One company. One mission. A quarter century of obsession that produced the most important vehicle in the history of recreational boating. This is the story of how it happened — and why nothing that came before it comes close.
Tesla didn’t invent the electric car. They made people fall in love with one for the first time. The old objections — range, performance, convenience — simply dissolved. The category was redefined overnight, and the world never went back. WaterCar is doing exactly that to boating. The friction that kept millions of people off the water — the trailering, the marina fees, the launch ramp anxiety, the storage, the planning — is gone. Completely. Drive to the water. Go boating. Drive home. That’s it. No slip. No ramp. No commitment.That promise, genuinely delivered for the first time in the history of this category, opens the door to an entirely new kind of boating enthusiast. Someone who never pictured themselves as a boat owner — but who is absolutely ready for this.
Anybody can build a car that floats. Getting it to plane and run with stability, efficiency, and reliability — that’s a whole different matter.
Dave March, Founder · Newport Harbor to Catalina Island, 2014+
The first person in history to drive an amphibious vehicle across 30 miles of open Pacific Ocean — in a vehicle he built himself, from a factory he owns, in the city he’s called home since 1976.
The WaterCar EV didn’t arrive by accident. It arrived because one founder refused to accept what everyone else said was impossible.
Dave March bought a 1961 Amphicar, spent a year restoring it with his ten-year-old son, and drove it into the water for the first time. He pressed the accelerator. Putt-putt. Almost nothing happened. For most people, that’s where the story ends. For Dave March — who had been building and repairing cars and boats since 1976 at his Fountain Valley facility — it was the opening challenge of a mission that would consume the next 25 years of his life. He saw what no one else in the amphibious world had understood: the automotive and marine industries were converging. Boat makers adopting automotive engines. Car makers using marine-grade composites. Both industries moving toward corrosion-resistant materials. Dave was the only person who understood both worlds deeply enough to connect those dots — and build what they made possible.
Two Industries. One Builder.
Dave March opens his collision repair facility in Fountain Valley, California. Over the following decades, it grows into one of the most respected automotive and marine fabrication shops in Southern California — giving him a technical mastery of both industries that no one in the amphibious space would ever match.
WaterCar Is Founded.
Frustrated by the Amphicar’s near-useless performance on water, Dave founds WaterCar with a single objective: build an amphibious vehicle that performs at the level of a genuine boat and a genuine automobile — no compromises, no excuses. No plans to sell it. Just to prove it’s possible.
The Python. 60 MPH On Water.
WaterCar releases the Python and sets the Guinness World Record for the fastest amphibious vehicle ever built. 60 mph on water. 127 mph on land. The world pays attention. Dave immediately pivots his entire focus — away from speed records, toward something harder: an amphibious vehicle that real people could actually own and rely on.
The Panther. 14 Years. 27 Patents.
After 14 years of development, WaterCar releases its first production vehicle. The Crown Prince of Dubai orders six. Silicon Valley founders place deposits. Top Gear drives it. Jay Leno drives it. Forbes covers it. MrBeast shows it to 300 million people. The reaction, every single time: stunned disbelief — then immediately wanting to do it again.
Newport Harbor to Catalina Island.
Dave March drives out of his Fountain Valley factory, through Orange County streets, into Newport Harbor, and 30 miles across open Pacific Ocean to Catalina Island. The first person in history to make that crossing in an amphibious vehicle. 70 minutes. A pod of dolphins alongside at 30 mph. He proved what the doubters said couldn’t be done — in a vehicle he built with his own hands.
The WaterCar EV. Everything. Finally.
Every lesson learned. Every failure studied. Every objection engineered out of existence. The WaterCar EV arrives — street-legal, hand-built, taking over 1,000 man-hours to complete. Not an iteration. Not a next step. The vehicle this entire 25-year journey was building toward.
A lifetime of amphibious expertise. Two industries mastered. A world record set and then set aside — because the real goal was never about being the fastest. It was about building the one amphibious vehicle that finally makes complete sense. That vehicle exists now. And the boating world will never be the same.
Your $5,000 deposit reserves a WaterCar EV build slot on a first-deposit, first-delivery basis and is credited toward your purchase.
Your deposit is refundable.
To pay by wire transfer, email info@watercar.com for instructions, which are verified by phone with our Business Manager.
Prefer to pay by wire? Request wire instructions
This Watercar, Inc. Deposit Agreement (the “Deposit Agreement”) governs the placing of a reservation and making a deposit with Watercar, Inc. for a test drive and potential purchase of a Watercar EV Vessel (the “Watercar EV Vessel”). Please read all of these terms and conditions carefully before signing this Deposit Agreement and submitting your deposit. This is a binding agreement between you (the “Buyer”) and Watercar, Inc.
