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Britain's long and rich tradition of caravanning is infamous, but there is a short-lived trailer-towing holiday fad that has almost disappeared from memory.

The 1970s towing and floating sensation, known as the caraboat, barely made it onto the streets (or canals) before the inventor destroyed the plans after a disastrous launch event - according to legend at least.

A Bristol couple have now found themselves at the centre of a niche aqua-caravanning adventure after buying an ultra-rare caraboat for just £600 from eBay.

(Image: BristolLive)

Dad and mum-of-two Ben and Michelle Spokes have even made it to national TV after they decided to salvage the derelict floating trailer, believed to be just one of 10 left in the world.

Bristol Live visited the couple at the Eastville home, where their caraboat is currently stored (on the driveway) in all it's quirky glory.

Sitting on board the caraboat, Ben, 47, explained how they came across the amphibious trailer: "It had no wheels. It had been in the canal for 25 years. Everything had rusted away. The first job we had to do was put the wheels back on.

(Image: BristolLive)

"We're in this caravan club. On their Facebook page they had a link to [the caraboat] on eBay. We sent the guy a lot of questions. He replied and said you sound like an enthusiast. I said it's really interesting. He said he wants to sell it to me, I sounded like the right person."

After a nine-hour drive to collect their new project, Ben and Michelle set about renovating the artefact.

(Image: BristolLive)

During the rebuild, they contacted the Channel 4 show My Floating Home who were keen to follow their progress.

Marketing communications manager Ben added: "I think I would recommend it. It's not just a caravan. It does caravanning and boating. There should be more of them."

The caraboat, named the 'Frog Prince', is believed to have been built in 1973 and is just one of 63 to ever exist.

(Image: Channel 4)

Ben explained the bizarre myth behind the invention: "A used car dealer in Nottingham came up with the idea, started a company to make them and started to produce and sell them. He did this press event on the river. The caraboats used to have these jet engines, they were really unreliable and really underpowered. They got swept away and all these journalists had to be rescued. It was a really big PR disaster. He was really upset. Eventually he smashed all the moulds up. That was the end of that. Since then there really haven't been any other things that have been the same."

Ben and Michelle's project was not an easy one. As well as ensuring the trailer would float, they also had to reconstruct the interior, including beds, a kitchen area, and a steering wheel.

No plans for the original caraboat interior exist, so the couple improvised and were able to fit plenty of modern comforts into the compact floating home. It is now complete with toilet, a sink, a hob, two beds and a stereo.

(Image: BristolLive)

There are as few as 10 caraboats left in the world, Ben said, with around five of them remaining in the UK.

Since their disastrous launch, caraboats have become a mini-cult among the caravanning community.

The dedicated Caraboat Club have previously tried to track down all the remaining floating holiday homes.

(Image: BristolLive)

After buying the shell online in August 2017, Ben and Michelle were given just four months to get their caraboat rolling and floating ready for the TV show to air.

In March 2018, the couple had their renovated contraption inspected by the Bristol harbour master, who gave them the green light to set sail around the city's waterways. The following day they were in the water, navigating Bristol harbour using the new outboard motor with camera crews in tow.

Wife Michelle, 48, said: "We'd live on it. This is bigger than our other caravan.

"[The rebuild] was fun. You just can't help but smile at it."

In total, Ben and Michelle spend around £2,000 on their caraboat.

They haven't yet spent the night on the water after their maiden voyage, but they have used it as a regular caravan.

The episode of My Floating Home featuring Ben and Michelle aired on Channel 4 on May 22. You can still view the full episode on the All4 on demand website.