PLEASE EXCUSE OUR DUST; PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian), is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water - just like an amphibian.
This definition applies equally to any land and water transport, small or large, powered or unpowered, ranging from amphibious bicycles, ATVs, cars, buses, trucks, RVs, and military vehicles, all the way to the very largest hovercrafts. Classic landing craft are generally not considered amphibious vehicles, although they are part of amphibious assault. Nor are Ground effect vehicles, such as Ekranoplans. The former don’t offer any real land transportation at all - the latter (aside from completely disconnecting from the surface, like an airplane), will likely crash on any but the flattest of landmasses.
Apart from the distinction in sizes mentioned above, two main categories of amphibious vehicle are immediately apparent: those that travel on an air-cushion (Hovercraft) and those that don’t. Amongst the latter, many designs were prompted by the desire to expand the off-road capabilities of land-vehicles to an “all-terrain” ability, in some cases not only focused on creating a transport that will work on land and water, but also on intermediates like ice, snow, mud, marsh, swamp etc. This explains why many designs use tracks in addition to or instead of wheels, and in some cases even resort to articulated body configurations or other unconventional treads, such as the auger-like barrels which propel the “Marsh Screw Amphibious Vehicle” through muddy terrain with a twisting motion.
Most land vehicles - even lightly armored ones - can be made amphibious simply by providing them with a waterproof hull and perhaps a propeller. This is possible thanks to the vehicle’s volume usually being bigger than its displacement, meaning it will float. Heavily armored vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water (their weight in kilograms exceeds their volume in liters), and will need additional buoyancy measures. These can take the form of inflatable floatation devices, much like the sides of a rubber dinghy, or a waterproof fabric skirt raised from the top perimeter of the vehicle. In the case of the Land Rover pictured to the side, floats in the shape of oil-drums have been used to create a vehicle that will swim much like an improvised raft.
For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles simply make do by spinning their wheels or tracks, while others can power their way forward more effectively using (additional) screw propeller(s) or water jet(s). Most amphibians will work only as a displacement hull when in the water - only a small number of designs have the capability to raise out of the water when speed is gained, to achieve high velocity hydroplaning, skimming over the water surface like speedboats.
History
Some of the earliest known amphibious vehicles were amphibious carriages, the invention of which is credited to the notorious Neapolitan Prince Raimondo di Sangro of Sansevero (ca. 1750) or Sir Samuel Bentham (1781).
The first known self-propelled amphibious vehicle, a steam-powered wheeled dredging barge, named the Orukter Amphibolos, was conceived and built by United States inventor Oliver Evans in 1805, although it is disputed to have successfully traveled over land or water under its own steam. Although it is unclear who (and where and when) built the first combustion-engined amphibian, in all likelihood the development of powered amphibious vehicles didn’t start until 1899. Until the late 1920s the efforts to unify a boat and an automobile mostly came down to simply putting wheels and axles on a boat hull, or getting a rolling chassis to float by blending a boat-like hull with the car’s frame (Pohl, 1998). One of the first reasonably well documented cases was the 1905 amphibious petrol-powered carriage of T. Richmond (Jessup, Iowa, USA). Just like the world’s first petrol-powered automobile it was a three-wheeler. The single front wheel provided direction, both on land and in the water. A three-cylinder petrol combustion-engine powered the oversized rear wheels. In order to get the wheels to provide propulsion in the water, fins or buckets would be attached to the rear wheel spokes. Remarkably the boat-like hull was one of the first integral bodies ever used on a car.
Since the 1920s development of amphibious vehicles greatly diversified. Numerous designs have been created for a broad range of applications, including recreation, expeditions, search & rescue, and military, leading to a myriad of concepts and variants. In some of them the amphibious capabilities are central to their purpose, whereas in others they are only an expansion to what has remained primarily a watercraft or a land vehicle.
Application:
Since an amphibian is generally equally at home on the water OR on land,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amphibious RV

[img src=terrawindonland.jpg width=392 height=283>
On Land.
