00:00 You have a boat, you have a car and you have a convertible. So it's all three in one.
00:07 COMM: Mark Ray from Atlanta, Georgia always
00:16 loved boats. But it was only after his wife set him a challenge that he decided to create
00:21 a boat car.
00:22 MARK RAY The boat car started about three years ago.
00:24 My wife had breast cancer and after her surgery I was taking care of her and she came in the
00:29 bedroom and said to me, "Why don't you build a boat car?" And I had no idea what's
00:33 a boat car. So I looked at it, I researched it and she said, "I bet you can't do it."
00:38 And in a year I built it and I won the bet and I kept the boat car.
00:42 COMM: Mark was given a recovered 18.5C Ray
00:47 Bow Rider boat for free, which was stripped of its motor, out drive and interior. He bought
00:53 a GMC Jimmy, which was cut apart and the boat was installed on top. It was then down to
00:59 Mark to add the finishing touches and he couldn't resist the nautical theme.
01:03 MARK RAY People ask me frequently, "How do you get
01:05 in my boat car?" I go, "You get in the back of the ladder." They go, "But where's
01:09 the door?" I go, "This is a boat, it's not a car." So we've been asked that so
01:14 many times I ended up putting on door handles. These are fake door handles. You climb up
01:19 the ladder and you're in. I even have a handy-dandy propeller. It doesn't do much
01:25 but it sure does look good. Fishing rod holders. And of course Scully, he looks out for everybody
01:32 getting in and out of the boat.
01:34 COMM: The boat car is fitted with the Jimmy's
01:36 original engine to give it some oomph on the open road.
01:40 MARK RAY This is the expanded metal where air comes
01:42 through to keep the engine cool into the radiator. This is my engine area and I have it covered
01:48 with diamond plate. The boat car does move along pretty fast. It's got a 4.3 V6. Won't
01:53 burn rubber but it does run good.
01:56 COMM: To make it street legal, the vehicle
01:58 had to be fitted with head and tail lights, indicators, a horn, seat belts and mirrors.
02:04 MARK RAY Practicality, it's fun but it's not
02:07 real practical.
02:08 COMM: Mark's creation has won trophies and
02:10 plaques at car shows. But it also stops traffic when he takes it for a spin on the school
02:15 run.
02:15 MARK RAY People are crazy. I'm driving and all of
02:19 a sudden I hear the cars honking and people waving. My daughter and I have seen people
02:23 videotape and run right off into the shoulder. It always puts a smile on someone's face.
02:28 It's a very novel idea. I'd have to take it for a spin to see how it really floats.
02:32 It's awesome. It's an eye catcher for sure.
02:35 Would you drive it?
02:36 Oh, in a heartbeat.
02:37 COMM: And it also floats Mark's family's
02:39 boat.
02:40 It's brought a lot of comic relief to my mom's cancer treatments and everything.
02:44 People look at the boat car and go crazy and
02:49 she laughs about it.
02:50 COMM: Mark spent $10,000 and one year building
02:54 the boat car. He's been offered $30,000 for it but he's determined to keep his pride
02:59 and joy in the family.
03:00 MARK RAY I'm not trading it and I'm not selling
03:02 it. I had one guy offer me jewellery and I told him, "If you keep your jewellery, I'm
03:06 keeping the boat car. It's going to be passed down to the kids."
03:08 (upbeat music)
Comments