Being a newbee to airboat operating, i'm trying to get as much info as possible on the way an airboat handles, so i can keep it safe while still learning. I have a 13 X 7-6 Diamondback hull with 19" sides and 20" transom. When powering up to plane, with the torque side being to the right, do you turn slightly to the right or slightly to the left to compesate for the torque? I ask this because someone told me to turn slightly to the right, but it seems to me you should do the opposite to keep the torque side from going to far down. Also, when in a situation that you have a current, like in the river above Lake Wash., what is the safest way to make a turn? Any input will be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance. :? :? :?
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Boat handeling question?
- Thread starter kaos
- Start date
Daddy Dave
Well-known member
Kaos, I run the same boat. An airboat's "torque side" depends on whether it is direct drive (torques to the right) or auto / reduction (USUALLY torques to the left). Mine is aircraft direct drive and I have front driver seating. I load my passenger weight to port to counter act the starboard torque roll.
My best advice is to practice manuevers in shallow water so that a mistake doesn't get you and yours wet and practice with the boat loaded as you intend to use it. Speed is your enemy in an airboat as the throttle is most often the only recovery tool you have. Powering out of a mistake will usually give you a second chance.
My best advice is to practice manuevers in shallow water so that a mistake doesn't get you and yours wet and practice with the boat loaded as you intend to use it. Speed is your enemy in an airboat as the throttle is most often the only recovery tool you have. Powering out of a mistake will usually give you a second chance.
SAFARI RICK
Well-known member
I was told ( depending on your boat and how it handles ) that sometimes its easier to go with the torque roll for a second then turn out of it to help POP the rear of your boat up and out of the water (get it on plane ). I have found that this does work better for me with my boat but every boat is different. Practice in skinny(shallow) water. For my boat a wide right turn (non torque side) is safest but in skinny water you can use the torque roll to help make a sharp turn. DON'T TRY THIS IN DEEP WATER TILL YOU HAVE MAJOR STICK TIME!!!!!! Hope this helps but nuthin beats PLENTY OF DRIVEING TIME, still learning myself.
SAFARI RICK
SAFARI RICK
A
Anonymous
Guest
I'm still learning too, but I have noticed that the torque roll (mine is direct) wants to make the boat lean a lot if you are turning to the left, I guess because the engine wants to keep going to the right anyway (think inertia). This is of course at low speed.
I offset my seat to the left about 8" to counter some torque roll. I don't know if it makes a lot of difference, but it can't hurt....
You probably should just go straight while getting on plane, and then pick your direction you want to go. Seems to work for me so far.
I offset my seat to the left about 8" to counter some torque roll. I don't know if it makes a lot of difference, but it can't hurt....
You probably should just go straight while getting on plane, and then pick your direction you want to go. Seems to work for me so far.
The idea of turning into the torque roll is that as the side of the boat dips and the water moves toward the hull, you are moving the back of the boat away from the oncoming water.you can't outrun the water forever but for a quick takeoff it will help ya jump on the plane a tiny bit faster but you better be ready with counter steer and get it strait as it comes up on a plane. Done correctly its kinda all one smoothe motion and most dont even see it done its so slight. It is a boat saver if your heavy and low in the water, just don't over do it.
Scotty
Scotty
A
Anonymous
Guest
Scotty I think by turning into the roll, you are moving the engine away from the torque side, and its inertia wants to keep it moving in that direction which helps cancel out the roll.
That would probably help a lot on small boats with a lot of power or cut-down hulls.
That would probably help a lot on small boats with a lot of power or cut-down hulls.
gtoslider
Well-known member
best thing to do is to find some shallow water and learn your boat, some boats handle differently than others, and as powering up I have never really worried about going left or right if your hard in the power the back off your boat should try to lift not dip,mine does anyhow. Just watch when you slow down. Deep water turns i would make wide turns until you learn your boat. Best thing to do is just learn your boat,be careful and have fun with it.
Here's a post Cowboy posted on http://www.southernairboat.com/phpBB2/v ... t=deckover
I'm pretty much going to use this as my drivers manual, Thanks Cowboy! :wink:
Posts: 1065
Location: Jensen Beach, FL
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:05 am Post subject:
Yeah Cold,
To some degree full deckovers are more swamp proof than an open boat.
Big open deepsided hulls often have so much freeboard on the sides and transom, that you really would have to mess up, or lose power while under way in deep water to swamp it.
Theres no real clearance from the prop tip to the rear deck, cause it can very quite a bit from boat to boat. I personnaly don't like to run a super low tip to boat clearance, but it is usually a matter of individual preference. I think 3" from the tip to anything else is good.
Perhaps thats not enough for some, and way too much for others.
You are correct that most deckovers have reduced freeboard and that dictates a rear deck, and that is because without the rear deck, they would be easier to swamp.
There are plenty of "open" Palm Beach styles out there. But without the rear deck, they usually don't get the scalloped down transom. This of course provides more freeboard at the transom.
If it's a Palm Beach, or Glades style grass sled, You have to pay attention to the water getting on the prop.
