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Meet LaBoata, the Legendary Mutant Boat-Car Built for No Apparent Reason

File this under “things that shouldn’t exist, but how awesome it is that they do!” Out of the town of Spokane, Washington comes a so-called boat-car czar who has been delivering smiles to the community for over a decade with his quirky inventions. Inventions like the LaBoata.
Tim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whim 9 photos
Photo: Facebook / American Nitro
Tim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whimTim Lorentz's LaFloataTim Lorentz and his most recent build, LaDeska
LaBoata is the legendary Spokane boat-car, a national celebrity, and a vehicle for good deeds in the most literal sense, because its builder has been using it for charity all these years. Designed and built more on a whim back in 2009, it’s a mutant boat car that would only float just once (because everything floats for a while that first time, as its creator would say) but that’s a perfectly road-legal car.

LaBoata is the most famous car in the city, not because its build is overly complicated, but because of the near-perfect illusion it creates when traveling: see it on the road and the eye is instantly tricked into seeing a boat. In reality, the LaBoata is a Frankenstein of sorts, with a Chrysler LeBaron underneath and a speedboat on top.

Boat cars are not exactly a rarity, as neither are all kinds of uniquely-shaped vehicles that have been registered for road use. If there’s someone who can drive a banana car around for and with tourists onboard, a boat car seems almost tame by comparison. But what makes LaBoata stand out is actually the fine company it keeps, and the noble purpose it’s been put to.

Tim Lorentz and his most famous creation, LaBoata, a boat car he built on a whim
Photo: Facebook / Judy Meyer-Franklin
Its story starts in 2009, when Tim Lorentz, a teacher in the city, decided to build a strange contraption – not because he needed it or because he wanted to get more attention to himself, but perhaps because he was – and still is – a kid inside. The first version of LaBoata featured a 1994 Chrysler LeBaron convertible he’d bought for $700, and the hallowed hull of a cream-colored 1976 Apollo tri-hull that he’d bought for $100.

As you can see in the video at the bottom of the page, adding the hull on top of the car means you can no longer open up the doors, which Tim’s wife finds a most unlady-like manner of getting inside. But to everyone else, this is not important, because the ride itself is a blast, especially since Tim goes all out of his way to make it memorable – whether that means rocking full captain’s gear, putting his father in a crab costume in the backseat, or asking his passengers to wear a safety vest for the entire duration of the ride.

The 3-liter V6 engine is reliable and perfectly capable of taking him as fast as 100 mph (161 kph), though Tim rarely saw the point of going that fast. The LaBoata is heavier and wider than a regular car, so it drives like a boat, but Tim has gotten accustomed to it. For fun, he put an outdrive on the back, rigging a tail-end windshield washer so he can squirt water on the windshield of the cars behind him or pedestrians on the sidewalk.

In his many interviews with the media, both old and newer, Tim always maintained that he didn’t build his car to attract attention or cause a fuss around himself. He did it just because he loved the idea – and he loves it that others love it, as well. The increased attention means he can use it to do good, so people usually rally to bid for rides in LaBoata at various charity events.

In 2014, on LaBoata’s fifth anniversary, Tim gave it the birthday gift of a reboot. The LeBaron was starting to show its age, so Tim was faced with the alternative to discard LaBoata altogether, fix the car, or find another to put under the hull of the boat. He opted for the third alternative, so he secured a ‘92 LeBaron with 72,000 miles (115,872 km) on the odometer for $1,400. Since this was a present for the famous boat car, he added a new sound system and a new paintjob.

Tim Lorentz's LaFloata
Photo: Tim Lorentz
Hilariously, Tim didn’t stop here with his creations, though LaBoata remains his most famous to date. In 2015, he created LaFloata, which is an actual 1980s Crestliner speedboat he bought for just $100 (trailer included), and which sits on the edge of his family home pool. The LaFloata appears to float inside the pool, but in reality, it’s propped into the ground by the pool, so that it only leans onto the water and touches it with one half of the hull. Tim has only kept the hull and the interior, so it’s now a sort of lounge for the family.

Then, in 2017, in another instance of creative recycling – because that’s the term that best describes what Tim is doing – he created LaDeska. Granted, as funny as the names he comes up with are, they’re not exactly subtle: LaDeska is a desk he made from the front end of a 1969 Lincoln Mark III Continental that his brother bought for $500 because he needed the engine for a transplant. Tim kept the front end and turned it into a desk that he brought into the Newtech Skill Center administrative offices, functional headlights and all.

Whenever he’s featured in the local media, Tim Lorentz is described as a local hero that is part mad genius, part kid that refuses to grow up, and an all-around good guy, always with a joke to tell and a smile on his face.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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