Pedal Powered Expedition Boat

 This boat is a truly unique project for a truly unique journey. The Expedition Boat is a custom design for Charlie Magnussen, an avid cyclist who is now looking to the ocean for his next adventure. He intends to start in Vancouver, BC and head north on an extended journey that may even include the Northwest Passage.

This is a solely human-powered craft, designed to be pedaled rather than rowed. The drive pedals are located inside the boat, to allow the user to be warm and dry in any weather while keeping the boat moving. The pedal drive connects to a small propeller, which is integrated into the boat’s forward rudder for maximum drive efficiency.

The boat was built at Left Coast Composites and finished at Berkeley Marine Center. Mechanical engineering work for the drive system was done by Brooks Dees.

Rollover tests have been completed both empty and with a passenger and the boat has performed very well. She is unusually stable: notice how little heel there is in the photo above with Charlie standing on the rail. Once inverted in the rollover tests she rolled back upright quickly. The pedal drive is also performing well, with a max speed of 4.4 knots and an estimated cruising speed of 3 knots.