Pedalo

A pedalo on Lake Geneva
A punt paddleboat
Pedalos in Brazil (called pedalinhos)

A pedalo (British English) or paddle boat (U.S., Canadian, and Australian English) is a small human-powered watercraft propelled by the action of pedals turning a paddle wheel.

The paddle wheel of a pedalo is a smaller version of that used by a paddle steamer. A two-seat pedalo has two sets of pedals, side by side, designed to be used together. Some models, however, have three pedals on each side to allow a person boating alone to pedal from a centrally seated position.

Pedalos, being particularly suited to calm waters, are often hired out for use on ponds and small lakes in urban parks.

The earliest record of a pedalo is perhaps Leonardo da Vinci's diagram of a paddle-powered craft driven by two pedals.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ Dumpleton, Bernard (2002). Story of the Paddle Steamer. Intellect Books. ISBN 978-1-84150-801-6.
  2. ↑ "Paddle Boat". Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit: the Models. Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago). 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
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