10:46 a.m. [View larger]

Peter Vermeulen has used this amphibious boat to take his 84-year-old mother from the yard of his West Seattle house into the water and back without getting their feet wet. Push a button, the wheels fold up and you're ready to sail. "We don't have to worry about the tides, we can launch and retrieve from any beach," says Vermeulen, regional president of Sealegs, the New Zealand company that makes these boats. It's intended for waterfront homeowners, but police and rescue agencies also use the James Bond-style craft, he explains.

The Sealegs is one of more than 200 boats - from kayaks and dinghies to a $3.2 million yacht (I'll post a sketch on Friday) - on display at the Seattle Boat Show, which returns to Shilshole Bay Marina after 4 years. Doors are open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

I'm still saving for my waterfront home, but it's good to know I'll need extra room for my Sealegs.