What Is a Car Boat?
A car boat is hybrid vehicle, meaning it's built to operate as both a car and a boat. This type of vehicle is also called an amphibious vehicle. This name is derived from the term amphibian; like a frog or a newt, a car boat operates on land and water. But unlike other larger amphibious vehicles, a car boat looks like what it sounds like. On land, a car boat looks and runs like a car. In the water, a car boat still looks like a car, but it floats and can be propelled. To create a car boat, you need to add wheels to a boat, or create a car that floats. Car boats range from homemade versions built by hobbyists to specially manufactured high-end models.
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Structure
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Most importantly, car boats are waterproof. A car boat requires welded seams or waterproof marine sealant on the seams to prevent leakage. The bottom of a car boat is shaped like a hull. A car boat's volume must be bigger than its displacement in order to float. With a homemade version of a car boat, the engine is usually an outboard motor mounted on the rear of the car boat with a propeller under the water. Manufactured models often have an inboard motor.
History
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People have been considering the idea of a car boat since the 1900s, but the concept of an amphibious car was really developed and used by the Germans in WWII, with the advent of the Schwimmwagen. According to the December 1944 issue of the "Intelligence Bulletin," a publication of the Military Intelligence Service throughout WWII, the Schwimmwagen resembles a small sports car with a boat-shaped body. The Schwimmwagen holds the record for mass production of an amphibious vehicle.
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Modernity
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The Gibbs Aquada is a duck-shaped convertible, according to Popular Mechanics. The Aquada can travel up to 100 mph on the highway and 30 mph in the water. The wheels retract in 13 seconds and the vehicle switches from V6 to water jet propulsion. In 2010, the Gibbs Aquada sells for about $150,000.
Records
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In 2004, Sir Richard Branson set a new record for the fastest crossing of the English Channel by an amphibious vehicle, driving a Gibbs Aquada. Branson crossed the channel in one hour and 40 minutes, stating that the Gibbs Aquada "is a great beast. It drives fantastically well on land and then it turns into the most remarkable boat on water." The previous record was six hours.
Popular Culture
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A car boat appeared in the 1977 James Bond movie "The Spy Who Loved Me." Bond's water ride was a Lotus Esprit that converted into a submarine.
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References
- Photo Credit Cars on the quay image by a4stockphotos from Fotolia.com
