Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Gibbs Quadski [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/24/gibbs-quadski-review-first-drive-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/24/gibbs-quadski-review-first-drive-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/24/gibbs-quadski-review-first-drive-video/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The Ultimate Crossover



Having grown up in Michigan, I spent the entirety of my early adult life riding whatever powersport machine I could get my hands on, be it snowmobile, dirt bike, four-wheeler or personal watercraft. Pretty much, if it has an engine, I've ridden it. On Memorial Day weekends ­- the unofficial start of summer - I would usually split my time between tearing up two-tracks on dirt bikes and jumping waves on a jet ski. Now, Michigan-based Gibbs Sports has come up with an innovative amphibious vehicle that my 18-year-old self is glad never existed. It's called the Gibbs Quadski. Unlike those odd, six-wheeled amphibious machines that are built more for practicality than excitement, the Quadski was designed with enthusiasts in mind to create an enjoyable riding experience on both land and water.

The idea for the Quadski actually began with the Aquada, a street-legal amphibious concept car that gained the company a lot of publicity. But Gibbs learned the hard way that getting such a vehicle built was a difficult task when dealing with federal regulations pertaining to both street-legal cars and marine vessels. So the company has taken some of the technologies it developed for the Aquada and applied them to the Quadski, creating what is essentially part all-terrain vehicle, part personal watercraft and even part motorcycle.

Introduced late last year, the Gibbs Quadski is on sale now at a handful of dealers across the country (okay, mostly in Florida) with a staggering price of around $40,000. These days, your top-of-the-line ATVs and PWCs can easily top the $10,000 mark, so with this asking price, the Quadski is indeed being targeted at well-to-do early adopters and government agencies. At the moment, I'm neither, but Gibbs invited me to its custom-built test course in South Florida to put the Quadski through its paces on both land and sea.

Continue reading Gibbs Quadski [w/video]

Gibbs Quadski [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>all-terrain vehicleamphibious vehiclefeaturedfirst driveFirstDrivegibbsgibbs quadskimemorial daypersonal watercraftpowersportsFri, 24 May 2013 11:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20582198/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/05/24/gibbs-quadski-review-first-drive-video/20582198/article-detail.xml 20582198 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/25-gibbs-quadski-fd-opt_thumbnail.png http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/05/25-gibbs-quadski-fd-opt.png <![CDATA[Video: Translogic swims with the fishes in dolphin-shaped Seabreacher]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/08/video-translogic-swims-with-the-fishes-in-dolphin-shaped-seabre/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/08/video-translogic-swims-with-the-fishes-in-dolphin-shaped-seabre/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/08/video-translogic-swims-with-the-fishes-in-dolphin-shaped-seabre/#commentsFiled under: , ,

innespace seabreacher
Translogic goes for a 260-horsepower swim - Click above to watch video after the jump

Translogic went to swim the fishes. No, not in a mafioso graveyard but within the canopy of a submersible known as the Seabreacher, the brainchild of Rob Innes and Dan Piazza, co-founders of Innespace Productions. It's a new breed of watercraft capable of running both on and under the water, and occasionally soaring over it.

Okay, so the "over" and "under" portions of the piloting experience may be brief, but there's no doubt they're thrilling. The Seabreacher is powered by a 260-horsepower 1500-cc Rotax four-stroke engine that benefits from a supercharger and intercooler. All that power is used to propel the Seabreacher to speeds of up to 50 miles per hour over the water, or 25 mph when under the surface.

Translogic's Bradley Hasemeyer straps into the passenger seat, which sits directly behind the driver, for an introduction to the Seabreacher's controls. Soon, Hasemeyer gets a shot at the front seat, and the entire experience can be viewed in the clip floating in the shallow end after the jump.

