Amphibious cars add fun to Opening Day boat parade

For loyal onlookers heading to the Montlake Cut this Saturday, ready to do the Queen's wave and ever-so-politely cheer-on Seattle's intrepid boaters in the Opening Day yacht parade, parking can be a challenge.

But it won't be a worry for the Amphicar drivers, who will simply point their cars into the water and join the parade.

A tiny flotilla of amphibious cars is one of the more unusual features of the annual parade of boats, which typically ranges from Puget Sound's most palatial yachts to the most modest rowboat — or, in one recent year, a rotting section of floating wooden dock to which its pilot had clamped an outboard motor.

But the usual handful of Amphicars, their headlights blazing just inches above the water line, invariably draws the most doubletakes, chuckles, pointing fingers and "quick-Martha-gimme-the-camera" shouts.

But why, you might ask

Why own such a vehicle?

"Because I'm weird!" guffaws Roger St. John, of Auburn, the informal commodore of local Amphicar owners, who don't have a formal club. "I like unusual vehicles, and it's hard to get any more unusual."

Hard to argue with that. His Amphicar — a trim four-seater drop-top with fins more prominent than any salmon, and a frog-faced front end — is one of 3,046 imported into the United States by its German manufacturer between 1961 and 1967.

The cars function normally as road vehicles, originally powered by a four-cylinder Triumph Herald motor producing 43 horsepower. But if you peek under the rear skirt, so to speak, you'll see two propellers, which start turning with the push of a small, separate gear shift, making the Amphicar ready to roll down the nearest boat-launching ramp.

Is there a rudder back there, too? Nope. The front wheels act as rudders, so you steer in the water just as you do on the road. How weird is that?

The Amphicar was dubbed the Model 770, because it could go 7 mph in water and 70 mph on land. At a recent informal Amphicar "splash-in" at Renton's Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, one driver, Steve Lutz, of Kirkland, laughingly summed it up with an owner's affectionate self-derision:

"You can quote me on this: These are bad cars and worse boats!"

More fun per foot

But they're fun because they're flexible.

"We took ours to the upper end of Ross Lake on a family camping trip, and just pulled up onto the shore when we got to our campsite," said Roger's wife, Sonja St. John. "We got fairly frequent visits from the park ranger, but he was mostly just looking the car over and saying, 'hmmm.' "

The Amphicars are legally registered as boats. Each of the three cars that showed up at Coulon Park had Washington boat registration numbers across the front fenders and a marine registration decal — as well as official Washington license plates for the highway. One break on the cost of licensing: The cars qualify as collector vehicles, so the owners don't have to renew the plates annually.

That's a relief for owners such as Lutz, who married into the Amphicar world. His wife, Ellen Lutz, whose maiden name was Ostrander, grew up with two Amphicars in the family, including the one she and her husband still own. The novel vehicle made her popular around Lake Washington High School in the 1960s, she recalled.

"I go to high-school reunions and people say, 'You know what I remember about you?' And I say, 'Yes, and it's still running!' "

Their car is a little more shipshape than most, with the custom addition of boat-style cleats on the fenders. And beneath the front bumper is a small electric bow-thruster — looking sort of like a large food blender turned on its side — to help push the car sideways at a dock. All Amphicars have another feature you don't find on your average Dodge: a bilge pump.

Keeping an Amphicar running — and leak-free — can be a challenge (Rule One: Sheetmetal doesn't like saltwater.) Another Amphicar owner, Don Ross, of Mountlake Terrace, rebuilt his almost from scratch over the last four years, substituting a Triumph Spitfire engine that doubled the horsepower. His expertise grew from his former profession, repairing appliances for Sears, and a hobby of rejuvenating old jukeboxes. There is somehow a lot of common ground there.

The license plate on the front of his turquoise beauty reads "Money Pit." A bumper sticker on the rear says, "I Brake for Fish."

Perfect for fireworks

Besides the obvious advantage in times of flooding, or if a bridge is out, there are other pluses to having a car that swims.

"It's actually the best way to watch the Fourth of July fireworks on Lake Union," Roger St. John said. "If you're close to a launching ramp at the end of the show, you're out of the water before any boaters can get their trailers ready, and you're on the road before anyone else gets to their car!"

On occasion, they've met up with an amphibious "cousin," one of the converted military amphibious vehicles from Seattle's Ride the Ducks tour.

"Roger will turn around and chase them, and they'll throw their duck whistles!" Sonja said.

As boats, Amphicars aren't too complicated to pilot. On our visit, Roger and Sonja's 13-year-old daughter, Heather, took a turn at the "helm," sending a splash over the hood as we plunged down the launching ramp. "Yahoo!" she shouted. (It's legal for a 13-year-old to pilot a boat.)

"How do I get out, Dad?" she asked as she pointed back up the ramp.

"When you feel the front wheels bump the concrete, push in the clutch and put it into first gear," he coached from the back seat. With a rumble and a bump, the Amphicar slowly climbed back up the ramp, water flowing off its fenders as she pulled to a stop to let her father take the wheel.

Looking at the goggle-eyed little car, Sonja said she doesn't have to worry about her husband driving around in the Amphicar the way she might if he drove, say, a Corvette.

"This is not a chick magnet! It attracts teenage boys, yes. So I don't have to worry about Roger. When Heather gets older — maybe."

Are there any issues on their mind when they're out cruising around Portage Bay and Montlake Cut on Opening Day — other than avoiding collisions? (The brake pedal does not work in the water.)

Sonja thought for a moment, then recalled, "There was that one time on Opening Day [when Heather was about 7] when we had to pull over at a houseboat and ask if she could use the bathroom!"

If you see the Amphicars on Saturday, honk and wave.

Brian J. Cantwell: 206-748-5724 or bcantwell@seattletimes.com