The personal watercraft sector has seen significant growth lately with the advent of new and diverse mobility solutions on water, like hydrofoil boats, pedaled kayaks, flying boats, water bikes, and whatnot. What many of them have in common is the fact that they combine leisure with sports, as they can be used for both cruising and working out.
One such personal watercraft is the JetCycle Max that we’re going to present to you in what follows. JetCycle Max is an innovative, eco-friendly, and 100% human-powered single-seat foiling boat designed for leisure, sport, and mobility, as you can use it to cycle along ocean coastlines, cruise lakeside with friends, or train along waterways.
Designed and manufactured in France, the JetCycle Max promotes a new way of enjoying open water and getting some exercise at the same time.
“Our startup aims to be a pioneer in the design and marketing of innovative and sustainable boats for the water sports and leisure sector by offering a first JetCycle MAX product oriented ‘sport/fitness’ and dedicated to a new nautical practice: Foilcycling,” the manufacturing company explains.
You must have heard of hydrofoil cycling by now. If you haven’t, know that it’s among the latest fads in terms of water sports. And it’s the kind of activity JetCycle Max has been created for. It basically replicates the cycling experience on the water while also creating an almost surreal sensation of flight.
Photo: JetCycle
But balancing a narrow frame on the water while pedaling at the same time to try and bring it to a hovering position is not an easy feat to accomplish. That’s why the JetCycle’s design takes cues from the boating industry rather than the bicycle industry, like other water bikes out there that adopt a two-wheeler frame.
It comes with a stable platform akin to that of a rear-seated sit-atop kayak for increased stability, good performance, and comfort. Actually, at first glance, the watercraft might look like a flying pedal boat or a pedal canoe. Its sleek shell is 11.5 feet (3.40 meters) long and 2.6 feet (0.80m wide) and is made of composite materials obtained by infusion, making it possible to combine rigidity and lightness.
It features two carbon fiber foil wings, one at the front and one at the back. These true marine foils are what sets the hydrofoil apart from other pedal crafts and allow the JetCycle Max to easily and smoothly lift over the water surface even at low speeds.
According to its creators, the Max is easy to handle, too. It is equipped with a crankset with simple and quick adjustments that can be adapted to the user’s size. The pedals are adjustable and can fit rider heights between 4.9 and 6.6 feet (1.5 and 2 m).
Photo: JetCycle
The crankset is designed to allow optimal transfer of power to the patented variable-pitch propeller at the rear. As such, unlike other pedal-assist electric water contraptions, the 77-lb (35-kg) JetCycle Max is a 100 percent human-powered and operated watercraft, as only the rider’s pedaling is enough to spin that propeller. To manage to lift and glide over the water, the rider needs to maintain speeds of 5.6 mph (9 km/h).
The power required for take-off depends on the user’s weight. And the company breaks it down for us - for a 130 lbs (60 kg) rider, it will take 230 watts of power to take off, while for a 190 lbs (85 kg) person, the power needed is 300 watts.
If what you’ve read and seen here tickled your fancy, JetCycle sells the Max hydrofoil for €12,000 (which translates to approximately $11,675). That’s quite a steep price if you ask us, but the contraption sure delivers a good and fun workout.
After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News