Ok, so he's not Elvis. In fact, Bob Beckstrom is a charter boat captain in North Ft. Myers, Florida with a knack for comedy and a even bigger love for one of our most beloved subjects - #WeirdBoats.
Beckstrom can usually be found with his handlebar mustache and grizzled charm cruising along the Caloosahatchee River onboard a pink Cadillac boat.
Although Bob doesn't exactly see it that way. “This isn’t a boat,” he quips, “It’s a piece of art.”
In an interview with NBC2 News, Beckstrom recalled how he took the tried-and-true adage of combining the automotive with the nautical, but yet still somehow produced something unique.
"(My wife) wanted a new car, and I wanted a new boat, and that was my compromise" he says with a characteristic dry wit.
Beckstrom found the boat (despite his proclamation we're a boating publication and will refer to it as a 'boat') in West Palm beach and spent months putting it together.
By all accounts, it's a stock Cadillac chassis, albeit made watertight with an inboard. It's even got the original spoke rims.
Granted, it's a little newer than Elvis' original pink Cadillac. Elvis was famous for his 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60. Beckstrom's appears to be a mid 70's Cadillac Deville convertible, with a few nautical modifications along the waterline.
There's also a few custom modifications, like what appears to be a pontoon bimini and a wicker captain's chair.
Close enough for Bill, who says “Well, he had a pink Cadillac so I figured I would paint this one pink. It's like being Elvis Presley (when you're on it)." Close enough for us, too.
In typical Florida fashion, Bob isn't the only one with a pink Cadillac boat in the Sunshine State, so be sure you don't get his Deville confused with the Nautilimo that's available for rent in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Different Caddies, different captains.
Berkstrom still gets plenty of attention, though, which isn't surprising when you're cruising around in something quintessentially Americana, not to mention hot pink.
“I can be [near the US-41 bridge] and people will stop underneath to take a picture of it,” Bob said.
The boat is so popular, in fact, that Bob has put it up for sale in case you're interested in getting all shook up down in FLA.
