He calls it the Catamacar and hasn't decided yet whether to launch it dry in the Sculpture at Petana Gardens competition or wet beforehand in the ocean.

“Most of the materials were scrounged, junk that was ready to go to the dump," Neal said.

"The beach buggy body was down at a mate’s place at Merimbula for about 15 years - bush had grown over the top of it and I had to go searching around seven hectares.

“It had lichen and moss all over it.”

To float his carboat he cut and reshaped the mid-section out of a disused skiff that was originally narrower than the buggy.

He gathered the recyclable components, bought some new necessities with safety in mind and is putting it all together in an outdoor covered work space at Bendalong.

Right now he is figuring out how to mount the steering wheel and connect the steering cables to a 30 horsepower outboard motor.

"I've bought the steering cables and lifejackets and other safety gear all new, which is sensible," he said.

The twin hulls will house eight flotation compartments under the floor and a ninth large one under the rear seat.

“It will be interesting to see how much power it needs to get it to plane correctly, given the weight of the motor,” he said.

After he connects the steering and motor, “spartan furnishings” including a rear seat will go in, plus trimmings – black rubber seals along the hull join, around the lights and once the perspex is back in, around the windscreen.

Anchor fittings will go on the bow and Neal will build a custom trailer to tow his Catamacar to the water.

Then, the moment of truth: “If it sinks I will rename it the Buggermaran.”