Although there have been amphibious cars and boats that can drive on land, there is another possibility. If a boat hull were fitted with a method for driving a car aboard, the rear wheels could ride between rollers much as on brake testing equipment but on the boat the wheels could be connected to a shaft that would drive a propeller at the rear of the boat. The front wheels could slip into metal channels connected to the rudder so that turning the car steering wheel would move the rudder. In effect, the car would become the control cabin of the boat. Of course, this would only work with a rear wheel drive car. And the car could be fastened to the boat with removable cables during water travel. This arrangement would provide land transport at ports of call and the hull could be as simple as a set of large pontoons for local travel or a large hull with sleeping cabins for longer trips.
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Simpler, cheaper, less complicated to build or buy a boat designed to carry a car, all-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive. Design a folding boat trailer, you can take the boat along to the next ferry point...
But carrying a boat by car does not solve the problem of having land transportation when coming to port in a boat.
I see some issues with using a car:
1.) For small boats the great weight of any car (1/2 ton to as much as 6) would require enormous floatation to stay above the water and would tend to make the boat slower
2.) For large boats, the car might not have sufficient power to drive the boat. (esp. large boats with cabins,etc.)
3.) What if you run out of gas?
4.) Wouldn't the car make the boat topheavy and unstable?
I do see a solution, though. An electrically-powered boat hull, combined with a hybrid automobile, could be feasible. The car would provide the electricity to the boat's motor and drive-by-wire steering signals as well.
One problem remains: What if it sinks?
Great Idea, I've had this concept in my mind ever since I met someone who is working on a Amphicar. The problems can be ironed out and worked on