Amphicar in salt water

ellwell2 · Jul 17, 2006

I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and paints
that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars in
the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What do
you all think?
Thank you

a_colo_native · Jul 23, 2006

--- In amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com, "ellwell2" <ellwell@...> wrote:
>> Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
> water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
> was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and
paints
> that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars
in
> the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What
do
> you all think?

I for one would never consider putting my Amphi in salt water. Once
you do, salt will find its way into places you can never get it out.
These are the places that paints don't reach such as inside frame
rails and in the small crevasses. That will start a fire (rust is a
fire of sorts) that will patiently and slowly eat your Amphi. No
matter how well you think you rinsed it out, it will still be there in
the small places slowly rotting the metal away. So if you love your
Amphi, keep her safe in fresh water and you will be happy that you
won't be fighting a loosing battle with rust.

John "Are we there yet?" Bevins
Webmaster

Bill Connelly · Jul 23, 2006

<table bgColor="#c8e0d8" background="">
Welcome aboard the List! In answer to your questions below, there are indeed a few hardy souls who regularly take their Amphis into salt water, mostly because they have little choice, bays and oceans being their only nearby bodies of water. Evenspecially-prepared Amphicars (with sealed bearings, special coatings, lot of stainless steel bits, etc.) used in salty or variably brackish waters (likeyour Hudson River estuary) willnaturally demanda LOT more maintenance and care than their freshwater-use-only siblings. It's not for nothing that salt water use once voided the original Amphicar warranty (though that didn't stop the Amphicar Corporation fromshowing them off with public rides in the salty waters of "Meadow Lake" atthe NY World's Fair in 1964-65. 

Thing is,even luxuriating in the sweetest of freshwaters, your Amphi isalready flaunting the laws of physics and chemistry.In saltwater, you're really just handing them bothnightsticks and going, "Nyah Nyah Nyah-Nyah Nyah!". I think I maybe expressing thefeelings ofmany other Amphicar loverswhen I say that if you're just gonna irresponsibly abusesomepoor old standard Amphicarthat's managed to weather the four decades 'til now by just plunking it thoughtlessless intothe bine of the Long Island Sound until it's only left a rust-rotted hulk, then we might prefer you just go get a nice dinghy, or maybe a Dutton Mariner, Aquadaor something else that's fiberglass.Still, manyDOresponsibly use their Amphis in the briny stuff, and you can read a whole lot of their helpful and informative past postings to this List on the topic by sifting throughits Archives at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/amphicar-lovers/msearch?query=salt+water&submit .From these past postings you will certainly be able to glean lots of useful information and contacts. 

The good news is thatapparently because saltwater is heavier, depending on currents, tides, river flow,seasonal rains, and a host of other factors, estuaries like the Hudson will often tend to have far lesserconcentrations of salt in the water the closer one gets to the surface where Amphis play. This is called "stratification". The same is generally also true the closerone gets to shore (like just before exiting the water...Think: "initial rinse cycle"). More on the technical details of this, with some data on the Hudson itself can be found at: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.1.estuaries.html. It doesn't mean you can get away with doing nothing at all to protect your Amphi's well being, but does mean that the waterenvironment there may notbeso unremittingly hostile as one might think.

The great news is that if you DOget an Amphi, there is really nothing quite so grand as an Amphicar chugging through the silvery early morning fog or golden glittering twilit waters of[insert name of Adirondack lake here]...Waiting for you just an hour or two away.

Bottom Line Advice: If you can make the big Celina Gathering of the Web-Toed Motoring Horde in Ohio next weekend you really ought to. See you there!

~Bilgey~

----- Original Message -----
From: ellwell2
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 5:25 PM
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] Amphicar in salt water

I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and paints
that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars in
the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What do
you all think?
Thank you

steve.reich@sbcglobal.net · Jul 23, 2006

Hi-

I am probably one of just a handfull of Amphicar lovers who will run an
Amphi in salt water. Everything they say about Amphi's and salt water
is true. You can, in fact, watch the rust form after a swim even if
you rinse well. There are places that you cannot rinse no matter
what. You can get a few more places rinsed if you take it to a lake
after the salt water swim, but still those salt crystals will form and
turn Amphi torust.

My usual formula is 1 hour drive to and from salt water. 2 hours in the
water. Four hours cleaning up. I have the floor and kick and door
panels off so I can rinse beter. I had the car apart and used Gluvex
on every thing I could reach. My body man used heavy gauge steel on
the rear quarter panels and lower door skins and filled in the spaces
on the inside of the rear quarters, which according to the Digest may
be a good or bad thing.

I have a second Amphicar for fresh water only. I have a large fund put
aside for future Amphi repairs.

Having said all this, I wouldn't miss the fun of meeting aircraft
carriers when they return to San Diego harbor from deployment in war
zones. I love siding up to the Star of India, a steel hulled sailing
ship and waving to the visitors. My Fiesta Island tour is the greatest
with a run from the ramp across the water, up the beach, onto the road
halfway around the island, launch from the beach, travel by water past
Seaworld, up the beach by the Fiesta Island entrance road (since Fiesta
Island is really not an island, because the entrance road is solid and
not a bridge), down the beach on the other side of the entrance road,
into the water and back to the ramp.

