Camper Trailer That's Also a Boat

[eDJ_]

On Saturday's there are a few things I like to watch on TV. Quest or Dabl are a couple of channels
that showcase things that they are doing over in the UK. Today I was watching a couple who purchased an old
"Camper Boat" and restored it. It seems that this small trailer is as much a boat as a full Trailer RV.

The three threads I could find were in 2012, 2016, and 2018 with little discussion.

Caraboat aka Carivan/Boat

So I did a search and there has been little discussion of these rigs here and I'm sure some may want to camp on
water or land and be just as mobile as anyone else. They may want to have a pickup truck as the tow vehicle with
perhaps a simple slide in or a bed cap. These can have all of the amenities of a Class B or C, but pack a 9.9 (legal limit on
many lakes) to 30 hp outboard motor (on larger lakes). The trailer frame is built right into the hull of the camper and travels on the water
with it's wheels in place. The trailer hitch folds up while the rig is in the water. This could be away to escape crowded camp grounds or
having to look for Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, and other such places to spend a night, or contend with limited time stays somewhere. If you carry a generator for air conditioning you could get off by yourself on the water.

If I were to consider moving into something newer than my 90 E 350 Ford Van, I might consider one of these and a later model Pickup truck
Then park the truck in a secure place such as a marina. The rest of Nomad life/travel would be about the same.

Any points of view on this concept.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Many years ago I had a friend who 'camped' in his MacGregor sailboat, on land or water.

It had a small sleeping berth, and he pulled it around on its trailer, for camping on dry land. And he could also head for the lakes and go sailing.

Pretty cool.

 

[maki2]

Points of view? If it floats your boat go for it.

As to recent discussions no need for finding more archival convos about the one being sold in the USA, you can just go to the website. https://www.caraboatusa.com/

 

[Gr8ful]

Great idea! I've wondered about using a pontoon boat to camp on land or water.

 

[bullfrog !]

Again it is usually weight that is the problem. One of the best I’ve seen at lake Powell is a pontoon with an old VW camper buss shell on the deck. There was also a company that had pontoons they rented you would back your camper trailer on and strap it down.and motor away. Old tent camper trailers have the axles removed and have been mounted on pontoons. C-Dory boats are well done, expensive and require a 1 ton or bigger truck in most cases to transport. Remember you are not only hauling a camper but a much heavier deck/hull and power train on board. Boats get inspected often as well not only for insurance purposes but for aquatic invasive species.

 

[maki2]

Nothing wrong with some fantasy dreaming. You will be in good company with the people liking amphibious cars.

 

[eDJ_]

I agree. But like most products that have been innovated and produced......it started with a dream. In fact Walt Disney built his empire on the slogan.."If you can dream it, you can do it". Today we realize how far Disney's enterprise was ahead of his time. And RV's like those Cara-boats (as an example) are available today but don't account for much of the RV market.

But to those ends the biggest obstacle to the general public is the common availability of such vehicles on RV sales floors for the public to consider purchasing with bank financing. At this point, yes it's a field of dreams.

When I've been out west, I've seen people towing a trailer with a fishing boat hitched behind the trailer. Why not have an all in one RV ? A more affordable solution ?





Now, if someone only wanted a small SUV and a utility trailer.....that would be so EZ. I've only seen a couple of this type of RV in my area in my life.

Just saying

 

[bagabum]

On Saturday's there are a few things I like to watch on TV. Quest or Dabl are a couple of channels
that showcase things that they are doing over in the UK. Today I was watching a couple who purchased an old
"Camper Boat" and restored it. It seems that this small trailer is as much a boat as a full Trailer RV.

The three threads I could find were in 2012, 2016, and 2018 with little discussion.

Caraboat aka Carivan/Boat

So I did a search and there has been little discussion of these rigs here and I'm sure some may want to camp on
water or land and be just as mobile as anyone else. They may want to have a pickup truck as the tow vehicle with
perhaps a simple slide in or a bed cap. These can have all of the amenities of a Class B or C, but pack a 9.9 (legal limit on
many lakes) to 30 hp outboard motor (on larger lakes). The trailer frame is built right into the hull of the camper and travels on the water
with it's wheels in place. The trailer hitch folds up while the rig is in the water. This could be away to escape crowded camp grounds or
having to look for Walmarts, Cracker Barrels, and other such places to spend a night, or contend with limited time stays somewhere. If you carry a generator for air conditioning you could get off by yourself on the water.

If I were to consider moving into something newer than my 90 E 350 Ford Van, I might consider one of these and a later model Pickup truck
Then park the truck in a secure place such as a marina. The rest of Nomad life/travel would be about the same.

Any points of view on this concept.

Love it, thanks for sharing. I would love to find a triple log pontoon boat, strip it of the two acres of vinyl seating and build a light weight cabin on it. That would be so neat to camp on in the swamps of Louisiana.

 

[eDJ_]

Looking around Youtube, I notice that there are several upscale water going RV's
in production. It seems some of these go in the water with their wheels & trailer
as a built in. Others are small house boats that are launch from the trailers that they
are transported on. I could see these used in warmer climates or in northern areas
during the warmer months of the year. I have met people who consider themselves
Nomads but resort to their sticks & bricks for a few months of the year. A 6 & 6
type. But then, there is no one right way is there ?

short videos

SealVan Youtube Video Product of Turkey

Boat Van by Sungwoo South Korea

Mini Big tiny amphibious camper Japan

SEALADER from Germany

 

[eDJ_]

Looking back to the late 1950's era there was an early versions of this form of amphibious RV. Aqua-Trail produced the "Terra Marina", which some would have called a Boat Camper, was an all metal product. Fiberglass was a fairly new construction material that was just beginning to show up.

This image taken of one in the 1970's before its restoration

There was an economic recession in 60-61 which may have dampened the demand for and production of this RV. Had it been offered by the mid 60's it may have been produced in greater numbers.

 

[maki2]

^^^. there was a major economic recession in 1970 that meant the manufacturers and customers has a very difficult time getting loans. A lot of the leisure craft boat makers as well as RV companies such as the one that produced my 1971 little vintage fiberglass trailer a Trailswest Campster from Oregon went under. Within a couple of years so did the sister-ship design of my trailer made in California the Compact fiberglass travel trailers. It is a shame as they were both designed with popup roofs areas and were designed to be lightweight enough (under1,000lbs), to be towed with a VW bug or other small cars. But when the stock of trailers that started being made in 1968, through 1972 ran out no more advance financing was available to pre order the shells from the fiberglass molding companies. Plus all those standard fittings wholesale warehouse stocked fittings that go into them such as windows and appliances also became scarce as layoffs as sales dropped which meant layoffs hit them too. That was a very tough nationwide recession for all retailers and businesses, not just RV and Marine makers, there were a lot of layoffs. That was also the years of the big Boeing Bust layoffs in Seattle and it also hit small plane makers equally hard. Some of us seniors in this forum were old enough to remember getting laid off jobs during that early 1970s era. I am one of them.