by Joe Jeffrey
Ever wanted to combine your love of caravanning with life on the ocean – well, river – waves? Watch to find out how these people did exactly that with the help of an amphibious caravan
The caravan you are about to see is unlike any other caravan you’ve seen before – unless you’re one of the lucky testers featured in the video that is.
Ladies and gentlemen, we introduce to you the Otter.
Billed as a “caravan just as much at home in the water than on land” and invented by designer Alan Eckford in 1955, the Otter is quite possibly the first ever amphibious caravan. Yes, we’ve seen various amphibious leisure vehicles in our time, but considering the footage is 60 years old, it certainly goes to show Eckford, who refused to accept the limitation of caravans, was certainly ahead of his time.
In the video, unearthed by British Pathé, two couples arrive at a caravan site only to free their caravan from their tow car and transform it into a mode of water transport unlike anything we here at CaravanTimes have seen before.
A few quick alterations later, including removing the caravan’s chassis as well as the addition of a 1.5 horsepowered engine and steering rudder, and the Otter is transformed instantaneously into a riverboat able to move at a relaxing four-miles-per-hour.
Check out the video below and let us know what you think. Is the Otter something you’d contemplate hopping on board for a leisurely cruise down the river or does it simply not rock your boat? Boom boom.
