The idea of water skies-floats is not new, but this device is still anything but ordinary. The sight of a man who is literally walking the water always sets the folk at wondering. 

Meantime we should remember that the buoyancy force equal to the mean weight of a man with a backpack is produced by displacing about 100 l of water. That is, a 1m x 1m x 10 cm plate of foam plastic can support a grown man on the water surface. By dividing this plate into equal parts and shaping them into floats, the Russian inventor M. Ulyashev produced a wonderful sporting apparatus. The underneath of every ski-float has six hinged blades that allow it to freely slide ahead and to bear on the water while pushing off. To increase the stability when the sea is in agitation, a ballast – a strip of metal – is attached to the bottom of each ski. Naturally, gliding through the water requires ski poles. Unlike ordinary ski poles, their bottom part is provided with floats. 

The produced water-skies can be used not only for recreation. They can serve as an excellent sporting apparatus and even a good carrier for a fisherman or water travelers. If you are tired of walking, the floats are easy to transform into a catamaran propelled by oars or a sail. 

Source: “Modelist-Construktor”.