CAR ENTHUSIAST John Ortlieb, from Nevada, is the proud owner of not one, but two ‘Boaterhomes’ – a spectacular half boat, half van hybrid. John inherited one from his father and purchased the second nearly ten years ago. His father’s, which stands at 36 feet-long, can travel up to 40mph on water and over 100mph on land. Only 21 of these unique vehicles exist, and John’s, built in the eighties was based on a Ford Econoline Van. The limited-edition hybrid is not just used as a boat, home and vehicle, but also as a unique party venue that you can often see cruising down the Las Vegas strip.
Video Credits:
Videographer / director: Jessica Sherry
Producer: Frazer Randalls, Ruby Coote
Editor: Ciara Cecil
Video Credits:
Videographer / director: Jessica Sherry
Producer: Frazer Randalls, Ruby Coote
Editor: Ciara Cecil
Category
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MotorTranscript
00:00Everyone loves the boater home.
00:04Good times, good energy, good fun.
00:08Yeah, it's always good times.
00:12270 miles from the sea on a dusty Nevada
00:16road, the last thing you'd expect to see is a boat.
00:20But John is the proud owner of this boater home.
00:24A half boat, half band hybrid. It's really convenient.
00:28It's fun. It's unique. It's just exactly like an RV, but it floats.
00:32It's amazing. The features of the boater home, just besides
00:36the fact it's a boat and a van, it's an RV
00:40basically. It's a floating RV with a few extra bells and whistles
00:44that I put into it. Only 21 of these unique vehicles exist,
00:48having been built in the 80s and based on a Ford Econoline van.
00:52This boater home has been in John's family since they were originally created.
00:56I was about 10 years old when my dad
01:00called my mom and said, bring the kids outside
01:02and come see what I'm coming home in.
01:04So we're in the street and here comes this
01:06boater home coming around the corner.
01:08It was so big and it was all white at the time
01:10and I didn't know what the heck it was.
01:12He saw it in Popular Science Magazine in the early 80s
01:16and he's like, I gotta have that.
01:18About right here is where they chop the van off.
01:20And then the rest is fiberglass back with the seamless boat connection.
01:26Custom swim deck, alpha drive, ladder, underwater lighting.
01:32Gives a good about 35 foot sprawl of blue or white or mixed.
01:36Very pretty.
01:38So this is the boater home.
01:42It's the inside.
01:44Right here we got our kitchen counter.
01:46Our stove.
01:48AC unit.
01:50Conventional oven, microwave.
01:52Right here is the fridge.
01:53Dining table area.
01:54This goes down, things pull out,
01:56makes a bed nice and comfortable for two people.
01:58This is the bathroom and shower.
02:00Almost, probably 75% of the boater home is original.
02:04I've done a little bit of work to it.
02:06Made it a little bigger inside.
02:08A little more roomy.
02:10But the design of what the guy laid out
02:12is pretty much original.
02:14And then more little hangout area.
02:16Two couches.
02:18These fold together and make the bed.
02:20So it's bigger than a king this way.
02:22Captain chair.
02:24Helm.
02:26This is where I drive.
02:28This is my gauge.
02:29I've got my fuel.
02:30My trim.
02:31Miles per hour.
02:32My stereo.
02:33My charger.
02:34Train horn button.
02:36You don't have to tow a boat with your RV
02:41and then back the boat in and do all that trailer work.
02:44It's really a one man program.
02:45I can do it all by myself.
02:46Nice and easy.
02:47Never have to get wet.
02:48That's the great part.
02:50It's been all over the country with my dad.
02:53Personally, I've taken it to California,
02:55Dumont Sand Dunes, camped in it there.
02:57Lake Havasu, Kavaleen Island.
03:00We're hitting Lake Powell this year, hopefully.
03:08Incredibly, John has also come into possession
03:10of a second boater home.
03:12Almost ten years ago, I found another boater home online.
03:15The guy was asking almost 30 grand for it.
03:18I'm like, okay, let's fly down and check it out.
03:20And this thing was not at all what he described.
03:22It should have almost been in the junkyard.
03:24So ended up picking it up for around 11 grand.
03:27It's a big project ahead of me, but I'm excited about it.
03:29I'm going to completely remodel it and update it.
03:31Make it basically a 2020.
03:33It's got two Mercury, 275 Odorado,
03:35supercharged with shorty drives.
03:37Got to finally test it a couple weeks ago
03:39after all those years of putting money into it.
03:41And yeah, she's pushing 70.
03:43So this one's actually going to have
03:45a whole other seating arena up there.
03:47So it's going to be a double-decker.
03:48So I'll be able to drive up top as well as below.
03:51I want it to be a smart boat.
03:53Before I get to the launch ramp,
03:54I could, on my phone, turn the AC on,
03:56get all the updated technology in the 80s boat.
04:00First one's definitely my dad's.
04:02It always will be.
04:03And it's a family heirloom.
04:04This one's a blank slate, complete,
04:06and I get to build it from the ground up.
04:09And it's not just used as a boat,
04:13home, and vehicle.
04:15It's also a unique party venue.
04:18You go straight from here, straight to the strip,
04:21and then party on the strip with everyone in it,
04:23like a limousine.
04:24Party rolling.
04:33Oh my God.
04:34I don't plan none of this, I swear.
04:36So it's like a party bus, boat, RV.
04:41It's amazing.
04:42Check it out.