Among other things, Josep Rubau has designed cars for Volkswagen, and was the creator of the Tramontana supercar. Now, the Spanish industrial designer is CEO of RedShark Bikes, a company that sells a pedal-powered prop-driven trimaran which he invented.
There are actually three versions of the RedShark trimaran – the recreation-oriented Fun, the rough-and-ready Adventure and the high-performance Sport.
The first two models are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), with the Adventure adding frame-mounted packs and a watertight “trunk” for taking extra gear on wilderness trips, along with thicker plastic reinforcing the underside of its three hulls. The Sport is designed more with speed in mind, as it’s constructed almost entirely of lightweight carbon fiber, although a protective layer of HDPE is added to its underside.
Additionally, if buyers wish, they can upgrade the Fun and Adventure to carbon fiber.
All three models feature a retractable rudder, salt water-proof drive shaft, stainless steel nuts and bolts, and a folding design that allows them to be transported on a regular car-mounted bicycle rack. In order to get them from that rack to the water, users can roll them along on a small set of wheels built into the rear of the main hull.
Pedal-powered trimaran lets cyclists hit the water [New Atlas]