Amphibious electric vehicles

Hey guys, just checking in with my latest homemade electric vehicle. This is all wheel drive reverse trike and it is fully amphibious and very fun! It uses standard electric bike hub motors with water paddles added between the spokes. I just have video of one time out, but it is not bad. I should have more video with the latest improvements coming soon. Thank you very much to all who keep posting here and giving me lots to read!

Love it !!!

I was thinking along the same lines about a year ago and was sketching all sorts of designs for it.

Could you get a picture of how your rear wheel is configured to generate paddle power?

My guess is the front wheels are mostly just for steering because I see no paddles in the spokes. (or is this rear steering?)

Will enjoy your great "reveal".

Yes these pictures are before the paddles are installed. I have a sweet new setup on the rear wheel that channels the water like a paddle jet! It really makes it maneuverable on the water. Thank you very much, I really really love it. more pics on the way.

Just a couple quick pics grabbed from video. Note water stream from the rear. Really turns good. :thumb:

You can’t see the front paddles too good, but this shows the rear paddles and ‘paddle jet’ collector. The front wheels don’t move and rear wheel steers on ground and in water. Fun!!!

Scootdan said:

You can’t see the front paddles too good, but this shows the rear paddles and ‘paddle jet’ collector. The front wheels don’t move and rear wheel steers on ground and in water. Fun!!!

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Okay, I see what you are doing with the paddles. My guess is that the water simply bends around the tire without hardly noticing it and gets grabbed pretty well by those paddles.

You "solved" a part that got me stuck thinking up ideas that started looking more like snowmobile treads.

I like it.

Another idea I tossed around was to have two tires about four inches apart at the rear and then place the paddles in between to make it more like the old paddle wheel boats. (but this seems better)

In my current life situation I'm in a very hilly inland location with no easy access to water, but at some point down the road (assuming there is a future to have such fun) I expect to be near water and that's when I'd begin such a project.

Great to see a big success to give me confidence it can be done.

The biggest problem with boating overall is having to get in and out of the water and this fixes that problem.

Man I am loving your climbing bike project too brother. Really nice! You are so right it seems real dream it and actually try to build it people are kind of rare. That’s what I appreciate about this website, real builders! I will look forward to following your progress and seeing you rolling soon sir.

Scootdan said:

Man I am loving your climbing bike project too brother. Really nice! You are so right it seems real dream it and actually try to build it people are kind of rare. That’s what I appreciate about this website, real builders! I will look forward to following your progress and seeing you rolling soon sir.

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Thank you and yes we are very rare these days.

The entire area of boating I see as the next chapter for me as I'm now 60 years old and some of the off road thrills may bite me bad enough one day that I'll stop doing it. But so far I'm still able to pretty much do crazy stuff like I was still 14 years old.

Another guy in the boating section was adding solar to a catamaran and that's an area I might go in order to create a live aboard that was not dependent on fuel.

A fully solar covered catamaran can absorb a full 10 kWh of energy at peak sun.

Anyway... dreams are free and when you act on them they create beautiful things so keep doing that.

That's awesome! I don't think I've seen anything like that before. I hope the motors don't leak.

Great work! :thumb:

Thank you guys. I am so excited to hit the water (Alviso) this weekend with my latest improvements! Here are some of my earlier creations you might get a kick out of….

I am turning 60 this year brother but I can totally relate to not wanting to grow up. I still want to go fast and have fun too. Here is my real need for speed project when I have the time and funds, my monster scooter…

:lol:
Fantastic projects!
Love your ideas and actual builds :thumb:

Scootdan said:

I am turning 60 this year brother but I can totally relate to not wanting to grow up. I still want to go fast and have fun too. Here is my real need for speed project when I have the time and funds, my monster scooter…

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Love it.

Yeah I'm still pretty healthy despite being 60 years old and still love the thrills of hot rod machines.

Seems like the big difference is I'm much more incremental in everything so I inch myself into speed rather than blindly leap into it like young and foolish people do.

My skill level rises on a project machine over long stretches of time.

Then some idiot observer says:

"Oh, it's so great you have natural talent."

...which is totally wrong. It's 100% slow effort done out of love for it over years of time.

This is why I tend to avoid racing anyone else now because it's the "other" rider I cannot control.

I'm like the perpetual test rider and tuner builder now, but when very young I did race BMX, Motocross, etc.

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You have been doing a lot of water projects and so you must be getting an idea of what works and what doesn't.

I really love to build things. This latest amphiboard is very close to my vision of a one person log ride you could splash into the water, at speed, over and over again. It is a wonderful feeling driving out of the water with real power, but I think the best will be when I can transfer to water with enough speed, momentum, to go right to ‘plane’ on the board across the water. I am just finishing a new splash deflector for the front end so I am excited to test it this weekend. Man I really appreciate the encouragement guys. I have been keeping my work lowkey until I thought I might have something. If my deflector works, I think I might have something! Otherwise my little reverse trike is by far the most fun thing to ride I have built. The ebike electronics have been unbelievably trouble free in all my water projects, so far. I did ruin an expensive battery, but that was totally my fault! I have LEARNED so much and now it is really getting fun. I am excited to build my next amphiboard based on a normal trike, which should be next level micro amphibian utility. I am even planning a two wheel amphibious board one day, if I am blessed with a long enough life to do it! That solar catamaran to live on would be fantastic. It’s all out there if you can afford it! :thumb:

A lot can happen in the next few years so my attitude is to maximize my hobbies for the situation I'm dealing with. For me it's my 87 year old mother who can't walk and needs me around for everything. (we have caregivers too)

Anyway... while I'm waiting for her last days to wind up I have a garage to play in.

Since I have no idea what nightmares are ahead in the larger world I just don't plan too much.

But one idea would be a live aboard for part of the year and then some remote cabin up high in the mountains for other times.

Those are awesome! Here is my latest amphibious build. Just cant be over a 100lbs and there is no steering. :lol:

[youtube]pgQNtY3ncUw[/youtube]

Looks like fun!

Lucky kids.

Ok guys, I am designing my next amphibian. Till then, check out my new San Jose Super ebike. This thing is so fast and fun! All wheel drive and monster tires and brakes. 8)

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3406