Top Road Speed:	Unknown.
Top Water Speed:	Unknown.
Length:	Unknown.
Beam:	Unknown.
Draft:	Unknown.
Height On Land:	Unknown.
Clearance On Water:	Unknown.
Intentionally Blank.	This Space Intentionally Left Blank.

Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International has created Terra Wind, the world’s first luxury Amphibious Recreational Vehicle. They combined the best features of world class yachts and Motor Coaches in a revolutionary design and, as they put it, YES IT DOES GO IN THE WATER! They can even customize it to meet the needs and desires for the land, the lake, and the luxury.
Prices range from the $850,000’s as shown $1.2M.
They custom manufacture Terra Wind Amphibious Motor Coaches for end-users.
Unfortunately, CAMI has been a bit tight with the technical specifications on their amphibs, and practically NO information is known.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amphibious Tour Bus

[img height=374 src=web3424bigsplash.jpg width=560 border=0
On Land.
Top Road Speed:	Unknown.
Top Water Speed:	Unknown.
Length:	Unknown.
Beam:	Unknown.
Draft:	Unknown.
Height On Land:	Unknown.
Clearance On Water:	Unknown.
Intentionally Blank.	This Space Intentionally Left Blank.

An amphobious tour bus capable of up to 41 passenger (about 8,000 lbs/4tons) in limited-seas conditions
Features Include:
● Improved drivers cockpit that places the driver in the center of the vehicle, improving visibility and outward appearance.
● V-Hull cuts through the water.
● Soundproofing is installed in the entire floor area and includes a lead septum sound barrier which all but eliminates engine noise.
● New easy load ladder that can be placed into position with 1 finger.
● Large fixed aluminum hand rails for customer comfort and safety.
● Retractable wheels increase the hydrodynamic characteristics of the vsl on the water.
● Allegedly unsinkable. Boats shown above has optional equipment such as glass windows, insulated and padded interior panels, multiple engines, polished aluminum wheels, air conditioning prep package, etc. Hull redesign includes inset axles and suspension systems that lower passenger loading height.
Power Train: Engine options have greatly changed. We now offer the traditional single engine, a 2 engine, and a 3 engine unit. The single engine is the Caterpillar diesel with a rear engine Power Take Off unit that operates the marine transmission. For the 2 engine, we install your choice of Caterpillar or Cummins diesels. One is dedicated to the road and one is dedicated marine. For the 3 engine unit we have one land engine and a twin marine drive system. Options to 300 H.P are available. 2 and 3 engine units are able to be powered with either Caterpillar or Cummins engines. An Allison heavy duty automatic transmission, alternator, dual batteries, and engine block heater. Dual rear wheels are standard. Power will be available simultaneously for beaching and provides 100% combined power application in water and to the land drive.
Marine Propulsion Systems: Standard equipment for the single and two engine units is a 26” bronze propeller on a 2” stainless steel shaft with reduction transmission.
Special Note: Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines now offer tours on the Hydra-Terra’s.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High Perfoprmance Sports Amphibious Cars

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GPA ‘Seep’ (Seagoing Jeep)

[center>[a class=image href=Ford-GPA-trials.jpg>[img height=221 alt=“Ford GPA trials in the Detroit area” src=Ford-GPA-trials.jpg width=300 border=0>
Manufacturer:	Ford.
Production:	12,778 (1942–1943).
Class:	Amphibious SUV.
Layout:	Front-engine RWD/4x4.
Platform:	Ford GP.
Engine:	4-cyl. side valves, 134 cu.in (2,199 cc), 60 hp.
Transmissions:	3-speed + 2-speed transfer case; low range engages FWD; PTO propeller drive.
Wheelbase:	84 inch/213 cm.
Length:	182 inch/462 cm.
Width:	64 inch/163 cm.
Height:	69 inch/175 cm; 45 inch reducible.
