Michael Satterfield
The yearning for freedom and a better life is innate in some people, and many Cubans have risked their lives for a chance to get their feet on American soil, feet dry they stay, but if they are caught in the water they are shipped back to Cuba. Here is a look at some of the amazing car based boats that have been launched from our neighbor to the south.
The original attempt at reaching the United States via car was with the aid of a converted 1951 Chevy pickup truck in 2003. The truck’s driveshaft was attached directly to a propeller, the truck would cruise along at around 7 knots (8 mph). 55-gallon oil
drums were used for flotation. The dozen or so Cubans in the truck
were caught just south of Key West after being sighted by a
U.S. Customs aircraft.
In 2004, three of the original people caught on the truck were trying again, this time in a more sophisticated
vessel. With a passenger compartment packed with eleven people, it was crafted from a
1959 Buick: the interior was welded to be watertight, the prow of a
boat was attached to the front of the car. The most ingenious part of their plan was that the car still would drive. The plan was to reach landfall in Florida, discard the boat parts, and drive to a relative’s home in Lake Worth, FL.
Not to be outdone, another of the original attempt, took another shot at U.S. landfall in 2005. Built from a converted 1949 Mercury station wagon, it carried 13
people and was stopped at the usual area just off Key West. The
Mercury was apparently originally a taxi.
Source: Floating Cubans
