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1600 VW Airboat. Does this qualify as mini airboat?

leo_081103

leo_081103

Well-known member
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Originally 45 hp 1600 cc VW... upgraded to 65 hp and a 2:1 Belt drive with 70 x 36 prop

LOA: 11.5 Ft Hull Length: 10 Ft Width: 7.5 Ft

Runs limited on ground
 
thanks SW. nice term, kinda made sense how it was powered :D

well, i have plans in building a more "mini" one maybe a 1300 cc DD with a 10ft x 6 ft hull... but for now, a 14 footer is on the way.
 
This raises an interesting point. At what point does an airboat cease to be a "mini" and become considered just an airboat ?

Size of the engine ? Weight ? Length of the hull ? Capacity ? Where's that line ?
 
Northwest, I'm playing the Devil's advocate here .....
What if a guy built an airboat with 10 chainsaw engines on it, each one of them turning a prop around 2 feet long ?

Several years ago now a guy from California built an ultralight airplane powered by several chainsaw motors and flew it from the West coast all the way to the EAA fly-in at Osh Kosh, WI.
The crossing took several days, and after the fly-in was over he dis-assembled the little plane, packed it in cartons, UPS'd it home, and went home on a commercial airliner.

If the number of cylinders is the criteria, then why was his plane considered an ultralight ?
 
I believe an airplane has to be 250 lbs or less to be in the ultralight class, or something like that. If you build a boat with 10 chainsaw engines you can call it what ever you want.

There will always be exceptions to every rule but I think you get my drift. Any way that was just my opinion as to how I classify airboats in my mind.
 
You could probably (rightfully) call a boat with ten chainsaw engines on it a monstrosity ..... :lol: .
 
Hey Olf! You could run a larger tip on the bar to run a reduction and larger prop!! Length of bar determines how much you lower C/G!! 8)
 
i think that boat is awesome i am building one myself now but it will take a long time. i am 16 and i dont do a lot of work so i dont have money.
 
A boat with 10 chainsaw engines would be called LOUD!!!
and by the time you got all them little scoundrels started
you would be wore out if they're any thing like that old
Homelite I had.
 
Btw, this would not qualify as a mini under the definition we have so far. it fails on at least two instances. It has a car motor , and second, it has 3 or more cyls and it is over 750cc.
 
A stock 1600cc VW engine single port head set up is 60HP.

The VW's that were 40hp were single port head 1200cc.

If I'm not mistaken this is correct to an extent I have owned several of them and currently about to build a bad street bug.
 
One of these days I would like to figure out how to adapt a 200 lyc. for use in a street machine. Mann you talk about get it. One of these days I'll figure it out, but I would need to put a special tranny in it to get the most out of it but man would it go.
 
Actually the 34 PICT/3 or 4 carbs were developed for California emissions if I am not mistaken and they were on post '71 dual port engines. I was just curious, it is possible I guess but the 45hp engine was probably a pre '71 1200cc 40hp single port. The stock 1600cc engines were factory rated @ 60hp @ flywheel but it could vary slightly depending on so many idiosyncrasy's.
 
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