What type of boat did Leonardo da Vinci design with paddle wheels for movement?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a paddle-wheel boat propelled by rotating wheels.

The concept used paddle wheels mounted along the sides of a boat. Human operators would turn mechanisms connected to the wheels, pushing against the water and moving the vessel forward. The design was intended to reduce dependence on wind and conventional oars.

Leonardo’s paddle-wheel idea belongs to his broader study of mechanical power and water transport. He examined how gears, cranks, and rotating components could convert human effort into useful motion. The arrangement resembles later paddle boats, but it was not a steam-powered vessel.

The design is sometimes presented as an early motorboat, although that description can be misleading. Leonardo supplied mechanical propulsion, not an independent engine. As with many of his inventions, the surviving evidence is a drawing and design concept rather than proof of a completed working boat.