We head down to the cottage to relax and nothing says relaxation like an outdoor hot tub. Or so we’ve heard. For years, we’ve been using an old clawfoot bathtub on the lawn behind the cabin but let’s face it, it’s just not the same thing: there’s no room to really stretch out, you can only fit one of us at time, and while you can’t argue with any view at the cottage, there are much better views to be had out in the lake. So this weekend, we’ve decided we need to build a hot tub that will suit our needs.

We’re not just going to make a regular hot tub — our vision is to have hot tub that can live on land but can also move out onto the water to take advantage of all the beautiful views our cottage has to offer. We’re calling it the Amphibious Hot Tub. Based on a commercial fiberglass fishing tub, and clad with cedar, the Amphibious Hot Tub will feature an electric trolling motor for moseying around the lake and removable pontoon outriggers for stability that will also house an ice bucket, cup-holders and the battery for our trolling motor. A wood-fired water heater located on the dock will heat the water for our hot tub and get it ready for those trips out on the lake.