A glass bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. Over the years the design was converted around the paddle boat. Between 1945 and 1994, eight glass bottom boats were built, experiencing few alterations other than replacing the canvas top, enclosing the boat with windows, installing doors in the bow and squaring off the pointed bow for easier loading and unloading of passengers.

Glass bottom boats are used almost exclusively for giving tours in almost every seaside tourist destination to view marine life, shipwrecks, and reefs. For those who like a more personal experience, modern materials like polymer allow Canoers and Kayakers a chance to see below the water line comparable to glass bottom boats.

This transparent canoe/kayak retails for $1600 at Hammacher Schlemmer.com.