Collection Gift Guide: The Tide is High
December 2, 2003
Gibbs Aquada
According to Alan Gibbs, the Aquada represents “the biggest
increase in the usefulness of the motorcar since it was invented.” The
63-year-old entrepreneur says his high-speed amphibian offers millions of
beleaguered drivers the chance to trade traffic-jam hell for the freedom of the
open seas—or at least the rivers and bays surrounding most of the world’s urban
centers. It’s a bold claim of the variety you might expect from a man who has
invested more than $50 million of his personal fortune to develop a new product
for a nonexistent market. Still, considering the Aquada’s extraordinary
capabilities, Gibbs might actually have a point. His brave new craft can drive
up to 100 mph over land and 30 mph over water. The transition from land to sea
(or vice versa) occurs at the touch of a button. And it works.
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The Aquada's driver sits in the center, flanked by passengers. (Click image to enlarge)Gibbs’ fascination for amphibious vehicles began at his farm off Shallow Harbour, New Zealand. Gibbs grew tired of towing his 30-foot catamaran onto the tidal basin, driving the tractor back onto dry land, walking a mile back to his sailboat, then reversing the process to take her out of the water. Gibbs used his company’s manufacturing prowess to make his big cat amphibious. It was a far cry from today’s street-legal Aquada, but it set Gibbs on a seven-year journey of invention.
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The resulting Aquada is a radical departure from existing
amphibians. Traditionally, amphibious vehicles are heavy, propeller-driven,
hydrodynamically challenged beasts. They lack the efficiency and power needed to
raise the hull out of the water so it can skim along the surface. As
displacement boats, standard amphibious vehicles must plow through the water.
Their maximum boating speed is no more than a walking pace: around 6 mph. (Click image to enlarge)The Aquada’s developers attacked the genre’s inherent speed restrictions from all angles. They used high-tech composites and aluminum construction to maximize the power-to-weight ratio. They invented a computer-controlled system that detaches and retracts the vehicle’s wheels, eliminating drag on the hull. And they installed a jet propulsion system that creates a full ton of forward thrust. In the process, the team built the world’s first high-speed amphibious vehicle. The Aquada’s 30 mph top speed over water is impressive enough. Its handling is a revelation. When the Aquada comes on plane, she proves herself almost telepathically responsive to minor helm inputs. The hull design is fundamentally sound, comfortably capable of handling moderate seas. As long as landlubbers don’t rely on the brake pedal, they’ll find the Aquada a safe, user-friendly watercraft. Strange as it sounds, the hybrid vehicle would even make an excellent waterskiing boat.
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