Update: June 24, 2004
Earlier this month, after making a few improvements (doubling the floatation &
shifting the extra pontoons back 2 feet for stability, adding a splash guard &
propeller shroud), the weather was finally nice enough to take the bike for a
test. Everything worked great- it moves (at about 45 feet/minute in water) &
turns sufficiently, with no leaks or plant life tangled around the propeller.
July 2003 Plan
May 2004 Re-Vamp
The main difference between this design and other amphibious bicycle designs
I've seen is that most of the bike will be submerged, so that a prop drive will
work. The bike and rider's legs will create resistance in the water, but I don't
think it will achieve the speeds where a hydrodynamic profile is essential.
PVC pipe pontoons provide floatation, and the front tire has a wheel disc so it
can double as a rudder. And to stay on the safe side, a handy oar has been added.
The prop is turned via a friction drive, as shown above. I decided to Keep It
Simple and get the 90-degree transfer by pressing a smaller wheel (attached
to the prop shaft) with bearings against the side of the bike's rear drive wheel.
The guard helps to keep weeds from tangling in the prop, and the cylindrical
shroud (theoretically) channels the flow more efficiently, like a Jet-ski impeller.
See other neat amphibike designs by KD, the HPTA & Lampi
