boatieblog: First Look: Gibbs Shows Off Two New Amphitrucks

Source: Gibbs

Have you ever wanted to just move to your own island, only resurfacing to society when it was absolutely necessary? Maybe you have terrible neighbors and would just love to have a moat around your house but can’t justify the cost of a draw bridge. With one of Gibbs new High Speed Amphibians (HSA) you may have run out of reasons to not go ahead and dig that moat.

Phibian, Source: Gibbs

This vehicle is a combination of a couple of my favorite things, trucks and boats. The Phibian HSA debuts with a 500hp twin turbo diesel engine and uses twin jet drives for amphibious propulsion. The amphitruck is made primarily constructed of carbon fiber and has a curb weight of 4,500lbs which is right on par with a standard full size pick-up’s weight. The Phibian has a unique drive system that allows the wheels to propel the vehicle in either front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or a selectable four wheel drive configurations. The vehicle can cruise up to highway speeds on road and can travel from land to water and convert in less than 10 seconds. Once on plane the hull and jet drives can carry the boat at 30+ mph. Built primarily for multiple transport, first responder, and military applications; the Phibian has a payload of 1500lbs and can be configured for ultimate utility.

Humdinga II, Source: Gibbs

The second amphitruck Gibbs has developed is called the Humdinga II. An evolution of the original Humdinga prototype, this configuration uses a 350hp supercharged V8 and has a curb weight of 4,960lbs. The Humdinga has a permanent four wheel drive system and a slightly larger payload at 1,653lbs. While the two amphitrucks aren’t the most aesthetic vessels on the water the sheer utility of the vessels is quite alluring. Something tells me that boat ramp watching would be far less entertaining if we all drove amphibious vehicles; although these could significantly reduce the crowded trailer parking at my local ramp.

Click past the jump for more photos of the new HSAs.

Gibbs as a couple more amphibious vehicles including a car, and a quad/jet ski, check them out.