Hydrobikes by Fun WaterCraft

Sun Hydro-Bikes, Inc., is a very exciting beach concession/rental operation. Since we opened in June of 1995, the response has been greater than we ever imagined. Our busiest days are weekends. We currently have ten doubles and twelve single bikes available and sometimes there is a waiting list for people wanting to rent bikes.

People often are repeat renters. They laugh, give the thumbs up sign, and show ease and enjoyment when riding the bikes. Not only are Hydro-Bikes fun, but they need minimal maintenance and are quite durable. We rarely have to deal with problems associated with the bikes and never have to deal with “down time”.

Finally, the most intriguing and wonderful aspect is the revenue which this business generates. On a good day, the returns can vary anywhere from $800 to $1,400 dollars!

We are very happy with the operations and revenue of Sun Hydro-Bikes, Inc. To put it simply, people love the watercraft and there is a growing group that come to the beach on a regular basis simply to ride the bikes. The day-to-day activities are enjoyable and it is great watching the business grow before our eyes.

Sincerely,

Owen Barrett - President - Sun Hydro-Bikes

Hello Ray,

It was certainly nice talking with you this morning. Your information about your products was so helpful to me.

I own two of your Hydro-Bikes and they are simply wonderful water vehicles. I am 54 years old and my wife is 53. We ride our Hydro-Bikes every chance we get. We enjoy just cruising along side of each other, talking and looking at the wildlife. We are both constantly amazed at how easy the Hydro-Bikes are to pedal. Just a minute amount of effort really moves us over the water. I would highly recommend the Hydro-Bike to anyone that wants a great personal watercraft to enjoy as well as getting excellent exercise in the process.

Another great feature of the Hydro-Bikes is how stable they are in the water. My wife is really afraid of most boats, but she says she feels completely safe on her Hydro-Bike because of its stability in the water and I feel the same as she does.

Another thing we really like about our Hydro-Bikes is the ease with which they can be taken apart and stored. The hand knobs with stainless steel bolts makes it so easy to break the Hydro-Bikes down.

Best Regards,

Larry Tadlock

Just wanted to drop a few lines about my new Hydrobike. The bike was fun to assemble, using only one hour. We live on a 45 acre lake and the first day I took it out, I couldn’t believe the interest of the people in my  area. They all came out on their docks to check the bike out. My knees will not let me run anymore so the bike is a great workout. I’ve been looking for a replacement to running for a long time, and I’ve found it.

Happy Hydrobike Owner,
 
Larry L. Alderson  

While on vacation in Jamaica, at an all-inclusive resort, we had the fun of experiencing a Hydro-Bike. There was nothing like getting our soaking up Mother Nature and getting your daily exercise. We enjoyed them for a week and didn’t want to leave them behind. We called Hydro-Bike and ordered two of our own and obsolutely love them. We live on a lagoon in New Jersey and ride the waterways almost everyday! People come out of their homes, waving, and asking us what they are, and where they can purchase them. We have only been in our neighborhood for two years and made many new friends just by riding our Hydro-Bikes. What a great invention!!! Our hats off to you!!!

J. Hansen - NJ

Hydro Recreation

Dear Sirs,

The first day the hydro-bikes arrived in the Maldive Islands we assembled and took them to a quiet spot for the trial run. The water was calm and the hydro-bikes performed as they did in the marketing video. The following day was “National Tourism Day” and time was arranged to give a demonstration for the citizens of Male, tourists, and resort managers and owners. The previous night a storm raged through the Maldive Islands creating a rough sea with two to four feet swells just outside the harbor. We were apprehensive to demonstrate the hydro-bikes under those conditions but we had no choice since the commitment was made.

We launched the hydro-bikes into the sea and they performed and maneuvered beautifully. In addition to handling great the hydro-bikes were able to maintain speed even in adverse conditions.

We were all excited and pleased at the demonstration especially when I viewed the audience standing in awe at the demonstration. The look of astonishment on the spectators faces was enough proof to me that the hydro-bike is something very special.

Respectfully,

Ibraham Moosa Lutfy - Hydro-Recreation Maldive Islands

Hydrocycles manufactured by L.U. Moulton were said to be capable of 10 mph in flat water. Many racers included tandem (fore and aft) cyclers on twin-hulled craft. Alas interest, research and development faded as gas motors became common and the bike boat went the way of the Pasadena Bikeway, an elevated precursor of the freeway for bicycles, and the cyclecars raced in Germany in the 1920’s.

Pedal powered boats, mostly paddlewheels, remained visible, including the elegant Freeman-Baker Adirondack paddleboat of the 1920’s. But most people would only encounter inefficient, uncomfortable pedal boats at the rental dock in the park on hot summer days. While more elegant and efficient models with aluminum hulls were sold, the stock wood and now plastic or fiberglass models are most common. The Aquacycle, a tricycle with paddles molded into the 2 large rear wheels was an entertaining addition to the waterfront. All of these are fun for a slow paddle around the pond, but neither seaworthy nor efficient.

