Gibbs Sports Amphibians have released a specialized ATV in the form of a custom quad bike that can be driven on land and over the water. Despite it sounding like something from a James Bond movie, the Michigan-based company have made it a reality.
Driving the custom quad is strange at first. The specialized ATV can be driven straight into the water and when this happens, a button is pushed which then retracts the wheels into the quad. The custom quad then transforms into what is actually a very stable personal watercraft (PWC) called the Quadski. The vehicle went on sale in showrooms of power sports dealers from the middle of November.
The Quadski was designed by Alan Gibbs, who spent over 18 years designing the vehicle. Full development of the specialized ATV started 15 years ago when Gibbs Technologies and Krafthaus merged. In total the project has cost over $200m and more than two million hours of hard work.
The custom quad came about due to a problem Gibbs had on his farm in New Zealand. The farm is in a region where the tide is two miles long. There was a lot of beach between the sea and the farm and Gibbs didn’t have a way of getting a boat out to sea. The first attempt to solve the problem was a catamaran with wheels. However this didn’t work and so Gibbs’ next attempt was at an amphibian vehicle and this was the beginning of the Quadski.