Yesterday, The Watercraft Journal took a bit of a detour into an offshoot PWC realm, introducing the Inkfish runabouts – electric Radio Controlled (RC) jet skis that pack a lot of fun into slightly more than 14 inches of ABS with either a Pro-version brushless motor for under $150, or the value-model brushed version for less than $100.
Today, we continue the slight detour from normal PWC coverage – but with a $249,900 difference from yesterday.
A somewhat Frankenstein-ish (albeit a more handsome Frankenstein that Shelley’s) amalgamation of Yamaha runabouts and a Polaris RZR, the Typhoon is marketed as the “first Aquatic Utility Vehicle (AUV) ever made available to motorsports enthusiasts.”
The creation of Shadow Six Racing out of Jupiter, Florida, the Typhoon features custom built reinforced carbon composite racing hulls that house twin four cylinder supercharged Yamaha GP1800 SCHO R engines. The upper portion of the Typhoon is constructed from aerospace grade titanium and carbon fiber.
Specs of the Typhoon include seating capacity of 1-3, a weight of 2,365 lbs, a 37-gallon fuel tank, a total length of nearly 11 feet (130 inches) and Bluetooth capabilities.
Of note, a quick delve into the details of Shadow Six brought three names to the forefront that many WCJ readers will be familiar with – RIVA Racing, Fuel Tech and Wamilton’s Customs.
According to the Shadow Six website, “Shadow Six Racing is a group of brilliant minds working hard together to redefine impossible by leading the evolution of the motorsport’s world. Our brand is an outreach for our passion for precision, perfection, and performance aimed at building the world’s most innovative powersports vehicles.
Shadow Six Racing was founded by CEO, Ryan Goldberg after being awarded an initial patent on an invention called the A.U.V. or Aquatic Utility Vehicle. The A.U.V. was loosely based on the concept of designing a high-performance side-by-side vehicle which could retain or exceed its driving and handling characteristics, while maintaining a fully functional FOX 3.0 active suspension system capable of tackling extreme surf conditions unlike any other vehicle on the market.
The Shadow Six Racing team began work on an initial prototype vehicle with Michael Meives, a 50 year veteran in the automotive collision repair and custom fabrication business in 2016. His custom fabrication abilities, and experience in Trophy Truck racing while residing in Arizona allowed us to prove our initial design with astonishing results. However, there was still a great deal of improvement required in meeting the engineering requirements of such a unique vehicle.
This led to enlisting in the help of Wamilton’s Customs, an internationally acclaimed custom personal watercraft manufacturer, fabricator, and leading watercraft designer since 1990. With years of experience winning numerous World racing and freestyle championships, Wamilton’s Customs is our partner in designing the world’s very best race hulls.
We know at our core that it’s always better to always try to engineer products to be lighter, faster, and stronger in any project we undertake. As a result, we’ve partnered with RaceTech Titanium in order to ensure that our vehicles are manufactured with the most consistent and uncompromising quality products available anywhere.
RaceTech Titanium offers Titanium nuts, bolts, and custom parts for all types of racing applications from mountain bikes to top fuel dragsters. They work directly with many of the biggest names in the racing industry, allows them to bring the best technology available anywhere to the Shadow Six team.
Finally, we chose RIVA Racing to handle the performance enhancement aspects of our vehicles. Today, RIVA Racing spans over six different buildings in Pompano Beach, Florida employing over 100 staff members. These buildings include departments for Research & Development (R&D), Sales & Technical Support, 2 fully staffed Parts and PWC Warehouses, International Shipping & Receiving Departments, PWC Sales, PWC Service, and Private Test Lake facility.
RIVA Racing is recognized worldwide as the premiere source for personal watercraft performance parts and accessories built with the highest quality standards in mind.
Along with their complete line of RIVA Racing PWC Performance Products & Accessories, they offer specially modified watercraft for the serious enthusiast or racer. A strong line of performance products has helped the Racing Support Team as well as many others capture numerous National & World Titles as well as a World Water Speed Record.
Also, in March 2024, Fuel Tech became part of the Typhoon story with the installation and testing of the FT550 on the Typhoon.
Be sure to check out the 2025 Typhoon update video, and all the other Typhoon action on the Shadow Six RacingYouTube Channel, as well as the Typhoon reveiw and test ride by WIRED Luxury Gear Editor Jeremy White.