Curb Weight:	3,665 lb/1,630 kg (GWV 4,565 lb/2,030 kg).
Related:	GAZ 46 (MAV).

The Ford GPA ‘Seep’ (or Seagoing Jeep),) was an amphibious version of the WWII Ford GPW Jeep.

History And Development: After having commissioned Willys, Ford and Bantam to build the first 4500 jeeps (1500 each) in March 1941, the US Motor Transport Board set up a project under the direction of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) to be designated ‘QMC-4 1/4 Ton Truck Light Amphibian’.
The War was on at full tilt, and with bridges over Europe’s rivers being taken out one after another, it seemed practical if the jeep could swim as well as drive. And so it came to Roderick Stephens Jr. of Sparkman & Stephens Inc. yacht designers, to design a shape for a 1200 kg (2700 lbs) amphibious jeep, in the same vein as his earlier design for the DUKW six-wheel-drive amphibious truck. Not surprisingly Stephens’ hull design looked like a miniature version of that of the DUKW, and just like it, the ‘Seep’ was going to have a screw propeller, driven by a power take-off, operating in a dedicated tunnel spared into the rear end bodywork, as well as a proper rudder.
The construction of the vehicle was developed in competition by Marmon-Herrington and Ford Motor Company. The Marmon-Herrington prototype’s hull formed an integral unibody structure, created by cutting shapes out of steel plate and welding those together, much like the hull/chassis of an armored vehicle. The Ford entry however used a sturdy chassis and internal frame, to which more or less regular automobile type sheet-steel was welded. This construction made the GPA some 400 lbs/180 kg lighter than its competitor. Also The GPA’s design was based on the Willys MB and Ford GPW standard Jeeps as much as possible. When designing and building the GPA, Ford utilized many of the exact same parts that the Ford GPW did. The GPA had an interior similar to that of the MB/GPW jeeps, although the driver’s compartment had almost twice as many control levers: 2WD/4WD, hi-range/lo-range, capstan winch (on the bows), propeller deployment and rudder control. After a direct comparison of the two company’s prototypes, Ford received a contract for production starting in 1942.
Production And Application: In contrast to the DUKW the GPA (G=Government, P=80” wheelbase, A=Amphibious) did not perform well in the field. At some 1,600 kg the production craft had become much heavier than the original 1,200 kg specified in the design brief, but its volume hadn’t been increased accordingly. As a consequence low freeboard in the water meant the Seep couldn’t handle more than a light chop, and certainly couldn’t take much cargo. The Seep’s intended objective: to ferry soldiers to and from ships off-shore, to trundle up the beach and continue inland, was therefore not met. It is reported that many of the Jeeps that were used in battle sank if there were any significant waves at all.
On land the vehicle was too heavy and its body too unwieldy to be popular with the soldiers. Adding insult to injury, the GPA would frequently get stuck in shallow waters, where the regular Willys MB’s water fording abilities allowed it to drive straight through (Pohl, 1998). Production was already halted in March 1943 after production of only 12,778 vehicles, due to financial quibbles between Ford and the US government, as well as bad reception of the vehicle in theatre.
In spite of participating successfully in the Sicily landings (September 1943), and performing reasonably well in inland river crossings, most GPA’s were routed to Russia under the Lend-Lease program.
Postwar: The Russians were sufficiently pleased with the GPA’s ability to cross rivers and inland waters, to keep developing it after the war. Starting out with the chassis of the GAZ-67B, prototypes were created that largely copied the Seeps layout and design, eventually leading to the GAZ 46 MAV, based on the chassis and mechanicals of the GAZ 69 4x44×4 jeep, to go into production as of 1952.
Both the regular GAZ 69 and the amphibious GAZ 46 were exported to many communist countries, and over the years it has inspired several Chinese vehicle manufacturers to develop Seep-like amphibians based on Chinese jeeps, like the JMC BY5020TSL (see also) and the longer BJ5032(XZHE), based ond the chassis’ of the Beijing Jeep BJ2020 and BJ2032 respectively. The even longer JMC JX5021TLYDS is based on the chassis of an Isuzu 4x44×4 pickup.
