That Aquatic Side-By-Side From TikTok Is More Technically Interesting Than You Think

You’re scrolling through TikTok one night, bleary-eyed yet refusing to give in and just go to bed, when something catches your eye. It looks like a Polaris RZR, but it’s not tearing through sand dunes in Baja — it’s on the water. Rubbing your eyes doesn’t clear up the confusion, because you got it right the first time. This is no RZR at all, but a prototype for the Shadow Six Typhoon.

While it may look like a side-by-side that was gently placed atop two personal watercraft by forklift, the Typhoon’s build is far more in-depth. It uses two supercharged Yamaha PWC engines and a set of aftermarket Polaris RZR plastic fairings, but the company claims the rest of the build is completely custom — from the bottom of the hulls to the top of the frame.

The core idea for the Typhoon, according to creator Ryan Goldberg, goes something like this: PWCs are a blast to ride, but the whole “being outdoors” part is such a slog. You have to deal with the sun and salt water, and who wants those in their life? What if you could ride a PWC, but have a roof and long-travel suspension to keep you insulated from the sky and the waves? Surely that’s better, right?

So Goldberg got to work, designing and fabricating a custom frame that mates two PWC hulls with the sort of offroad suspension common to side-by-sides. While it wears aftermarket Polaris RZR fairings, the frame beneath them is an all-titanium custom job. Much of the rest of the construction is carbon fiber, keeping the Typhoon light. And, did I mention the twin Yamaha engines make a combined six hundred horsepower?

Interestingly, while the PWC hulls on the bottom clearly don’t match the early patent images for the Typhoon, they also don’t seem to line up with the Yamaha GP1800R SVHO skis from which the project sources its drivetrains. While it’s possible this early prototype is using another, less expensive PWC hull as a base, the company maintains that these hulls are handcrafted specifically for the Typhoon.

Dave Bamdas of Riva Motorsports, exclusive dealer for the Typhoon, claims that production will start with the 2023 model year. The price is as yet unpublished on Shadow Six’s website, but Goldberg has claimed it’ll sit right around a quarter million dollars. Whether it arrives by then (or at all), and the final price point, remain to be seen.