Since almost everything on an Amphi can be replaced, there is no reason
not to travel in salt water as long as you can afford to replace most
of everything, every so often.

-Steve

'64 red (AMPHICR), salt water traveller
'64 red (I SWIM 2), fresh water only

Del Mar, CA

--- In amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com, "ellwell2" <ellwell@...> wrote:
>
> I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
> the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
> water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
> was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and
paints
> that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars
in
> the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What
do
> you all think?
> Thank you
>

Bill Connelly · Jul 24, 2006

<table bgColor="#c8e0d8" background="">
Welcome aboard the List! In answer to your questions below, there are indeed a few hardy souls who regularly take their Amphis into salt water, mostly because they have little choice, bays and oceans being their only nearby bodies of water. Evenspecially-prepared Amphicars (with sealed bearings, special coatings, lot of stainless steel bits, etc.) used in salty or variably brackish waters (likeyour Hudson River estuary) willnaturally demanda LOT more maintenance and care than their freshwater-use-only siblings. It's not for nothing that salt water use once voided the original Amphicar warranty (though that didn't stop the Amphicar Corporation fromshowing them off with public rides in the salty waters of "Meadow Lake" atthe NY World's Fair in 1964-65. 

Thing is,even luxuriating in the sweetest of freshwaters, your Amphi isalready flaunting the laws of physics and chemistry.In saltwater, you're really just handing them bothnightsticks and going, "Nyah Nyah Nyah-Nyah Nyah!". I think I maybe expressing thefeelings ofmany other Amphicar loverswhen I say that if you're just gonna irresponsibly abusesomepoor old standard Amphicarthat's managed to weather the four decades 'til now by just plunking it thoughtlessless intothe bine of the Long Island Sound until it's only left a rust-rotted hulk, then we might prefer you just go get a nice dinghy, or maybe a Dutton Mariner, Aquadaor something else that's fiberglass.Still, manyDOresponsibly use their Amphis in the briny stuff, and you can read a whole lot of their helpful and informative past postings to this List on the topic by sifting throughits Archives at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/amphicar-lovers/msearch?query=salt+water&submit .From these past postings you will certainly be able to glean lots of useful information and contacts. 

The good news is thatapparently because saltwater is heavier, depending on currents, tides, river flow,seasonal rains, and a host of other factors, estuaries like the Hudson will often tend to have far lesserconcentrations of salt in the water the closer one gets to the surface where Amphis play. This is called "stratification". The same is generally also true the closerone gets to shore (like just before exiting the water...Think: "initial rinse cycle"). More on the technical details of this, with some data on the Hudson itself can be found at: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.1.estuaries.html. It doesn't mean you can get away with doing nothing at all to protect your Amphi's well being, but does mean that the waterenvironment there may notbeso unremittingly hostile as one might think.

The great news is that if you DOget an Amphi, there is really nothing quite so grand as an Amphicar chugging through the silvery early morning fog or golden glittering twilit waters of[insert name of Adirondack lake here]...Waiting for you just an hour or two away.

Bottom Line Advice: If you can make the big Celina Gathering of the Web-Toed Motoring Horde in Ohio next weekend you really ought to. See you there!

~Bilgey~

----- Original Message -----
From: ellwell2
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 5:25 PM
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] Amphicar in salt water

I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and paints
that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars in
the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What do
you all think?
Thank you

Bilgemaster · Jul 24, 2006

>
> I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
> the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
> water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
> was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and paints
> that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars in
> the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What do
> you all think?
> Thank you
>

I seem to be having occasionalproblems with my postings appearing on the List, so this is a repostingfrom a coupleday ago. ~Bilgey....
Welcome aboard the List! In answer to your questions below, there are indeed a few hardy souls who regularly take their Amphis into salt water, mostly because they have little choice, bays and oceans being their only nearby bodies of water. Evenspecially-prepared Amphicars (with sealed bearings, special coatings, lot of stainless steel bits, etc.) used in salty or variably brackish waters (likeyour Hudson River estuary) willnaturally demanda LOT more maintenance and care than their freshwater-use-only siblings. It's not for nothing that salt water use once voided the original Amphicar warranty (though that didn't stop the Amphicar Corporation fromshowing them off with public rides in the salty waters of "Meadow Lake" atthe NY World's Fair in 1964-65. 

Thing is,even luxuriating in the sweetest of freshwaters, your Amphi isalready flaunting the laws of physics and chemistry.In saltwater, you're really just handing them bothnightsticks and going, "Nyah Nyah Nyah-Nyah Nyah!". I think I maybe expressing thefeelings ofmany other Amphicar loverswhen I say that if you're just gonna irresponsibly abusesomepoor old standard Amphicarthat's managed to weather the four decades 'til now by just plunking it thoughtlessless intothe bine of the Long Island Sound until it's only left a rust-rotted hulk, then we might prefer you just go get a nice dinghy, or maybe a Dutton Mariner, Aquadaor something else that's fiberglass.Still, manyDOresponsibly use their Amphis in the briny stuff, and you can read a whole lot of their helpful and informative past postings to this List on the topic by sifting throughits Archives at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/amphicar-lovers/msearch?query=salt+water&submit .From these past postings you will certainly be able to glean lots of useful information and contacts. 

