Water velocipede, c. 1877Man operating water tricycle, probably early 20th CenturyA Hydrobike brand hydrocycleModern 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[1] and the name was in use by the late 1890s.[2]
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.[3] Seating may be upright or recumbent, and multiple riders may be accommodated in tandem or side-by-side.[4]
Brands include Seacycle, Hydrobike, Water Bike, Seahorse (Cross Trek)[8] and itBike. Kits exist to temporarily convert an existing bicycle into a hydrocycle.[9]
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^Edward H. Knight, Knight's American mechanical dictionary ... (New York : Hurd and Houghton, 1877), vol. 3, p. 2698
^Oxford English Dictionary. 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.