[Source: Translogic]

Continue reading Video: Translogic swims with the fishes in dolphin-shaped Seabreacher

Video: Translogic swims with the fishes in dolphin-shaped Seabreacher originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bradley hasemeyerinnespaceinnespace seabreacherpersonal watercraftseabreachersubmersiblevideoTue, 08 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19871395/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/03/08/video-translogic-swims-with-the-fishes-in-dolphin-shaped-seabre/19871395/article-detail.xml 19871395 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/tlx-seabreacher_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/03/tlx-seabreacher.jpg <![CDATA[Video: Perhaps this isn't the best way to load your jet ski]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/14/video-perhaps-this-isnt-the-best-way-to-load-your-jet-ski/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/14/video-perhaps-this-isnt-the-best-way-to-load-your-jet-ski/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/14/video-perhaps-this-isnt-the-best-way-to-load-your-jet-ski/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Click above to watch the video after the jump

We've all seen people doing really dumb things. You know, the kind of act of stupidity where you'd try to stop them from harming themselves or their possessions if it weren't so riveting to watch. Hell, we've made some pretty heinous misjudgments in our time, but we've never attempted to load a jet ski into the back of a Ford Econoline while said van was partially underwater. That just doesn't sound like a good idea.

While driving a jet ski into a cargo van doesn't make any sense to us, we know of at least one YouTube all-star who thinks otherwise. Well, he probably thought otherwise until the van's rear wheels began having trouble maintaining traction while submerged under water. Hit the jump to watch Darwin's theory in motion. Luckily, it appears that nobody was hurt during this epic fail.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Perhaps this isn't the best way to load your jet ski

Video: Perhaps this isn't the best way to load your jet ski originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>e-seriesEconolineepic failEpicFailford e-350 cargo vanford jet ski cargo vanFordE-350CargoVanFordJetSkiCargoVanjet ski accident ford cargo fanJetSkiAccidentFordCargoFanpersonal watercraftPersonalWatercraftvan sinks into waterVanSinksIntoWaterMon, 14 Jun 2010 14:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19514379/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/06/14/video-perhaps-this-isnt-the-best-way-to-load-your-jet-ski/19514379/article-detail.xml 19514379 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/jet-ski-fail_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/06/jet-ski-fail.jpg <![CDATA[EPA now turns attention to boats, lawn mowers and weed whackers]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/03/epa-now-turns-attention-to-boats-lawn-mowers-and-weed-whackers/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/03/epa-now-turns-attention-to-boats-lawn-mowers-and-weed-whackers/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/03/epa-now-turns-attention-to-boats-lawn-mowers-and-weed-whackers/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Automobile emissions have been cleaned up to the point that flowers virtually sprout from tailpipes, but there's an entire category of internal combustion that the EPA calls Non-Road Engines, which the agency deems still needs improvement. To that end, standards are tightening in 2010 and 2011 for boats, personal watercraft and lawn equipment. The new restrictions will see car-like catalytic converters fitted to engines that power these machines, which will likely lead to price increases. The EPA says that fuel savings brought on by the new rules mean an overall savings for consumers; that may be so, but the precious metals in catalysts aren't getting any cheaper or less rare, making the more fuel efficient units carry a higher initial purchase price.

The changes will likely put a significant dent in emissions from watercraft, which contribute far more to non-road engine emissions than things like lawn and garden equipment. In fact, lawnmowers and tillers are likely one of the smallest contributors to pollution of the group. The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute estimates that less than 2% of smog-forming emissions comes from lawn and garden equipment. Cleaning up all those engines toiling away at construction sites, in farm equipment and powering boats won't mean you've got to trade in your Evinrude, but anything on sale after 2010 will have to comply with the new standards.

[Source: The Detroit News]

EPA now turns attention to boats, lawn mowers and weed whackers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boat emissionsBoatEmissionsepa regulationsEpaRegulationslawnmower emissionslawnmower engineLawnmowerEmissionsLawnmowerEnginenon road emissionsNonRoadEmissionsoutdoor power equipmentOutdoorPowerEquipmentpersonal watercraftpersonal watercraft emissionsPersonalWatercraftPersonalWatercraftEmissionsMon, 03 Nov 2008 10:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1360020/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/11/03/epa-now-turns-attention-to-boats-lawn-mowers-and-weed-whackers/1360020/article-detail.xml 1360020 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/briggs_stratton_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/11/briggs_stratton.jpg -1 2