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Anyone ever owned a radial powered boat?
- Thread starter cowboy
- Start date
marshmaster pat
Well-known member
That looks like an awesome setup. I don't know about the smaller motors but those original radials from WWII are awesome sounding. If they do sound like the older motors I would get in lots of trouble for noise issues.
There are several mock ups of Jap fighters in Brazoria County. Was with a friend one day and he landed for fuel at their airport. They were having a practice for the air show circuit and had all the mock ups there plus a few originals. Had a F-4U Cosair and a Hellcat there. We had to call home and say we are going to be a few hours late as they asked for a voluntary closure of the airport as they practiced. That Hellcat made a few gun runs and that radial sounds like it is ripping air and roaring as he did inside loops above the field. AWESOME.
I have heard they sling lots of oil as well. That would be a nice rig even if the performance was substandard.
There are several mock ups of Jap fighters in Brazoria County. Was with a friend one day and he landed for fuel at their airport. They were having a practice for the air show circuit and had all the mock ups there plus a few originals. Had a F-4U Cosair and a Hellcat there. We had to call home and say we are going to be a few hours late as they asked for a voluntary closure of the airport as they practiced. That Hellcat made a few gun runs and that radial sounds like it is ripping air and roaring as he did inside loops above the field. AWESOME.
I have heard they sling lots of oil as well. That would be a nice rig even if the performance was substandard.
Waterthunder
Well-known member
There is one in Melbourne at a transmission shop called Trans two. The owner you may remember was killed in an airboat going under the 192 bridge at Camp Holly. The boat is sitting behind their shop and hasn’t moved in years. The boat is named Memphis Bell and it has a radial on it. The boat may be for sale.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Hello gang.
Wow, great minds think alike! Just this morning, I found this site while searching for info on radial engines. This guy is a master machinist and builds scale model radials. VERY NEAT site if you're into tech.
http://www.5bears.com/
Red
Wow, great minds think alike! Just this morning, I found this site while searching for info on radial engines. This guy is a master machinist and builds scale model radials. VERY NEAT site if you're into tech.
http://www.5bears.com/
Red
cowboy
Moderator
Rick,
I am not sure who built that boat. I found that picture out on the web someplace.
Your right about them being thirsty, and they do throw black nasty oil all over when starting if they sit for a while.
My Dad had one back in the Seventies, and everyone called it the "Big R"
It was on a big old beat-up palm beach style open hull, and had a 1/8" stainless bottom under it. It would mow down almost anything.
Some guy brought it out to the landing one day, and had been trying to get it running right. Mags, wires, plugs, ext, and wasn't having much luck. After getting pulled back in again, he told someone he would sell it cheap cause he'd had enough. My old man bought it, dumped an unbelievable amount of crap out of the float bowl, and it ran great the rest of the time he owned it.
On time my old man started it up in his shop for a customer to hear, and it blew a massive amount of oil all over a school bus he was working on. Man it took him hours to get that oil out of that faded yellow paint.
It had a 35 gal fuel tank that was way too small, and an 8 gal oil tank mounted up on the cage. Every time he would take it to the gas station, the attendant would go straight for the oil tank. Man it really had a great sound.
There was another radial boat that ran with us back then, and it had an inertia starter on it. Those starters are an electric motor with alot of flywheel, and a clutch between the flywheel, and the starter drive. You would wind it up on the electric motor, and when it was spinning with a super high pitched whine, dump the clutch. The inertia from the flywheel would turn the engine over until it started, or the flywheels inertia slowly ran down. Which ever came first. That was quite thing to here that engine getting cranked.
I might have to run up to Melborne, just to check that boat out.
Cracker,
I have been looking at those Rusian Radials. They look pretty good to me. Matter of fact, theres one I've been watching on ebay, going for pretty darn cheap. It's a low time helo engine, that would require a nose case swap. If I had the cash, i'd grab it. Check it out.
I live about 40min. north of West Palm, but I have to go down there almost every day. Where did those photo's come from that are posted in this thread?
I am not sure who built that boat. I found that picture out on the web someplace.
Your right about them being thirsty, and they do throw black nasty oil all over when starting if they sit for a while.
My Dad had one back in the Seventies, and everyone called it the "Big R"
It was on a big old beat-up palm beach style open hull, and had a 1/8" stainless bottom under it. It would mow down almost anything.
Some guy brought it out to the landing one day, and had been trying to get it running right. Mags, wires, plugs, ext, and wasn't having much luck. After getting pulled back in again, he told someone he would sell it cheap cause he'd had enough. My old man bought it, dumped an unbelievable amount of crap out of the float bowl, and it ran great the rest of the time he owned it.
On time my old man started it up in his shop for a customer to hear, and it blew a massive amount of oil all over a school bus he was working on. Man it took him hours to get that oil out of that faded yellow paint.
It had a 35 gal fuel tank that was way too small, and an 8 gal oil tank mounted up on the cage. Every time he would take it to the gas station, the attendant would go straight for the oil tank. Man it really had a great sound.