This Deposit Agreement outlines the reservation and deposit terms for a Watercar EV Vessel. Your reservation becomes effective only once you have paid the deposit amount listed below to Watercar, Inc., and the order of delivery will be determined on a first-deposit, first-delivery basis. This Deposit Agreement is subject to the following terms:
Model: Watercar EV*
Deposit Amount: $5,000.00
Deposit Refundable: The Deposit Amount is refundable up until a Purchase Agreement is entered into between Buyer and Watercar, Inc. for the ultimate purchase of a Watercar EV Vessel.
Transferable: This Deposit Agreement can be assigned by you to another purchaser upon the written consent of Watercar, Inc. and is subject to the terms and conditions of this Deposit Agreement.
* The Watercar EV Vessel details and specifications may vary from your Watercar EV Vessel and are subject to change without notice, and will be confirmed prior to start of production.
Now, therefore, in consideration of the mutual covenants set forth herein and other good and valuable consideration, Watercar, Inc. and Buyer agree as follows:
1. DEPOSIT. By entering into the Deposit Agreement, Buyer agrees to pay Watercar, Inc. the Deposit Amount set forth above for the placing of a reservation and a test drive of one Watercar EV Vessel. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you represent and warrant to Watercar, Inc. that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are reserving a Watercar EV Vessel on behalf of a company, organization, or entity (the “Entity”), you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that Entity to this Agreement and that such Entity agrees to be bound by this Deposit Agreement.
2. TEST DRIVE. To schedule a test drive of a Watercar EV Vessel, Watercar, Inc. requires any Buyer or perspective buyer to make a deposit payment pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and execute a separate agreement entitled Boat Test Drive Liability Release and Hold Harmless Agreement. This policy is in place to confirm the commitment of prospective buyers and to cover any potential damage during the test drive, as such deposit may be subject to forfeiture if such damages are caused by the Buyer’s conduct or negligence during the test drive.
3. DELIVERY NUMBER. Upon receipt of a signed Deposit Agreement and payment of the Deposit Amount, Watercar, Inc. will assign buyer a delivery number (the “Delivery Number”). Delivery Numbers are assigned on a first-deposit, first-produced basis and are subject to prior commitment and availability as determined by Watercar, Inc. at its sole discretion. There is no guarantee as to a delivery date based on your Delivery Number, and delivery timing is subject to Watercar, Inc.’s manufacturing schedule, delivery and service operations, and ultimate execution of a Purchase Agreement.
4. DEPOSIT SHALL BE APPLIED TO PURCHASE. The $5,000 deposit made by Buyer to Watercar, Inc. and transmitted to Watercar, Inc. upon execution of this Deposit Agreement shall be deducted from the Purchase Price provided Buyer completes the purchase of the reserved Watercar EV Vessel.
5. TERMINATION
5.1 Buyer may cancel this Deposit Agreement by providing written notice to Watercar, Inc. any time prior to execution of a Purchase Agreement. In the event that the Buyer timely cancels the Deposit Agreement, Watercar, Inc. will return the deposit to the Buyer, minus any credit card, bank , or other processing fees, within ten (10) business days, subject to any possible forfeiture pursuant to Section 2 above.
5.2 Watercar, Inc. may terminate this Deposit Agreement for cause upon written notice to Buyer if Buyer fails to comply with this Deposit Agreement.
6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY, THE MAXIMUM LIABILITY OF WATERCAR, INC.’S OR ANY OF ITS AFFILIATES’, OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS’, EMPLOYEES’, LICENSORS’, AND PARTNERS’ AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO BUYER FOR ANY BREACH OF THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT SHALL BE A FULL REFUND OF THE DEPOSIT MADE BY BUYER. IN NO EVENT SHALL WATERCAR, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS DEPOSIT AGREEMENT.
7. GOVERNING LAW
This Deposit Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. Any and all disputes between the Parties shall be resolved in the courts of Orange County, California or the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, to the exclusion of courts in any other country, state, county, or city.
8. PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Initial Refundable Deposit – $5,000 Due within five (5) business days of execution of Deposit Agreement.
First Payment – 40%: Due within five (5) business days of execution of Purchase Agreement.
Second Payment – 40%: Due at Mid-Build Milestone (per Milestone Notice), within five (5) business days of notice from Seller.
Final Payment – 20%: Due no later than five (5) business days prior to delivery, and in any event prior to transfer of title.
All payments must be made by bank wire transfer. Buyer shall verify wire instructions by telephone with Seller’s Business Manager before initiating any transfer. Seller will never issue revised or updated wire instructions by email. Seller is not responsible for funds misdirected due to Buyer’s failure to verify instructions or reliance on altered/fraudulent communications.
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