A grandfather who could n't afford his own cruiser has come up with an innovative solution - putting his caravan on a boat and taking it out on the water . Peter Thurston , 80 , takes his vessel , dubbed the 'catamavan ' , out on the River Swale in Kent regularly and enjoys the views of the countryside . He says his small yachts were too cramped for leisure cruising , and he could n't buy a bigger vessel , so two years ago he built the caravan boat to take his mind off his recent divorce . Bizarre : This 'catamavan ' , a cross between a boat and a caravan , has been spotted on the River Swale in Kent . The catamavan has an oven , fridge freezer , shower , toilet , double bed and two tables , and it is fitted with a small engine that reaches four knots . Hundreds of two-litre bottles fill the twin hulls , so the boat wo n't sink even if it gets a hole as he travels up and down the same stretch of river . Mr Thurston said : ' I wanted something that had a nice , stable platform and was really comfortable because all my boats are quite cramped . ' I 've got a number of yachts and if you have ever been in a yacht you will know that you can never see out the window . Project : Peter Thurston started building the unusual vessel while he was doing through a divorce . 'In the Swale you get lovely nights and mornings but sometimes it 's a bit cold to sit outside and have a meal so you eat below deck and do n't get any views . ' I could n't afford a cabin cruiser , the sort of thing you need to have big windows and eat outside , so this was a better alternative because I did n't have to spend so much money and I could make it whatever size I wanted . ' I sleep on it regularly during the summer but in the winter it 's quite cold , although I do check on it regularly . ' Peter says he spent around £4,000 building the hull and added : 'Most of it was done flat pack at home . 'Then I took the catamaran down to the ship yard and we lifted the caravan onto it . 'It is not intended to go fast and it only has a small engine but it still goes about four knots . ' I also did it because when I was down at the harbour all day working on my boats it would give me somewhere to stay the night . 'You are allowed to anchor anywhere along the Swale unless it is a restricted area and there 's nothing wrong in what I 've done . ' The father of four keeps the catamaran anchored in Conyer , Kent , which is 19 miles away from his home in Herne Bay . Mr Thurston said he started his project after the break-up of his marriage and began building the boat in his front garden before moving it to a local boatyard . ' I started building it as a bit of a distraction really , ' he said . 'It gave me something to focus on because things were n't going well back home . Home : The catamavan cruises up and down the River Swale in Kent , near Mr Thurston 's home . ' I used to build paragliders and para-motors and I have always worked on boats , but I wanted to do something a bit different . ' A spokesman for the Marine and Coastguard Agency said it was unclear whether or not the vessel is legal , but added that it appears to be seaworthy . She said that officials would only investigate Mr Thurston if they receive an official complaint .
John accidentally started building the bizarre vessel while getting drunk . He took the hull of a catamaran and put the caravan on board . The year - old enjoys sailing up and down the steep cliffs in Kent .