A method of using a wide, flat-bottom, buoyant, amphibious hull with a powered articulating member mounted on the deck. The hull is propelled by at least one engine-driven propeller rotating above the hull. The hull has a shallow draft and distributes its weight over a large area. These features cooperatively provide a vehicle capable of performing overhead work, such as installing or servicing power transmission poles, towers, or other structures located in environmentally sensitive wetlands, swamps, marshes, shallow water, or other terrain.