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.
00:04Good times, good energy, good fun.
00:08Yeah, it's always good times.
00:15270 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.
00:36The 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.
00:45With a few extra bells and whistles that I put into it.
00:48Only 21 of these unique vehicles exist.
00:51Having been built in the 80s and based on a Ford Econoline van,
00:55this 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 on the street and here comes this Boater Home coming around the corner.
01:11It was so big and it was all white at the time and I didn't know what the heck it was.
01:16He saw it in Popular Science magazine in the early 80s and he's like, I've got to have that.
01:21About right here is where they chop the van off and then the rest is fiberglass back
01:26with the seamless boat connection.
01:29Custom swim deck, alpha drive, ladder, underwater lighting.
01:35Gives a good 35 foot sprawl of blue or white or mixed. Very pretty.
01:44So this is the Boater Home.
01:46That's the inside. Right here we've got our kitchen counter, our stove, AC unit, conventional oven, microwave.
01:55Right here's the fridge, dining table area.
01:57This goes down, things pull out and makes a bed nice and comfortable for two people.
02:02This is the bathroom and shower.
02:04Almost, probably 75% of the Boater Home is original.
02:07I've done a little bit of work to it, made it a little bigger inside, a little more roomy.
02:12But the design of what the guy laid out is pretty much original.
02:17And 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.
02:26Captain chair, helm.
02:28This is where I drive.
02:30So this is my gauge.
02:31I've got my fuel, my trim, miles per hour, my stereo, my charger, train horn button.
02:42You don't have to tow a boat with your RV and then back the boat in and do all that trailer work.
02:46It's really a one-man program. I can do it all by myself, nice and easy.
02:49Never have to get wet, that'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, camped in it there.
03:00Lake Havasu, Catalina Island, we're hitting Lake Powell this year hopefully.
03:06Incredibly, John has also come into possession of a second boater home.
03:10Almost 10 years ago, I found another boater home online.
03:14The guy was asking almost $30,000 for it.
03:16I'm like, OK, let's fly down and check it out.
03:18And this thing was not at all what he described.
03:20It should have almost been in a junkyard.
03:22So I ended up picking it up for around $11,000.
03:25It's a big project ahead of me, but I'm excited about it.
03:27I'm going to completely remodel it and update it.
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.
03:33Make it basically a 2020.
03:35It's got two Mercury 275 Eldorado supercharged with shorty drives.
03:39Got 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.
04:03First one's definitely my dad's. It 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.
04:19It's also a unique party venue.
04:22Go straight from here, straight to the strip.
04:24And then party on the strip with everyone in it like a limousine.
04:27Party rolling.
04:35Oh my god. I don't plan none of this, I swear.
04:41So it's like a party bus, boat, RV.
04:44It's amazing. Check it out.