BOAT TRIP; $1.2 million puts you in the lap of amphibious luxury.(News)(Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International)

Byline: STEVEN COLE SMITH

Moments before we drive off the boat ramp and into the water in a 31,000-pound motor home is probably not the best time for Julie Giljam to mention that her husband-who designed and built the amphibious Terra Wind motor home-"has never had a single class in engineering.''

No worries, mate. Seconds after we drive into the murky May River, located near the Giljams' home in Bluffton, South Carolina, the water is 25 feet deep. The salty water laps up to the side of the Terra Wind, covering the headlights, but we don't care: We can lounge in the sun on the back porch, toss out a fishing line, or tune in the 42-inch plasma-screen television. Or cook dinner, or take a bubble bath, or stretch out on the king-size bed.

Did we mention this is a motor home, which can hit 100 mph on the open road, or cruise for hours at 7 knots on the water?

The cost of this particular unit is $1.2 million, but John Giljam says he can build you one without some of the deluxe features-a regular TV, for example-for just $850,000.

Recently, amphibious vehicles have been the rage, most notably Gibbs Technologies' British-built Aquada sports car. But if the Aquada is for fun, the Terra Wind is for freedom, whether on the open water or the open road. While houseboats are essentially confined to the body of water where they are docked, not so with Terra Wind. Have a row with your neighbors, you simply crank up the rear-mounted 330-hp diesel engine and move on.

On pavement, the Terra Wind drives like any other 42-foot motor home, though it is lighter. Giljam used a lot of aluminum to help keep weight down, ...