I know buying this 1942 GMC DUKW doesn’t make particularly sense, but it is just so cool that I want it! If you don’t know what a DUKW is, it is an amphibious truck built for WWII. It was designed primarily to transport supplies from ships to beaches, but they proved so capable that they were deployed in all kinds of environments to haul everything from ammunition to people. Outside of using it for duck hunting or to haul tourists around, I’m not really sure what you would do with something like this. I guess the possibilities are really endless with the right amount of imagination! Given that they are more commonly known as the Duck, it could be turned into the perfect duck hunting blind (maybe a certain bearded family of duck hunters would like to save it)! This thing is going to be an expensive project, especially with an asking price of nearly $40k. Making it water tight will be one of the biggest challenges, but if you could pull it off you would have one versatile machine! If you are interested in giving it a home or just want to take a closer look at this piece of history, you can find it here on craigslist in Newport Beach, California. Special thanks to Robert M for this tip!
You spelled ambitious wrong
but amphibious is correct
He will sell the rare DUKW specific trailer for an additional $3500. If the buyer doesn’t take it, who the hell else would want/need it? Seems to me you would throw it in just to move metal.
+1
Unless you own a DUKW, no need for the trailer….
They use these even today in downtown Boston. I wondered why they called them Ducks. Now I know. Thanks.
They use these for tours in Philadelphia, too. One rammed a barge last year and a bunch of European tourists drowned.
They use them in Seattle for taking tourists on tours of the lake and city. Great ride for not a lot of money.
Very popular tourist attraction in Seattle. The operator has a fleet (flock?) or 12-15 of them and are constantly roaming the city, especially this time of year. If you go to any restuarant with a view of Lake Union, you will see one entering the water every twenty minutes or so and there are usually three tooling around in the water at any given time.
http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/
Used to take the family to Wisconsin Dells every other summer and we road these thing a lot, the drivers would intentionally drive in to the water fast to spray everyone with water. Almost 40K and no trailer except for an extra $3500 then you have to finish restoration along with engine rebuilt but never started or tested. No Thanks even if I needed one I wouldn’t pay that much with that many issues to deal with.
Hi JW, indeed, the Wisconsin Dells Ducks is a huge attraction. They have 92 Ducks ( largest in the world, allegedly) and have been in operation for over 70 years. I heard parts are getting scarce, and I’m sure the Dells Duck company already has their eyes on this one. Once, while taking a break along the Wisconsin River, near the Dells, a Duck went by and got hung up on a sandbar.( very common on the Wis. River) The operator tried feverishly to get it free, by rocking it back and forth, with a lot of grinding. Those folks on the ride got more action than they paid for.
http://www.travelwisconsin.com/uploads/places/a4/a42c9eb3-3533-4d79-a6a5-d36b824a7113-wisconsin-dells-duck-boat.jpg?preset=detail-slider-desktop
Howard yea they were a lot of fun for my kids they loved them. I’m sure a business who already has them would jump on this one to restore to add to their fleet or use for parts, it just won’t fit in my driveway. With all the rain we are getting here in the Kansas City area we could use one in operating condition Ha Ha !!!
It’s Robert R. not Robert M. FYI. Cheers, Robert R.
i too think the business that have these would be interested in this one either for parts or to get running. i hope the seller is taking offers. great find.
Didn’t I see a story a few years ago that these were having a lot of issues sinking with tourists on board? They were being used as a local attraction in a downtown district and several had sunk.
There was one that sank in Seattle. It was the case of someone simply not reinstalling the drain plug after they had cleaned out the bilge. All passengers were rescued safely and since it happened in fresh water, the DUKW was salvaged and I believe it was repaired and still on the route.
They are used as a tourist attraction in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor also.
When i was a teenager in the ’70s, a couple of local volunteer fire departments had two of them. The claim was that they were for amphibious rescue (not unreasonable in South Louisiana), but I think the real reason was that they were a fun way to spend VFD funds.
This DUKW would be a nice addition for the National WW2 Museum in New Orleans (if it doesn’t already have one) but knowing them they’d probably want it donated to them. I don’t think this guy’s in the donating mood.
Neato at 1/10 the price.
Nasty crash involving one of the Ducks in Seattle
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/crime/article/Bus-vs-Ride-the-Ducks-crash-blocks-Aurora-Bridge-6527138.php