 | ||
The Gibbs Quadski is an amphibious quad bike/ATV, launched in October 2012 by Gibbs Sports Amphibians.
The Quadski is a 4-stroke, amphiquad that converts to a personal watercraft. It features a top speed of 72 km/h (45 mph) on both land and water, a proprietary marine jet propulsion system, and wheel retraction. The Quadski can transition between land and water in about five seconds. The Quadski uses Gibbs' High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology, which includes more than 300 patents and patents pending worldwide.
Developed and manufactured by a Detroit-based team, the Quadski shares a number of features with the Gibbs Aquada. When entering the water, by pressing a button the driver can retract the wheels into the wheel wells within the vehicle’s body and detach them from the drive train.
The Quadski uses a marinised version of BMW Motorrad's 1.3-liter engine from the K1300. In the K1300, the engine produces 175 bhp (130 kW), but Gibbs advertises 140 bhp (100 kW) for the Quadski. Power is further curtailed to about 80 bhp (60 kW) when in land mode. On water the Quadski uses stoneguard-protected intake, which draws in water before directing it through the engine driven impeller, which with the stator blades and nozzle propel the Quadski at high speed. The steering nozzle at the Quadski’s rear directs the vehicle via the handlebars.
The Quadski allows for over two hours travel time on the water. Its range on land is up to around 600 kilometres (370 mi). It went on sale in January 2013 in Florida and is now available in selected regions of the United States with a starting price of about $40,000 (USD).