A former West End rickshaw driver has created a high-speed aquatic hoverboard partly inspired by battery-assisted pedicabs .
Ross Kemp’s 23kg Wave Jam electric-powered water craft, made from dense foam, zips along at 10mph. Propulsion comes from a 4,000rpm propeller inside a tube.
Mr Kemp, 30, had the idea for a powered board while doing swimming therapy for a broken leg. He thought of turbocharging it after ferrying passengers around Covent Garden while competitors used battery-assisted rickshaws. He said: “I designed it as a rescue product because as a lifesaver myself I realised how difficult it is to tow someone back to shore. But I realised it was loads of fun and we needed a leisure version too.”
He pitched an early design on the BBC’s Be Your Own Boss show. He has now raised £250,000 on Crowdcube for his latest version.