American distributor Rodedawg is now seeking to bring an adapted version of the Chinese amphibs to America.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[b>DUKW[/b> [table width=1% align=right border=1> [tr>[th colspan=2 style=BACKGROUND:lightsteelblue;>[center>DUKW[/tH>[/tR> [tr>[td colspan=2>[a href=DUKW.image2.army.jpg>[img height=220 alt=““ src=DUKW.image2.army.jpg width=300 border=0>.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Place Of Origin:[/th>[td>United States.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th colspan=2 style=BACKGROUND:lightsteelblue;>[center>Specifications[/th>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Weight:[/th>[td>6.5 t (14,320 lb).[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Length:[/th>[td>31 ft.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Width:[/th>[td>8 ft 2 in.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Height:[/th>[td>8 ft 10 in w/o ring mount.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Crew:[/th>[td>2-3.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Armor:[/th>[td>None.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Primary Armament:[/th>[td>Provision for an MG mount.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Engine:[/th>[td>GMC 6-cylinder 269 cid 91.5 hp.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Power-To-weight:[/th>[td>14 hp/tonne.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Suspension:[/th>[td>Wheels, 6×6.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Operational Range:[/th>[td>354 km (road), 80 km (water).[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Speed:[/th>[td>50 mph, water 6 mph.[/td>[/tr> [/table> The [b>DUKW[/b> (popularly pronounced [i>“duck”[/i>) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. [b>Description[/b> The DUKW was designed by Rod Stephens Jr. of Sparkman & Stephens Inc. yacht designers, Dennis Puleston, a British deep water sailor, and Frank W. Speir, an ROTC Lieutenant out of MIT. Developed by the National Defense Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development, it was initially rejected by the armed services. When a United States Coast Guard patrol craft ran aground on a sandbar near Provincetown, Massachusetts, an experimental DUKW happened to be in the area for a demonstration. Winds up to 60 knots (110 km/h), rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the seven stranded Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble, and the military opposition melted. The DUKW would later prove its seaworthiness by crossing the English Channel. The DUKW prototype was built around the cab over engine (COE) six-wheel-drive military truck GMC ACKWX (a COE version of the GMC CCKW), with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. The final production design was based on the CCKW. The vehicle was built by the GMC division of General Motors (called Yellow Truck and Coach at the beginning of the war). It was powered by a GMC Straight-6 engine of 270 in³ (4.416 L). The DUKW weighed 7.5 tons and operated at 6.4 mph (10 km/h) on water and 50-55 mph (80 km/h) on land. It was 31 feet (9.3 m) long, 8.25 feet (2.4 m) wide, and 8.8 feet (2.6 m) high with the folding-canvas top up. More than 21,000 were manufactured. It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between 1/16” and ⅛” thick to minimize weight. A high capacity bilge pump system kept the DUKW afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to 2” in diameter. The DUKW was the first vehicle to allow the driver to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab, an accomplishment of Speir’s device. The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfaces—especially beach sand. This added to the DUKW’s great versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles. [b>Nomenclature[/b> The designation of [i>DUKW[/i> is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the [i>D[/i> indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the [i>U[/i> meant “utility (amphibious)”, the [i>K[/i> indicated all-wheel drive and the [i>W[/i> indicated two powered rear axles. Although technically a misnomer, DUKWs are often referred to as [b>duck boats[/b>. Another popular nickname was [b>old magoo[/b> or simply [b>magoo[/b>. Though the origin of this term is unknown, it probably refers to the odd shape of the vehicle. [b>Service History[/b> The DUKW was used in landings in the Mediterranean, Pacific, on the D-Day beaches of Normandy, OP. Husky, and during Operation Plunder. [b>Post-War