Tires without the proper air pressure lack performance, just like life without water gets low mileage and poor performance around the corners of evolution. One can't ignore either variable; tire or air, and call the design proper.
Life, like fish and coral, did evolve in water. But the water I am talking about is the water inside cells. This water is common to all life. Evolution requires chemical reactions so change can occur. These chemical reactions do not occur without water, with no other solvent, even substituted, allowing enough functionality for life to appear, so life can evolve.
It is also true that certain atoms are important to life; O,C,N, H, P, etc., and can't be substituted. However, the dynamics of life occurs because of the secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures of the biomaterials. The backbone of atoms and amino acids along a proteins are important. This would not change no matter which solvent you use. The material is sturdy and will stay stable in alcohol, ammonia, water or methane. What will change, based on solvent, is how this common backbone comes together into a 3-D shape, with only a minimal energy shape, bio-active. This is where water plays a unique role in allowing things to stack in a very precise low energy way. The other solvents, leave too many high energy areas, as well as entrain themselves to much, rendering the final 3-D protein, inactive. If we start with a protein that had folded in water, so it is good to go, and then remove the water and add another solvent, the surface energy will now change, also rendering the protein inactive.
The current model of evolution does not have the same level of predictive power, seen in many other areas of science. The analogy, I used for the state of the art, is like saying it will rain (evolve) in the future, but we are unable to pin point when or where. We have plenty of data of past rain (evolution), personal experience of rain (evolution) but we are only able to say it does rain and it will rain, but we are still sure exactly when or where. Imagine sending humans to Mars with this level of predictive power. We know the rocket works and have reach the target but this time we don't know when or where it will end up, just hat it will get there at some time in the future.
It is not much different from the predictive strategy of an ancient tribesman, who has heard about rain from the elders and has seen seeing rain in his own life, to know rain does indeed exist. But he is unable to know when or where the rain will come next, with any accuracy. He will know it when it sees it, but after the fact. He too will consult the oracle; statistical 8-ball, to help him make a guess. Ask the gods to give rain and if they do, he has a prediction.
This explains why evolution always keeps the fight alive with creationism. In all due respect to everyone, evolution is the first grader comparing itself to the kinder gardener. Adding water to the blend, is the high school student who can't be made part of the fight, since evolution will not look like the big boy. The debate has to stay juvenile.
.