31–40 of 285 posts
There are a bunch of small watercraft I really want to try. It’s hard to justify the expensive. The hydrofoil board with a prop and motor looks really cool. Just not sure what the learning curve is like and kind of worried about hitting something and flying off.
I, frankly, don’t understand it. They aren’t particularly advanced devices.
At first glance, the idea of clip-ons in the water seems quite dangerous.
I'm curious how this compares to using fins. Just at a glance, I suspect it causes more drag and is more cumbersome to swim with. But the big thing is if it's more efficient overall than fins.
> The nominal mode enables motion through the water at 3.6 km/h, and for speed-seekers, the SEABIKE can reach a maximum of 7.9 km/h – much faster than normal swimming speeds or even flipper-assisted swimming. https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/seabike/product-68606-564117... Pretty fast, but "superhuman"? For short distances Michael Phelps can swim faster :)
This seems awkward and I bet you have to use your arms just to counterbalance the twist you'd get on each 'stroke' of the leg.
So even though I think it's goofy, I bet I'd like whoever came up with this. Someone who put a ton of effort into building something they thought would be interesting despite a thousand people telling them it's goofy.
Good on them.
> The nominal mode enables motion through the water at 3.6 km/h, and for speed-seekers, the SEABIKE can reach a maximum of 7.9 km/h – much faster than normal swimming speeds or even flipper-assisted swimming. https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/seabike/product-68606-564117... Pretty fast, but "superhuman"? For short distances Michael Phelps can swim faster :)
Super just means beyond, not way beyond. I blame Superman for this notion.
At first glance, the idea of clip-ons in the water seems quite dangerous.
Try holding your breath and just floating, arms at your side and legs not moving. You will bob to the surface. Then quickly release your breath and snap your neck back to take a new one. Repeat. That's all it takes to not drown. You could almost do it as a quadriplegic (though I'm not 100% on "water balance" in that case).
"Seabike says the prop turns slowly enough that you can safely use it at the local pool" Felt a bit iffy about this claim. But looking at the research it seems cadence lowers normally when cycling under water.[0] Fun device. I wonder which pedals would be best for barefoot riding(?). Maybe those strapped ones fix riders like to use. [0] https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/23706
What's the advantage of this over foot fins?
I'm curious how this compares to using fins. Just at a glance, I suspect it causes more drag and is more cumbersome to swim with. But the big thing is if it's more efficient overall than fins.