With the growing interest in high performance human powered vehicles inspired by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association, and a series of provocative articles and book by David Gordon Wilson water bikes are receiving overdue attention. A modified hydrofoil water bike, the Flying Fish, has reached 14 knots! In 1992 an enterprising fellow named Dwight Collins pedaled across the Atlantic in 40 days, knocking 2 weeks off the previous human powered record. Pedaled submarine racers are also active.

Commercial activity has also picked up and a good water bike is no longer a build-it-yourself proposition. The “Hydro-Bike” made in Minnesota is a high-efficiency propeller driven twin hulled bike boat. These water bikes are gradually finding their way to market as the small company gears up for national distribution. They were first released for rental use and the hard pounding has proven their durability. The best place to try them is on the big island in Hawaii, where they are often ridden far offshore. They are also available at various resorts in the U.S.

I was introduced to them on two lakes in Idaho, rented in Couer d’Lane and Sand Point, and can attest to the quality, design, and efficiency. They are very much like riding a mountain bike or road bike (without the fear of getting run over by a car). At a comfortable pace the speed seemed to be in the 4-5 mile per hour range and burst of much greater speed were possible. Cruising past canoes and kayaks while hardly working gave a clear indication of their efficiency. It was also very nice to be able to stand and stretch, which is hard to do in a kayak.

Look for them here in Southern California next summer. They also suggest some interesting new triathlons: waterbike, swim, and paddle?? Swim, run, waterbike??

Suggested reading:

Amy Nutt. 1992. The bold man and the sea. Sports Illustrated Dec 28 v77n27: p4

Alec Brooks, Allan V. Abbott and David Gordon Wilson. 1986. Human-powered watercraft. Scientific American, December v255: 120-128

Frank Rowland Whitt and David Gordon Wilson. 1982. Bicycling Science. MIT Press, Cambridge MA pp. 303-308. (a great book)

International Human Powered Vehicle Association, PO Box 51255, Indiana IN 46251

Optional: In addition to being a contributing advisor to Earthword, long-term desert restoration ecologist, and straw bale building proponent - - David wrote a book on bikeway Planning and Design (1978), has advised the State Architect’s Office and CalTrans on bike commuting, and helped prepare the first bike route for the California Coast with Michael Moore. He has bicycle toured, kayaked, and canoed throughout the west, and crewed on racing sailboats in the Bay Area. He has been dreaming of pedal boats since 1974.

David Bainbridge

CYCLE  TIME Products
Box 20009
Vernon Square P.O.
Vernon, B.C, Canada V1T 9L4

Subject: Hydro-Bike Explorer

We currently have four Hydro-Bike Explorer I units and have tested them  in a variety of conditions. They are an extremely stable craft suitable for many activities.

Some of the bike trips we’ve taken include 20 to 30 km rides on lakes here in the Okanagan Valley and Lower mainland, as well as in English Bay and Burrard Inlet in the Vancouver area. At times weather conditions created large whitecaps and swells, and yet the Explorer had no difficulty negotiating these (actually, it’s a lot more fun, the bigger the waves get!). Both the single and double units perform well in large waves. Very adept riders can actually surf the craft down waves (great fun!). When  riding into a strong headwind, the pontoons can be made to pierce the waves and emerge out the far side. Also, making progress against strong headwinds is far easier than in, say, a canoe.

Our Explorers have also been used for lifeguard duty in several triathlons and long distance swim races. They were very well received by all the triathlon officials and athletes. They do not create a wake or exhaust  as a powerboat would and are far safer than a canoe or kayak for rescuing hypothermic swimmers. Several resorts also used the Explorers as rental  units this past summer and had a very positive response.

In early October we did a twenty-kilometer trip down the Shuswap River,  which proved to be a spectacular trip, the trees resplendent in their fall colors, and the river teeming with spawning salmon and kokanee. The  Explorers worked well even in strong eddies, and when encountering shallow  sandbars, we were able to traverse them by leaning forward on the handlebars  to reduce the propeller draft.

The Hydro-Bikes are also excellent for fly-fishing, as they allow one  to quickly get positioned for accurate casting (especially useful when using dry flies).

The only way we’ve found to capsize the single model Explorer I is to stand on one pontoon and physically pull the bike frame sideways by leaning backwards. The craft can quickly be righted however, by using a simple strap, which I believe Hydro-Bike Inc. is currently preparing for production.

I personally believe that the Hydro-Bike Explorer is the most revolutionary concept in cycling since the mountain bike, and would highly recommend  it as a very safe and fun watercraft; a wonderful alternative to cycling on busy streets.

