full-time 4WD powered by a 350 BHP V8 engine, capable of 160 kmh on land and on water at 65 kmh. Although the new application utilises the same patented HSA technological platform as the Gibbs Aquada, it shares no common component parts or systems with its predecessor. The Gibbs Humdinga can comfortably transport 5 people complete with luggage/supplies almost anywhere on the earth. Read More

ON THE WATER

Four New Amphibious Vehicles

By Gizmag Team

With vast numbers of people living in coastal areas and on waterways, it was only a matter of time before a car and a watercraft were combined. Four companies have tackled the challenge in four entirely different ways. The Gibbs Aquada is a high-speed amphibian, can top 160 kmh on land and 50 kmh on water, and takes six seconds to transform from sportscar to jetboat. Conceived for a waterside lifestyle such as Sydney, Cannes or Miami, the British-built Aquada is powered by a 175hp V6 engine with an auto transmission linked to the fully-enclosed jet propulsion system. Getting into the water is as simple as driving down a boatramp and pushing the button - the accelerator becomes the throttle and the jet propulsion takes over. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Rinspeed Splash - amphibious sportscar unveiled

By Mike Hanlon

The Rinspeed Splash Amphibious Hydrofoil Sportscar previewed by Gizmo in December 2003 was unveiled to the world at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show - the Splash is capable of 80 kmh (approx. 45 knots) on the water and 200 kmh on land. The design is yet another concept from Swiss creative studio Rinspeed, whose concept designs have graced the pages of Gizmo several times in our short history. In 2002 it was the Presto, a collapsible car which turned from a four seat convertible to a two-seater at the press of a button. Then, last August Rinspeed showed the Bedouin, an off-road vehicle capable of extending and retracting just like the Presto. In early January this year we showed the CAD drawings of the Splash and now the car has been unveiled, the tenth Rinspeed concept car and the most outrageous to date. Read More

AUTOMOTIVE

Amphibious sportscar transforms in six seconds

By Mike Hanlon

Friday October 3, 2003: The Gibbs aquada high-speed amphibian (HSA) is capable of speeds up to 100mph (160kmh) on land and 30mph (48kmh) over water, taking just six seconds to transform from road-going sportscar to a jet-powered marine vessel. What better vehicle could be conceived for a waterside lifestyle in a place like Sydney? Read More

ON THE WATER

Sealegs amphibious boat powers over land and sea

By Mike Hanlon

Sealegs represents the first commercially available amphibious option for small boats available anywhere in the world, allowing the occupants to drive from a storage location into the water whilst staying high and dry inside the boat. Read More

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