Leonardo da Vinci’s paddle boat was an invention that used paddles to propel a boat through water.
His design placed paddle wheels along the sides of a boat. Cranks and gears connected the paddles to mechanisms that a person could operate, converting rotary motion into forward movement. The concept resembles later paddle steamers, although Leonardo’s design depended on human power rather than a steam engine.
The drawing belongs to Leonardo’s broader study of water engineering, which included canals, pumps, locks, and boats. He was interested in reducing the effort needed to move vessels and goods across waterways.
This design should not be confused with Leonardo’s screw-propelled boat concepts or with modern propeller-driven craft. No evidence shows that the paddle boat was built and tested in Leonardo’s lifetime; it survives primarily as an inventive Renaissance design.