amphibian

[whitepointer23]

does anyone know of a plan for a home built amphibian, i am thinking about something not to expensive but with reasonable performance . up to 80km on road and 10 knots on water. not a banana split buggy. maybe it could utilise a small 4wd chassis like a suzuki with a pto for propellor.

[rwatson]

I havnt come across any - but I would be keen to hear of one as well.

There are a heap of threads in this forum about the topic, lots of links and ideas but I can hardly recall any current production models, let alone plans.

The 'amphibious buses' seem to be building a few, but the all get into the $200,000 mark - like a Winnebago.

I do know of one guy in the north of australia that attached polystyrene floats to each side his Suzuki 4WD, and it floated fine - so it must be doable.

[EuroCanal]

The UK kitcar company Dutton sell a kit to make an amphibious car. The kit costs UKP 7,000, and you must find a Suzuki Jimny or similar as a donor vehicle.

Their site is http://www.amphibiouscars.co.uk

The maximum speed is about 5 knots in the water. It's pretty basic - probably not great as either a car or a boat.

[whitepointer23]

thats the style i am thinking of. i also thought of a suzuki sealed on the bottom and with detachable catamaran floats. it could carry the floats on a roof rack or maybe they could swing onto the roof with some sort of hinge system.

[rwatson]

I notice Dutton is offering free 'inspections' on old vehicles to check for rust etc.

The hardest bit is sealing the drive components. Imagine a boat trailer left in water for 2-3 hours, the bearings would die very quickly.

Ideally, you need some way to raise the drive gear.

[whitepointer23]

Originally Posted by rwatson

I notice Dutton is offering free 'inspections' on old vehicles to check for rust etc.

The hardest bit is sealing the drive components. Imagine a boat trailer left in water for 2-3 hours, the bearings would die very quickly.

Ideally, you need some way to raise the drive gear.

it would be a major concern, but i think if it is hosed off and sprayed with lanolin after each trip you should be able to keep it under control. the front wheel bearings might be a problem unless you could convert them to oil filled.