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Car motor or aircraft?

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abennett

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Hey Yall,
Ashley Bennett here way out on the Outer Banks. Haven't made any posts for a while. Just wanted to say hey and ask a couple questions. I still havent found a boat. Actually I haven't really been looking, cause I still have to sell my skiff. Oh well, In due time.
Anyway, As I may have mentioned before in my other posts I will be looking for something small, preferabley a four cilinder. I have noticed that some prefer car engines and some prefer aircraft engines. Could someone please explain to me the advantages and disadvanages of each. I have heard that the aircraft engines are lighter, but that car engines are easier to find parts for. What do you all think?
Thanks,
Ash.
 
Somebody just opened that old can of worms up! again!!!! It's on now!!
Stand by, plently of information coming your way.
 
I always ran aircraft where I hunt, I hunt on a 8500acre private lease in the maurepas swamp here in Louisiana, where we're constantly runnin the floats, I ran a 12ft all 1/8" decked boat with a 0360 200hp Lycoming with a wood paddle prop, pic of it is on my profile, boat did about 60-65 run dry ground with 3people and gear, and would stopn and go on a floatant, have a sprayer system, dual impulse mags and a warn witch on the bow, and always carried plenty of rope and chain and a come-along for being way back there. Top notch boat always loved the aircraft cause V8 boats were too heavy and bogged down too quick cause of that hp to weight ratio. We would run circles around v8 boats back in the swamp and on the runs but not in the main bayou. Recently in the past 2months, doin some hard runnin spraying me lease for duck season, I threw the prop on my boat and the motor shifted sideways, Was dealt a problem and had to fix it in time for huntin season. I made the best desicion of my life and Bought a 4.3L Vortec V6 250hp with a rotator gear box and a 68" Cypress series powershift prop, and its the smartest thing i've ever done. Night and day performance. Had the boat up to 68mph on the gps in about 4ft of water. Ran the boat up on the shell launch and up on the trailer with 4 people on the boat and minimum gear. Its a little bit louder but motor only is the smartest thing i've ever done. Parts are cheap and can get it fixed anywhere, good on gas, run about 8hrs on a 25gallon tank with some hard runnin. By far if you can afford it go with an automotive engine. No matter what an airboat is alot of maintenance with either engine you go with, just like everything if you use it, its gonna break.
 
What ever somebody owns they will tell you that's the best airboat! All I will say is no boat is the best it depends on what you want your boat to do and what budget your in. Any other way you look at it your just hearing an opinion! How much weight are you carrying and what type of terrain are you running. Are you concerned about cost of parts or maintenance there are several criteria’s. In my opinion the most important question is have you owned an airboat before. This should dictate what you buy more then anything else.
 
I am not sure , but I think the thread by"MUDDFISH" from Mar 30 of 2006 was the all time biggest thread. Rick locked it down.

You got to read it. "Aviation engines vs. V-8 Car/Marine engines"

It is pack with great information and entertaiment.

Remember this one "BOYS" It was a blast.

They both GOOOOOOOOOOD!!

Nobody got hurt!!!HeHe
 
 
I was thinking about mounting one of those new BASS boat engines upside down, modifying the shaft, and going with a stump puller prop.
The way those things sound at 80mpg they may pull real good.
May the thread live on....
 
Dang,
I really did open a great big can o worms. Does anybody have experience with air cooled VW engines? It would seem to me to have the advantages of an air cooled aircraft engine with easier to find parts.
 
Ash, that's good advice. Corvair motors make a pretty nice engine for a light boat.
I'm told that if you decide to go with one, to keep the original cooling shroud and fan on it to keep it cool. Plenty of parts on line for them.

A small 65hp Continental 4 cyl. is as reliable as an anvil though, and maybe not much more money. Plus, you could prop it if you needed to.

olf
 
I know a good bit about Corvair Engines, I was real big into Corvairs when I lived in Florida and had several buddys that had them on ther Airboats
and they ran Great if you go with one go with an engine that was built in 1964 and up it was a 164 ci and it used a cut down 327 crank shaft and 327 rods it was a very strong engine and if you can find one get the Corsa engine it was 140 hp it has 4 one barl carbs and you can get an intake for it and run a single holley carb and if you get real lucky and find a Spider engine it is turbo charged and 180 hp.
 
LOL ya'll got it all wrong ... you should go with a DD ls1 thunder motor. It probably weighs 50 lbs less than a corvair and probably has a hundred more hp. and all the parts are available new and besides THUNDER wants to build one. LOL

actually build anything you wnat because it wont be right and it wont do everything so change is inevitable and part of airboating, most important is just build something and run it. the rest just comes naturally.
 
One silly note about Corvair engines. They run backards, so ya gotta either run a reversing gearbox or a backards spinnin prop. Actually they just turn the opposite way there is no right or wrong direction.

Panther Airboats used to sell a line of VW powered boats.

I have seen a few running nicely on water but forget about running any dry trails. Still they seemed nice on a small light weight hull. Used to be able to get lots of VW stuff from JC Whitney including a lot of EMPI parts.

Scotty
 
There used to be a fellow in Sarasota with the local Corvair club who was building two for some sort of boat. The problem he had was the rotation of the engine. He had a cam design and somebody that would grind it for him but I think he passed away before he finished the project. He believed in Corvairs. He had a Spider engined convt and two Corsa engined cars. One '64 he built was a convt that he built with a 140hp and the powerglide. It was impressive, for what the car was, it was pretty fast.

The first car I owned was a Corvair. I liked it. I used to get parts at
http://www.corvair.com/user-cgi/main.

There are a lot of Subaru engine conversions going on in the aircraft industry for experimentals. Very lightweight with decent hp if you get the right one. But you have to run a ratio drive to get your propeller speed right.

The easiest way would be a small Lycoming 0-290. Less adapting, if you were to find one complete with flywheel and starter. Prop bolts right on and you can get a rear engine mount with an alternator bracket on it.
 
Makes sense to me for sure ... They say build it and they will come ... I say build it and you will change it. or you will want to even if you never admit it. There is no perfect boat/engine/prop/gearbox/beltdrive/anything they all have good and bad points it is just what you want or can afford.

In my opinion anyways for whatever it is worth to whomever may not care but it is worth everything I charge for it which it nothing. LOL

this office work is killin me i gotta get back outside
 
Yup Country,
First airboat I had was a corvair.
It was truly a museum piece.

Old open deep Palm Beach, and very dated rigging arrangments.
It was a tank, but I sure enjoyed it.

Don't matter what type of boat you decide on, just enjoy it.
Getting there is fun, but for me, it's more about where I'm going.

Man I need to get to the marsh!
 
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