Amphibious vehicle made from a lawnmower and boat

(CBS/Reuters) It may sound like a lawnmower, but it's a machine that is more at home cutting through waves than grass.

The amphibious vehicle, dubbed the "Shortcutter," was made by 76-year-old amateur inventor John Hinton out of a large, sit-in lawnmower and an old boat.

Hinton, a self-proclaimed "nutter" living in West Sussex, England, built the unlikely machine to travel from land into water without the need to stop or transform.

His explanation for why he developed the vehicle is simple.

"The only reason I made this machine was to enable me to get from my house directly to my boat and then back again to my house," Hinton said.

The machine, which no longer cuts grass, does exactly that, just not very fast. It trundles along the road at a sedate 6 mph.

The retired insurance broker spent around 1,000 pounds or 1,600 dollars - and two years - making the machine.

Hinton said he contacted leading lawnmower-maker Honda, but they declined an offer to roll out mass production of the vehicle.

So if you're looking for an amphibious vehicle of your own, you can always DIY.