There was another radial boat that ran with us back then, and it had an inertia starter on it. Those starters are an electric motor with alot of flywheel, and a clutch between the flywheel, and the starter drive. You would wind it up on the electric motor, and when it was spinning with a super high pitched whine, dump the clutch. The inertia from the flywheel would turn the engine over until it started, or the flywheels inertia slowly ran down. Which ever came first. That was quite thing to here that engine getting cranked.
I might have to run up to Melborne, just to check that boat out.
Cracker,
I have been looking at those Rusian Radials. They look pretty good to me. Matter of fact, theres one I've been watching on ebay, going for pretty darn cheap. It's a low time helo engine, that would require a nose case swap. If I had the cash, i'd grab it. Check it out.
I live about 40min. north of West Palm, but I have to go down there almost every day. Where did those photo's come from that are posted in this thread?
rick
Administrator
I recognized that picture right away, although it's not the one I was talking about in Kissimmee. It was posted to my old site. Here's the message that came with the picture.
"This is our first airboat. We got it back in the late 70's. It was a fiberglass Jabo 13' hull with a Lycoming R680 Radial engine, 300 HP at 2300 RPM. It would turn 2900 making about 375 HP. It would use 35 gal of gas and 5 qts of oil to go about 25 miles. The prop was off a Goodyear Blimp cut down from 80" to 72" variable pitch. The exhaust was on top and when the boat was running at night it would send a flame that would wrap around the inside of the guard. It sounded like a DC 3 airplane. The boat weighed 2200 lbs. with a full tank of gas. Couldn't afford to run the boat now. We used it for several years. We went riding every Sunday on the St. Johns River."
It was signed "Pat & Bobby" and I think I still have an email address. If so, I'll let them know that there boat from the 70's still draws some attention.
"This is our first airboat. We got it back in the late 70's. It was a fiberglass Jabo 13' hull with a Lycoming R680 Radial engine, 300 HP at 2300 RPM. It would turn 2900 making about 375 HP. It would use 35 gal of gas and 5 qts of oil to go about 25 miles. The prop was off a Goodyear Blimp cut down from 80" to 72" variable pitch. The exhaust was on top and when the boat was running at night it would send a flame that would wrap around the inside of the guard. It sounded like a DC 3 airplane. The boat weighed 2200 lbs. with a full tank of gas. Couldn't afford to run the boat now. We used it for several years. We went riding every Sunday on the St. Johns River."
It was signed "Pat & Bobby" and I think I still have an email address. If so, I'll let them know that there boat from the 70's still draws some attention.
A
Anonymous
Guest
cowboy":2x4cy4r8 said:
The person that owned this Radial boat is Bobby Potts, Cocoa, Fl
Wilson
Member
There is a company now making smaller radial engines that look pretty cool, so the radial is not dead.
http://www.rotecradialengines.com
Even stranger, take a look at this Dyna-Cam engine. The horse power is not rated that high but notice the torque it makes at low rpm.
http://www.dynacam.com
Wilson
http://www.rotecradialengines.com
Even stranger, take a look at this Dyna-Cam engine. The horse power is not rated that high but notice the torque it makes at low rpm.
http://www.dynacam.com
Wilson
A
Anonymous
Guest
Asking_Price: 1500.00
Owner: Walter Lorraine
Address: 2600 Turtle Mound Rd
City: Melbourne
State: Fl
Zip_Code: 32934
Phone: 3218633256
Date: February 02, 2005
R-680 Lycoming radial engine. Engine is missing 8 valve covers (approx 10.00 a piece) Carb, Starter. 225 hp @2200rpm. Free shipping in central Fl
Owner: Walter Lorraine
Address: 2600 Turtle Mound Rd
City: Melbourne
State: Fl
Zip_Code: 32934
Phone: 3218633256
Date: February 02, 2005
R-680 Lycoming radial engine. Engine is missing 8 valve covers (approx 10.00 a piece) Carb, Starter. 225 hp @2200rpm. Free shipping in central Fl
A
Anonymous
Guest
I have seen Dyna-Cam engine advertisements for about 20 years. But never an engine in use. They always want investors. Technology comes from� torpedo" motors
A
Anonymous
Guest
How come they are so bad about leaking oil? Something that modern sealers might be able to fix, or maybe more attention to detail?
Part of the problem is that oil runs down the bottom cylinders, seeps by the rings and out any open exhaust valve into the exhaust manifold and out. Thats why they blow oil at startup also.
If you are thinking about the russian helicopter engines that are selling for $2500, be advised you will need another nose case that will cost more than the engine, and exhaust stacks, (headers). It's still a good buy if you want a radial.
There are modifications that minimize the amount of oil running down, but they still need to be pulled through before every start to prevent a hydraulic lock which will bend a rod.
Jim
If you are thinking about the russian helicopter engines that are selling for $2500, be advised you will need another nose case that will cost more than the engine, and exhaust stacks, (headers). It's still a good buy if you want a radial.
There are modifications that minimize the amount of oil running down, but they still need to be pulled through before every start to prevent a hydraulic lock which will bend a rod.
Jim
A
Anonymous
Guest
Oh.
Wonder if a vacuum pump would help
Wonder if a vacuum pump would help