What do you call a boat with a VW engine? Reed Windmiller, the developer, calls it the Boatswagen. As corny as it sounds, it's quite an impressive build, considering his 1967 Silver Line boat currently runs the iconic 2004 VW R32 engine. Deutsche Auto Parts recently featured his story on their YouTube channel.
Windmiller has been using this boat for quite some time – it's been seven years since he first showcased it. According to Deutsche Auto Parts, his Boatswagen first featured on VWvortex a couple of years ago before fading into obscurity.
"It started off as a GM-powered four-cylinder with 120 hp. So, when I got it, I tested it on land, and everything sounded fine." Windmiller revealed.
After getting it in water, its condition started deteriorating and soon started making weird noises. Windmiller suspects it spun a bearing. At that point, he decided to try out something different.
After searching for a cheap replacement for a long time (at that time most engines cost about $800-$1,000), he stumbled upon a Volkswagen VR6 engine for $400 and he was sold.
"Every time I got online trying to see if anybody's ever done it before, the common response was, yeah, it can't be done. You can't put a VR6 in a boat. That will never work." Windmiller said.
That's all the motivation the Boatswagen developer needed to get started on the new project to prove the world wrong. He reveals that completing the conversion cost him more than $400. It wasn't a cheap or simple build and took some tweaking before it could run properly.
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Deutsche Auto Parts
For starters, he needed to make sure that it fit in the same way the original motor did. That meant ensuring it went into the out-drive correctly. The alternative would require a reverse out-drive which would have been chaotic.
The Boatswagen also doesn't run a transmission. Instead, he had his friend CNC a cone adapter that bolts directly into the flywheel from a manual transmission car. At the end of the cone, he fitted an adapter that goes to the output shaft (uses a marine adapter).
Since the engine wasn't designed for a boat, he had to modify the mountings. He built two stands on the front braced with rubber bushings to hold it steady on the boat's floor.
He also modified the oil pan (there wasn't enough clearance on the ground) and the exhaust.
The only problem he experienced during the build was vapor lock. But after making sure the VR6's fuel line runs back into the tank instead of back into itself, the problem was solved.
It's still a work in progress, but he's glad he built it to a point where it's reliable and can take it out to the water. We recommend watching the video for more information about this unique conversion.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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