e-Quad & XE-3 Concept Designs.
Client: Manta5
This was a fun exploratory project to develop a series of concept designs for the founder of the Manta5 foiling water bike project, Guy Howard Willis. The purpose of the designs was to extend the thinking of the current project team and to provide visuals to help communicate the founder’s vision for the product roadmap to potential investors.
One of the questions asked was how could you increase buoyancy or lift to assist in take-off to get up and foiling, which would then become clear of the water to reduce drag once you were up and away?
One idea was the e-Quad concept which had a wider more buoyant body that would provide better stability for a step-up water mount. This surfboard like hull would lift clear of the water once you were up and foiling. Windage issues aside, this one was kind of cool.
An alternative concept was the XE-3 elliptical foil, which provided additional lift when the whole foil was in the water, but once you were up and foiling the top half would be clear of the water to reduce drag. The top half of the foil also provided a handy step up to assist with water starts.
Another idea was to propose a set of handle bars on an eccentric mount so that these could be adjusted up and down, forward and back and with variable angle of tilt, to suit the stance, size and preferred point of balance for different riders.
Role: Industrial designer.
Tasks: Concept designs and renderings.