MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Is it a windsurfing board with wheels? Or is it a go-cart with a sail? It’s neither, or perhaps a bit of both. It’s a Blokart, a new outdoor toy marketed for children from ages 8 to 80. Originally designed in New Zealand and made of stainless steel and fiberglass, the craft has been known to reach up to 62 mph, according to Patrick Meffert, sales representative for Blokart USA.

Meffert and his colleagues are working to spread the word of this new outdoor recreation toy throughout the United States.

However, working may not be the best word for what Meffert does. His job is to travel around the country, attending trade shows and showing prospective buyers how much fun sailing a Blokart can be.

Meffert said that when he told his father what his job entailed, his father scoffed. “What is this toy you’re selling? You’ve got to get a real job,” Meffert recalled him saying. Blokart USA, part of Blokart International, was set up in March of last year. The distributor for the United States is AB Marine, which is based in Middletown. So far, there are dealers in North Carolina, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey, Texas and California and about 300 Blokarts have been sold.

Blokart USA projects this year’s earnings to be $500,000, and the next year’s to be $2 million, according to Chris Bouzaid, company president. The suggested retail prices are $2,495 for a powder-coated steel frame and $3,295 for a stainless-steel frame.

Blokart International was incorporated in New Zealand in 2000, and has sold just over 3,000 units worldwide.

Meffert will seize any opportunity to show off his product. He said that while he was in Virginia last month, he encountered a traffic jam. Realizing he had a captive audience, he assembled his Blokart and went for a spin.

“I was flying around while people were stuck in traffic.” Meffert said. “They had no choice but to look.”

About six people asked him for information about his product, he said.

The Blokart was created by New Zealander Paul Beckett two years ago so that his daughter, who is mentally and physically disabled, could enjoy outdoor activity along with the rest of the family.

“He wanted something safe and easy for her to do as recreation,” Meffert said.Meffert said it appealed mostly to those with “a need-for-speed thing going on,” like sailors, surfers and mountain-bikers.