Use[/b> In the latter 1940s and throughout the 1950s, while Speir, now Project Engineer for the Army’s Amphibious Warfare Program, worked on ‘bigger and better’ amphibious vehicles such as the ‘Super Duck,’ the ‘Drake’ and the mammoth [i>BARC[/i> (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo), a good many DUKWs were made surplus and put to use as amphibious rescue vehicles by fire departments and even, coming full circle, by Coast Guard stations. Several were used by abalone fishermen of San Luis Obispo County California to take their catch right off the boats and directly to market, neatly combining the two steps of off-loading onto smaller craft, and then transferring to trucks once they reached the beach. Britain’s Royal Marines still use a small number of these vehicles for training purposes in Scotland. In the 1950’s the USSR copied the DUKW and the Zavod Imeni Likhacheva factory started producing the BAV 485. Production was stopped in 1962. Whenever a natural disaster or an emergency situation occurs, DUKWs are well equipped for the land and water rescue efforts. One particular duck built in 1945 was loaned to a fire department during the Great Flood of 1993 and in 2005, the vehicle spent 10 days rescuing survivors from Hurricane Katrina. The DUKW maneuvered through flood waters, transporting victims from their rooftops to helicopter pads set up throughout New Orleans.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b>LARC-V[/b> [table width=1% align=right border=1> [tr>[td colspan=2>[center>[a href=LARC_V_vehicle.JPEG>[img src=LARC_V_vehicle.jpg width=244 height=156 alt=A_LARC-V_vehicle. border=0>[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th colspan=2>[center>A LARC-V vehicle.[/th>[/tr> [tr>[td colspan=2>[center>[a href=LARC_of_BMU-2.jpg>[img src=LARC_of_BMU-2.jpg width=214 height=142 alt=A_LARC_of_the_U.S._Navy_Beach_Master_Unit_2_at_Fort_Story,_Virginia border=0>[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th colspan=2>[center>A LARC of the U.S. Navy Beach Master Unit 2 at Fort Story, Virginia.[/th>[/tr> [tr>[th width=35%>[center>Land Speed:[/th>[td>30 mph.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Water Speed:[/th>[td>10 mph.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Crew:[/th>[td>2.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Gradient:[/th>[td>60%.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Fuel:[/th>[td>144 gallons total (2 tanks).[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Unloaded Land Range:[/th>[td>250 miles.[/td>[/tr> [tr>[th>[center>Unloaded Sea Range:[/th>[td>40 miles.[/td>[/tr>[/table> [b>LARC-V[/b> (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), is an aluminium hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this day. [b>U.S. Navy Service Life Extension Program (S.L.E.P.).[/b> The United States Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) has directed the Sealift Support Program Office (SSPO) to supervise a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on the LARC V’s used by the Navy. This SLEP involved upgrading the towing capabilities, changing from a mechanical to a hydraulic transmission and updating the electrical system. These SLEP’d LARCs began delivery in June 2007 for use by US Navy Beach Master Units, Underwater Construction Teams and the Maritime Prepositioned Force ships. A total of 38 LARC’s are currently funded to transition through the SLEP process. The first four of them have were delivered to Beachmaster Unit One with no fanfare from LARC Commanders, Engineers, and mechanics. The advertised “upgraded towing capabilities” were none existent, and even considered a down-grade to the already troublesome LARCs. The SLEP program also did away with four wheel drive making scaling of medium berms difficult. Also included in the so called “upgraded electrical system” was a throttle by wire system that was computer controlled. This made engine speed and acceleration very erratic. But above all the institution of a single pump hydraulic system was it’s fatal flaw. The consequence of a minor hydraulic leak would cause a complete loss of steering and braking. [b>Operators[/b> Argentine Navy used them along with LVTP-7s in their amphibious assault during the Falklands War (Spanish: [i>Guerra de las Malvinas[/i>). United States Navy: Beachmaster Unit One - Naval Amphibious Base Coronado California. Beachmaster Unit Two - Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Virginia.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------