WaterCar Gator

The WaterCar Gator is an amphibious kit car. WaterCar supplies the foam-filled fibreglass body-hull, described as virtually unsinkable, and its patented transmission. Everything else comes from a Volkswagen Beetle donor car or from aftermarket suppliers. WaterCar compared the idea to the Meyers Manx dune buggy, which replaced a Beetle's body with fibreglass. In the Gator, though, the Volkswagen chassis sits inside the hull instead of the body being bolted on top.

Design

The Volkswagen rear engine bolts to the WaterCar gearbox, which switches drive between the road wheels and a water jet. Many exterior parts of a Jeep CJ8, including the roof, doors, windscreen, lights, seats and mirrors, fit the Gator. It came in twelve gel-coat colours with left- or right-hand steering. The specification lists a weight of 2,500 lb (about 1,130 kg), a length of 15 ft (4.57 m), a width of 72 in (1.83 m), four seats, a displacement hull and non-retracting wheels with over 10 in of ground clearance. Volkswagen engines from 75 hp to more than 200 hp could be used, and a water-cooled Subaru flat-four was a possible alternative.

Performance and ownership

The Gator is not a planing boat. It reaches about 8 mph (13 km/h) on water and more than 85 mph (137 km/h) on the road. It can be used in salt water with proper rinsing and maintenance, and in open water within the limits of a 15-foot boat. The maker estimated a completed Gator would cost 40,000-50,000 US dollars depending on the builder's own labour. In the United States it must be registered both as a car and as a boat. A build manual and video were available.