We're always on the lookout for cool homemade automotive projects that make little to no sense for mainstream automakers to build. Sometimes hobbyists, like Ziong Jian, come up with something that's both cool and, shall we say, potentially hazardous. Hailing from central China near the Zhenzi River, Xiong Jian is a mechanic and inventor who managed to build a boat-car, according to stuff.co.nz. Amazingly, it hasn't sunk, but that's because Xiong seems to know what he's doing.

His creation came about by refitting components of a scrap two-compartment vehicle with used parts from a scrapped minibus. "The engine of the car was initially up front. When I was turning around the boat while driving on water, some water would infiltrate into it, which is not good for the engine. So, I moved it (the engine) to the back of the car."

The vehicle can carry up to four people and can also turn around and go in reverse in the water. Xiong worked on the project, through trial and error, for several years. Making sure everything is welded properly and airtight isn't easy. And yes, the car-boat can also drive on regular roads. Even in the water, it can reach up to about 20 mph, but Xiong is hoping to get that up to 25 mph with some additional tinkering. Xiong also built the car-boat because the Zhenzi River floods every year during the monsoon season. Fighting back against Mother Nature should also be entertaining.