50 years ago, this man was challenged to travel across Lake Michigan by bathtub. He won the bet

At 81 years old, Victor Jackson of mid-Michigan can walk and bike circles around most people half his age.  

Getting around or in and out of the tub?

"Show me to Lake Michigan," he said.

It's a breeze. But that bathub is no ordinary bathtub. The tub from 1914 that's less than 60 inches long is a piece of history that Jackson will never forget. He wears the pride on his sleeve.  

On Aug. 24, 1969, he was challenged to a bet by his boss to see what contraption would allow him to get from Ludington to Manitowoc. 

Jackson: "It was a joke, and I said I can do it in a bathtub."

FOX 2: "There's a lot of people watching this going you got to be kidding me, this guy has got to be crazy?"

Jackson: "I will admit, yes. But I am also, I think persistent, that is I made a bad and decided that it wasn't that difficult to do."

But it was tough. The first time he went out, mind you this was without cellphones or a GPS, but instead this ham radio, an engine, fuel and a lot of hope. It was 14 hours on the water, with a lot of hope and a splash of fear and moments of confusion. He made it.  

"My battery died and I started calculating how much fuel I had left and I didn't know if I had 30 miles of fuel left and I didn't know which way was west. I did not know how to navigate," he said.

But he learned as he went. Needless to say, don't try this at home.  But Jackson's adventurous nature and boldness in a bathtub got him a lot of press 50 years ago -- even a key to the City of Ludington. The lesson isn't to dive into danger but instead think outside the box. In this case -- the tub.  

"If you decide to do something, be persistent and do it! Also, try to educate yourself on what you're doing. Don't do anything like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel and less you know all about barrel is it all about Niagara Falls," he said.