"Go Anywhere" Amphibious RV

"Go Anywhere" Amphibious RV FARM HOME recreation 28-4-32 Tired of pulling a boat behind your RV? You won't have to if you buy a luxury motor home from John & Julie Giljam. Their amphibious RV's are equally at home on land or water. The Giljams have converted everything from a Ford Explorer to a 43-ft. long Terra Wind RV. The water-land vehicles have low centers of gravity with in-water propulsion systems. The converted Terra Wind RV is powered by a 330-hp Cat diesel and an electronically controlled 6-speed Allison automatic transmission. It can travel at 6 to 7 knots in the water or up to 80 mph on land. A live pto at the rear of the engine powers a marine transmission with a power splitter that feeds twin props inside the tunnel hull. The Giljams have put about 15,000 miles on their show model, driving it to California and New York City for TV interviews and to display it at shows. "The Terra Wind has a true displacement hull, but also uses outriggers that fold out from the side to give it a 17-ft. beam. All the weight is in the bottom of the boat," explains John Giljam. "We get 7 1/2 mpg and more if we aren't running the electrical generators. It weighs 31,000 lbs. with full water and fuel tanks." He designs and builds the custom amphibious motorhomes at his factory in Bluffton, S.C. While his luxury show vehicle outfitted with plasma TV screens, teak, marble and whirlpool tub boasts a $1.2 million price, stripped down versions without the fancy stuff start at $800,000. An amphibious Ford Explorer costs about $115,000. Giljam started out building specialty farm equipment. After converting an amphibious military vehicle into a tour bus, he decided to get into the business. The Giljams are also working on a high performance amphibious convertible they call the HydraSpider. "We are shooting for 150 to 160 mph on land and at least 60 mph on the water," says Giljam. "It's been a challenge just getting tires that will stand up to what we are going to do, and we had to custom build the front wheel drive. It will be about 16 to 17-ft. long and be in the $60,000-$70,000 range." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John and Julie Giljam, Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International, LLC, P.O. Box 1703, Bluffton, S.C. 29910 (ph 843 757-4133 or 888 926-6553; website: www.camillc.com).

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