Found the dream rig: T-duck amphibious vehicle

[debit.servus]

Two Hundred Seventy Five THOUSAND dollars?



What part of 'cheaprvliving' do you not understand?

Hey for that kinda money you can buy a small helicopter or a decent little airplane and REALLY see the world!

And it would be at or over $300,000 after taxes and registration. There has to be a cheaper way to get my dream rig.

I do like the idea of flying from lake to lake with a converted float plane.

Driven to explore. Remember this one?
.http://www.doityourselfrv.com/globetrotting-amphibious-rv/

Thanks minimotovanman. I forgot about that rig, I first saw it on Extreme RVs.

It looks like he fabricated the truck chassis from scratch, and I wonder how thick and how he sealed the glass for the windshield. As I watched the Extreme RVs segment on the rig you linked my first question/concern was how strong are the windows and doors on the converted milk tanker as the failure of the windshield would sink the rig as its so low in the water.

Can anybody weigh in on my "put a boat with flat bottomed hull with 90 degree angles for its sides, on top of a marineized truck chassie to drive on land" idea? Can substitute a boat for a barge.

This is why I love this forum as we are open to thinking outside the box while discussing new ways to do novel things. If I posted this on other RV living forums I would be scoffed at or seen as a troll because of the crazy idea to home convert a vehicle instead of buying the moneyburning class A.

 

[debit.servus]

Yes The mr_elijah_gardner
I suppose a pratical semi amphibious vehicle could be:

A van that tows a pontoon barge large enough to support the van. Put the van on the barge when you want your boat. 

You could even have the barge be its own trailer so your not limited to returning to the same boat ramp that you dropped off at.

You'd have normal driveability of a van. You could drop the trailer when you didn't need it. You'd be able to enjoy your van on the water whenever you wanted.

In the world of what if's anyway.

Why not pick a van with a cavernous undercarriage (like 80s dodges), pack that undercarrage with positive floatation foam, watertight the engine bay, coat every metal surface with saltwater rust inhibiting boat hull paint, mount an outboard motor via the hitch receiver or chassis extension and install the appropriate outboard motor controls next to the instrument cluster (scale this up for a dog nosed school bus)? Can the mariners & boat builders help me out? 

I'm in the idea and feasibility stage. I believe integrating a drivetrain under a production model boat > integrating a boat to a production model school bus, because putting a boat on wheels is easier than floating a medium duty truck on the water. Also, marine systems have to take splashing water, while medium duty truck systems obviously don't have this ability. 

I also believe building my dream rig will cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

Please challenge these beliefs.

 

[John61CT]

The challenge of keeping a boat afloat in adverse conditions has to be the primary design factor.

Traveling on decent roads is trivial in comparison, but getting regulatory compliance is then the hard part.

No way the first prototype from scratch is cheaper than buying/building a house, and multiple iterations would likely be required.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I remembered seeing the 'floaterhome' and it's in this long but fascinating video:




(7 extreme amphibious vehicles)

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Top Gear built these all the time successfully. Not. Lol.
What you're really thinking about for the ultimate is....
Chitty Chitty bang bang.
The barge idea works and use as a storage trailer for the round the world expedition. Inflatable pontoons as well.
But really necessary? Do like Branson, in a balloon.
Up, up and away!

 

[johnny b]

Everything you'll ever need...amphibiously:

http://www.camillc.com/

Also I remember seeing something a while back...a lake barge you could drive an RV onto...the drive wheels rode on a drum (like a chassis dyno) which in turn drove props...the RV front wheels were on pads connected to a rudder. Just sit back in A class comfort and "drive" your "hybrid houseboat."

 

[johnny b]

Tried to edit...timed out...I think my internet skills are slowing down.  

edit:  Found it.    http://www.rollerboat.com/

Big sucker...not exactly made for wanderlust...but if used as a "home base", might be interesting. (steers 'fly by wire' now)
Left docked in a slip on a large lake...best of both worlds.

 

[speedhighway46]

This idea is so far on the fringe of van dwelling that the subject is absurd.

Just my opinion . . .

 

[johnny b]

Just re read the posts and saw that D-S had already found this site: http://www.camillc.com/
sorry for the duplicate.

 

[sushidog]

Maybe one could scale the concept down to a van sized platform. I'd be afraid it would tip over though. Maybe on a van sized boat you could drive the van down a ramp perhaps a foot or two lower than a flat deck on top of the barge like device for increased stability. Then, when you dock, you could drive your van in front, lower 4 attached wheels on either side of the boat, hitch it to your van and drive it away.

Chip

 

[johnny b]

Blast from the past:


[video=youtube]

I knew I'd seen the 'front wheels steering plates' somewhere.

 

[johnny b]

Something a bit cheaper and more DIY.
For the fellow Deadheads on here:

[video=youtube]   


OK, I'm done  

 

[kaBLOOnie Boonster]

This idea is so far on the fringe of van dwelling that the subject is absurd.

Just my opinion . . .

Indeed it is. Over the years I've always felt that people diverted attention away from the serious and useful question about "Is there something out there that I have overlooked?" with ridiculous freakish vehicles -- freakishly rare, expensive, unrepairable, or whatever.

The topic of this sub-forum is "Miscellaneous Vehicles," but some people think that means "joke" vehicles. I am waiting for a post on the first electric or solar-powered Earth Roamer.

 

[John61CT]

Already have boats and planes, so why not?

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Why limit yourself to only land and water anyways? Gotta be a way to incorporate all 3 into (land, water, and air) into one vehicle.

 

[lenny flank]

Why limit yourself to only land and water anyways?  Gotta be a way to incorporate all 3 into (land, water, and air) into one vehicle.

Helicopter with pontoons. 

 

[John61CT]

The government's hiding the ultimate liveaboard craft at Area 51!

 

[tx2sturgis]

Why limit yourself to only land and water anyways?  Gotta be a way to incorporate all 3 into (land, water, and air) into one vehicle.

You mean like one of these?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-215

(amphibious airplane with wheels)

 

[tx2sturgis]

The government's hiding the ultimate liveaboard craft at Area 51!

You laugh!

I have a friend who actually spends time there...and he wont tell me a thing!

 

[sushidog]

You mean like one of these?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-215

(amphibious airplane with wheels)

Or like this: http://www.doityourselfrv.com/flying-rv-airplane/

Chip