Hydrocycle

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title: "Hydrocycle" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["human-powered-vehicles", "boat-types", "cycle-types"] description: "Bicycle-like watercraft" topic_path: "general/human-powered-vehicles" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocycle" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Bicycle-like watercraft ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Water_velocipede.jpg" caption="Water velocipede, c. 1877"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Man_operating_water_tricycle,_ca._1900.jpg" caption="Man operating water tricycle, probably early 20th Century"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Hydrobike.jpg" caption="A Hydrobike brand hydrocycle"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Seacycle.jpg" caption="Modern pedal catamaran with propeller drive (Germany, 1999)."] ::

A hydrocycle is a bicycle-like watercraft. The concept was known in the 1870s as a water velocipede and the name was in use by the late 1890s.{{cite book | title = Oxford English Dictionary | quote = hydrocycle n. [cycle n. 11] a velocipede adapted for propulsion on the surface of water. 1898 River & Coast 9 July 13/1 One of the most interesting items was the Hydrocycle versus Skiff Race.}}

Power is collected from the rider via a crank with pedals, as on a bicycle, and delivered to the water or the air via a propeller.{{cite web | url = http://lancet.mit.edu/decavitator/ | title = Decavitator Human-Powered Hydrofoil | publisher = Massachusetts Institute of Technology | access-date = 2011-07-22}} Seating may be upright or recumbent, and multiple riders may be accommodated in tandem or side-by-side.{{cite news | title = Upon the seat of a water-bicycle built for two | url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5222801/Upon-the-seat-of-a-water-bicycle-built-for-two/ | publisher = Fairfax New Zealand Limited | author = Alana Dixon | date = 2011-07-02 | access-date = 2011-07-22}}

Buoyancy is provided by two or more pontoons or a single surfboard, and some have hydrofoils that can lift the flotation devices out of the water.{{cite web | url = http://www.human-powered-hydrofoils.com/hydrofoils/wetwing/ | title = Wetwing | publisher = Human Powered Hydrofoils | access-date = 2011-07-24}}{{cite web |url=http://www.freaksport.com/de/sports/hph.html |title=Muskelbetriebene Tragflächenboote |publisher=FreakSport |access-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117102012/http://www.freaksport.com/de/sports/hph.html |archive-date=2011-11-17 |url=http://www.waterbike.eu/Articles/WKEutin2001/WKEutin2001.html |title=Human Powered Boats World Championship in Eutin |date=21–22 July 2001 |author=Leo de Vries |publisher=World of Waterbiking |access-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328033649/http://www.waterbike.eu/Articles/WKEutin2001/WKEutin2001.html |archive-date=28 March 2012

Brands include Seacycle, Hydrobike, Water Bike, Seahorse (Cross Trek){{cite web|url=http://www.seahorsefun.com/ |title= Seahorse Bike Powered Airboat}} and itBike. Kits exist to temporarily convert an existing bicycle into a hydrocycle.{{cite web | url = http://newatlas.com/go/2505/ | title = Shuttle-Bike - convert a bike to a pedal-power boat | author = Mike Hanlon | date = June 4, 2004 | publisher = GizMag | access-date = 2011-06-24}}

References

References

1. Edward H. Knight, ''Knight's American mechanical dictionary ...'' (New York : Hurd and Houghton, 1877), vol. 3, p. 2698

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::