The good news is thatapparently because saltwater is heavier, depending on currents, tides, river flow,seasonal rains, and a host of other factors, estuaries like the Hudson will often tend to have far lesserconcentrations of salt in the water the closer one gets to the surface where Amphis play. This is called "stratification". The same is generally also true the closerone gets to shore (like just before exiting the water...Think: "initial rinse cycle"). More on the technical details of this, with some data on the Hudson itself can be found at: http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/fc.1.estuaries.html. It doesn't mean you can get away with doing nothing at all to protect your Amphi's well being, but does mean that the waterenvironment there may notbeso unremittingly hostile as one might think.

The great news is that if you DOget an Amphi, there is really nothing quite so grand as an Amphicar chugging through the silvery early morning fog or golden glittering twilit waters of[insert name of Adirondack lake here]...Waiting for you just an hour or two away.

Bottom Line Advice: If you can make the big Celina Gathering of the Web-Toed Motoring Horde in Ohio next weekend you really ought to. See you there!

~Bilgey~

Daniel & Kathy Gibson · Jul 24, 2006

Re: Re: Amphicar in salt water

steve.reich@sbcglobal.net wrote:
> Hi-
>
> I am probably one of just a handfull of Amphicar lovers who will run an
> Amphi in salt water. Everything they say about Amphi's and salt water
> is true. You can, in fact, watch the rust form after a swim even if
> you rinse well. There are places that you cannot rinse no matter
> what. You can get a few more places rinsed if you take it to a lake
> after the salt water swim, but still those salt crystals will form and
> turn Amphi torust.
>
> My usual formula is 1 hour drive to and from salt water. 2 hours in the
> water. Four hours cleaning up. I have the floor and kick and door
> panels off so I can rinse beter. I had the car apart and used Gluvex
> on every thing I could reach. My body man used heavy gauge steel on
> the rear quarter panels and lower door skins and filled in the spaces
> on the inside of the rear quarters, which according to the Digest may
> be a good or bad thing.
>
> I have a second Amphicar for fresh water only. I have a large fund put
> aside for future Amphi repairs.
>
> Having said all this, I wouldn't miss the fun of meeting aircraft
> carriers when they return to San Diego harbor from deployment in war
> zones. I love siding up to the Star of India, a steel hulled sailing
> ship and waving to the visitors. My Fiesta Island tour is the greatest
> with a run from the ramp across the water, up the beach, onto the road
> halfway around the island, launch from the beach, travel by water past
> Seaworld, up the beach by the Fiesta Island entrance road (since Fiesta
> Island is really not an island, because the entrance road is solid and
> not a bridge), down the beach on the other side of the entrance road,
> into the water and back to the ramp.
>
> Since almost everything on an Amphi can be replaced, there is no reason
> not to travel in salt water as long as you can afford to replace most
> of everything, every so often.
>
> -Steve
>
> '64 red (AMPHICR), salt water traveller
> '64 red (I SWIM 2), fresh water only
>
> Del Mar, CA
>
>
Steve,

Now that sounds like a good use of an Amphicar! Especially meeting up
with the aircraft carriers! I like your philosophy on using your cars!

Dan
'64 Das Boot

Joe Biscone · Jul 25, 2006

hello ellwell2, i assume you live in thenyc's queenscounty/borough (the only nyc borough on the li sound)... i hear that that nyc county "on long island" is very scenic (bridges, schools, forts, etc.)... where is your "ramp"? through a tax lien, i will be taking title to commercial real estate on long is. this winter...

joe biscone, '68 [ivory] euro

c. (760) 443-5700 - h. (858) 756-2502

<blockquote style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">----- Original Message -----
From: ellwell2 <ellwell @EARTHLINK.NET="">
To: amphicar-lovers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [amphicar-lovers] Amphicar in salt water
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 21:25:46 -0000

<div id="ygrp-text">

I live on the water in New York City and right beside a boat ramp in
the Long Island sound. Is it possible to use a amphicar in the salt
water of long island sound without is rusting into a pile of dust? I
was hopeful with the advent of all the modern epoxy primers and paints
that it might be possible. I have seen some old photos of amphicars in
the Hudson River. Would it be able to handle the currents etc? What do
you all think?
Thank you

</blockquote>

Joe Biscone (760) 443-5700
America First; Defender of Old Glory;
Thank a 'National Guardsman'

--

___________________________________________________
Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/

Amphicar in salt water

ellwell2

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a_colo_native

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Bill Connelly

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steve.reich@sbcglobal.net

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Bill Connelly

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Bilgemaster

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Daniel & Kathy Gibson

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Joe Biscone

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