Sincerely,
 
Randy Schellenberg, Owner  

Buena Vista Palace Watersports

Dear Ray,

Just wanted to drop you a note to let you and your staff know how pleased we have been with your equipment. We as you know are the only outside  contractors here at Walt Disney World that operate a recreational rental business on property. Our location at the Buena Vista Palace Resort and Spa gives us a great opportunity to present products to guest from all  over the world and test product under high usage. As you can imagine some of the products we have had have not all been positive experiences like the Hydro-Bikes.

Prior to the Hydro-Bikes arriving we had two Sea-Cycles on property available for guests to rent. The Sea-Cycles had a unique look and guests were very  interested to try them but we found them not suitable to our standards  and unable to maintain them. The problems being with the drive trains breaking down under high utilization and also being a non-sealed unit  they would get water into them and rust on the sprocket systems. I will  also make note that we had a guest step on the hollow float and fall thru  the material. I would question the UV life of this product. Along with  the Sea-Cycles we had four Aqua-bikes that we also had an ongoing maintenance  problem with the drive trains again not being sealed.

We have certainly been pleased after 13 months of usage that your product has held up under our customer’s standards and given us not problems to  date. I would personally recommend Hydro-Bikes to any resort or rental operator looking to purchase reliable equipment that will return their investment.

Regards,
 
Robert C. Smith - Owner/Operator  

Dear Dean,

Our second summer with the Hydrobikes proved as successful as the first. The first thing the returning campers asked when they arrived at the Bike Farm camp in June was, do you still have the HydroBikes?  The second question was, “when can we ride them?” It did not take long for the new campers to become equally enamored with these floating bicycles. This year we had children requiring a lot of attention and help with impulse control and basic social skills. The popularity of the Hydrobikes provided a great opportunity to teach patience and cooperation. With one Hydrobike for every four campers, the kids not only learned how to take turns, but also worked out ways to turn Hydrobiking into a group activity. Being towed behind a Hydro-bike is almost as much fun as doing the pedaling!

Our camp employs what we call the RELATE approach, an acronym that spells out Respect, Empathize, Love, Attend, Trust and Empower.  The kids at the BikeFarm enjoy milking goats, harvesting vegetables, helping prepare homemade lunches, and many other responsibilities.  Providing such opportunities is a way that we show them that we trust and respect them, and they feel good about their contributions. We also spend a lot of time enjoying nature, building things, going on bike rides, and hanging out at the lake.  While all of these activities help the kids build their confidence and self-esteem, the Hydrobikes seemed to do the most to ‘empower’.  Let me give an example. At the end of the summer day camp we hosted a camping trip.  The kids decided the best place to camp would be on an island.  To get there we used a rowboat, several canoes, a home-built raft, and the Hydrobikes.  The following day was extremely windy, and against the direction we needed to go to get back to the main shore. Still, we loaded up the canoes and rowboat and several campers took off. Much to their surprise, they couldn’t move against the wind. An eight year old boy who had been perhaps the most challenged camper the entire summer, saw their plight and asked if he could rescue them. He found a rope, climbed upon the Hydrobike and pedaled after them.  Within minutes he had the rope tied to the canoe and despite the strong winds, was able to tow them all the way to the landing. Other children “rescued” the other boats in the same fashion.

How does one measure such experiences? We understand that all the BikeFarm kids are doing better in school this year.  All the kids say they would like to come back to camp next summer.  The eight-year-old who initiated the rescue asked if he could come to camp for the next eight summers and then work as a camp counselor after that!

Anyway Dean, I again wanted to say thank you for giving us the idea of using Hydrobikes at our camp and making them available.  The BikeFarm would not be nearly the success it is without them.

Happy Wakes,
 
Steve Clark - Program Director

 For over the past 27 years, we have been living and providing a foster home for four individuals with mental and physical disabilities. Since we have discovered the wonders of water-biking, enjoying the outdoors and the wonders of nature and exercise. We have also had the opportunity to share the experience to those people we have lived with and cared for. It has been exciting for us to see them experience the same wonder and enjoyment. One gentleman in particular, who is legally blind, has been able to finally “ride a bike”. This is something he has always wanted to do, but has been unable to do so due to barriers of limited sight and safety reasons. He gets on the water bike, and smiles from ear to ear. He follows Bill by listening to his voice. He described it to us as FREEDOM. Another person described it as “FLOATING ON THE WATER.” Whenever we bring them to our cabin, we all go water biking, and there is a feeling of independence and awe of nature that is inspiring to see.  The gentle exercise, the feeling of exploration, and the quiet camaraderie is worth everything. We are grateful to have the ability to provide this experience to people who often discover too many barriers and hardships in their lives.

Bill and Terry Johnson