If you chop the throttle abruptly, the back wake will catch up with the transom, and run up over it, hitting the spinning prop. Once you are idling along, the water won't usually be up on the rear deck of the boat. It don't get that high.
You have to slow down, look back at the wake catching the boat, give it a little throttle and speed to match the wake as it catches up with the boat, and then it won't go splashing up onto the prop. Then you can idle along with out any drama.
If you tried to make a steep, deep, wet to dry obstacle transition at greatly reduce forward speed, the back of the boat may get forced downwards when you gas it up onto the obstacle, and the prop tips start slapping the water really hard.
Not what you wanna do.
Skinny water to dry transitions won't matter, cause the boats transom can't go down very far. No worries there.
If you were to drive one up out of deep water onto dry ground, you would want to get out of the water quicker, rather than slower. You wouldn't want to idle up to the bank, hit the dry, then punch it.
You would want to drive up to the bank on an easy plane, transition up on to the dry with that faster forward speed, and get your transom up and out quickly by doing so.
This will minimize the down time of the rear of the boat, and allow you to do it with out chopping water with your prop really hard.
This is a good question, and you have been giving it some thought. Many may not even think about this issue for operating a low profile deckboat. Not until they learn it the hard way.
Skinny sided, low profile boats have the prop closer to the water, and the water has more opportunity to get on the prop. No doubt about it.
Does that mean a deepsided boat is better? Not for me, but perhaps for you and where you may run it would be.
Fulldecks are a little tougher to swamp, but they are not unsinkable.
Neither are open boats.
Either way, you gotta know what your doing.
The fact that you considered this at all tells me you think about what could happen "if".
When you get your rig together this extra thought you put into things may help you avoid learning things the hard way while learning how it needs to be operated.
Keep it up. Airboats don't have cruise controls, you do have to think about what your doing while your doing it. After a while, it comes a little more automatically.
No matter what style boat you choose.
I've never had to shift any gears while doing any of the above, so your gonna have to work that into your operating procedures!
I'm pretty much going to use this as my drivers manual, Thanks Cowboy! :wink:
Posts: 1065
Location: Jensen Beach, FL
Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 4:05 am Post subject:
Yeah Cold,
To some degree full deckovers are more swamp proof than an open boat.
Big open deepsided hulls often have so much freeboard on the sides and transom, that you really would have to mess up, or lose power while under way in deep water to swamp it.
Theres no real clearance from the prop tip to the rear deck, cause it can very quite a bit from boat to boat. I personnaly don't like to run a super low tip to boat clearance, but it is usually a matter of individual preference. I think 3" from the tip to anything else is good.
Perhaps thats not enough for some, and way too much for others.
You are correct that most deckovers have reduced freeboard and that dictates a rear deck, and that is because without the rear deck, they would be easier to swamp.
There are plenty of "open" Palm Beach styles out there. But without the rear deck, they usually don't get the scalloped down transom. This of course provides more freeboard at the transom.
If it's a Palm Beach, or Glades style grass sled, You have to pay attention to the water getting on the prop.
If you chop the throttle abruptly, the back wake will catch up with the transom, and run up over it, hitting the spinning prop. Once you are idling along, the water won't usually be up on the rear deck of the boat. It don't get that high.
You have to slow down, look back at the wake catching the boat, give it a little throttle and speed to match the wake as it catches up with the boat, and then it won't go splashing up onto the prop. Then you can idle along with out any drama.
If you tried to make a steep, deep, wet to dry obstacle transition at greatly reduce forward speed, the back of the boat may get forced downwards when you gas it up onto the obstacle, and the prop tips start slapping the water really hard.
Not what you wanna do.
Skinny water to dry transitions won't matter, cause the boats transom can't go down very far. No worries there.
If you were to drive one up out of deep water onto dry ground, you would want to get out of the water quicker, rather than slower. You wouldn't want to idle up to the bank, hit the dry, then punch it.
You would want to drive up to the bank on an easy plane, transition up on to the dry with that faster forward speed, and get your transom up and out quickly by doing so.
This will minimize the down time of the rear of the boat, and allow you to do it with out chopping water with your prop really hard.
This is a good question, and you have been giving it some thought. Many may not even think about this issue for operating a low profile deckboat. Not until they learn it the hard way.
Skinny sided, low profile boats have the prop closer to the water, and the water has more opportunity to get on the prop. No doubt about it.
Does that mean a deepsided boat is better? Not for me, but perhaps for you and where you may run it would be.
Fulldecks are a little tougher to swamp, but they are not unsinkable.
Neither are open boats.
Either way, you gotta know what your doing.
The fact that you considered this at all tells me you think about what could happen "if".
When you get your rig together this extra thought you put into things may help you avoid learning things the hard way while learning how it needs to be operated.
Keep it up. Airboats don't have cruise controls, you do have to think about what your doing while your doing it. After a while, it comes a little more automatically.
No matter what style boat you choose.
I've never had to shift any gears while doing any of the above, so your gonna have to work that into your operating procedures!