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.
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MotorTranscript
00:00Everyone loves the boater home.
00:05Good times, good energy, good fun.
00:08Yeah, it's always good times.
00:16270 miles from the sea on a dusty Nevada road,
00:19the last thing you'd expect to see is a boat.
00:23But John is the proud owner of this boater home,
00:26a half boat, half van hybrid.
00:29It's really convenient, it's fun, it's unique.
00:32It's just exactly like an RV, but it floats, it's amazing.
00:35The features of the boater home, just besides the fact it's a boat and a van,
00:41it's an RV basically, it's a floating RV,
00:44with a few extra bells and whistles that I put into it.
00:48Only 21 of these unique vehicles exist,
00:50having been built in the 80s and based on a Ford Econoline van.
00:54This boater home has been in John's family since they were originally created.
00:59I was about 10 years old when my dad called my mom and said,
01:04bring the kids outside and come see what I'm coming home in.
01:07So we're in the street and here comes this boater home coming around the corner.
01:10It was so big and it was all white at the time and I didn't know what the heck it was.
01:15He saw it in Popular Science magazine in the early 80s and he's like, I gotta have that.
01:21About right here is where they chop the van off.
01:23And then the rest is fiberglass back with the seamless boat connection.
01:28Custom Swindec, Alpha Drive, ladder, underwater lighting,
01:35gives a good about 35 foot sprawl of blue or white or mixed, very pretty.
01:44So this is the boater home.
01:45It's the inside.
01:47Right here we got our kitchen counter.
01:49Our stove, AC unit, conventional oven, microwave.
01:54Right here is the fridge, dining table area.
01:56This goes down, things pull out and makes a bed nice and comfortable for two people.
02:01This is the bathroom and shower.
02:03Almost, probably 75% of the boater home is original.
02:06I've done a little bit of work to it.
02:08Made it a little bigger inside, a little more roomy.
02:11But the design of what the guy laid out is pretty much original.
02:16And then more little hangout area, two couches.
02:20These fold together and make the bed.
02:22So it's bigger than a king this way.
02:25Captain chair, helm.
02:28This is where I drive.
02:29So this is my gauge.
02:31I got my fuel, my trim, miles per hour, my stereo, my charger, train horn button.
02:41You don't have to tow a boat with your RV and then back the boat in and do all that trailer
02:46work.
02:47It's really a one man program.
02:48I can do it all by myself.
02:49Nice and easy.
02:50Never have to get wet.
02:51That's the great part.
02:53It's been all over the country with my dad.
02:55Personally, I've taken it to California, Dumont Sand Dunes.
02:59Camped in it there.
03:00Lake Havasu, Catalina Island.
03:02We're hitting Lake Powell this year, hopefully.
03:10Incredibly, John has also come into possession of a second boater home.
03:14Almost 10 years ago, I found another boater home online.
03:18The guy was asking almost 30 grand for it.
03:20I'm like, okay, let's fly down and check it out.
03:22And this thing was not at all what he described.
03:24It should have almost been in the junkyard.
03:26So ended up picking it up for around 11 grand.
03:29It's a big project ahead of me, but I'm excited about it.
03:31I'm going to completely remodel it and update it.
03:34Make it basically a 20-20.
03:35It's got two Mercury, 275 El Dorado, supercharged with shorty drives.
03:40Got to finally test it a couple weeks ago after all those years of putting money into it.
03:44And yeah, she's pushing 70.
03:46So this one's actually going to have a whole other seating arena up there.
03:50So it's going to be a double-decker.
03:51So I'll be able to drive up top as well as below.
03:54I want it to be a smart boat.
03:56Before I get to the launch ramp, I could, on my phone, turn the AC on,
03:59get all the updated technology in the 80s boat.
04:03The first one's definitely my dad's.
04:04It always will be.
04:05And it's a family heirloom.
04:07This one's a blank slate, complete.
04:09And I get to build it from the ground up.
04:14And it's not just used as a boat, home, and vehicle.
04:18It's also a unique party venue.
04:21You go straight from here, straight to the strip,
04:24and then party on the strip with everyone in it, like a limousine.
04:27Party rolling.
04:36Oh my gosh.
04:37I don't plan none of this, I swear.
04:40So it's like a party bus, boat, RV.
04:44It's amazing.
04:45Check it out.
04:46And it's just my time, buddy.
04:49It's like a big part of that.
04:52Yeah.
04:53I'm sorry.
04:54And you're on the right side of the thing.
04:56No, I'm fine.
04:57You go, man.
04:58You don't need room.
04:59You're on the right side of the room.
05:00I'm, you're on the right side, and you're on the right side.
05:01You're on the right, but you don't need room.
05:03You are quiet.
05:05You're not quiet.
05:06You're on the right side.
05:07You're on the right side.
05:08That's what I'm sure you got.
05:09You got to go.