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Geographic Differences

BoHawg

Well-known member
I find it interesting to learn about different features on airboats because of geographic location. For instance, I've had guys from South Florida laugh (not in a bad way) at my fiberglass boat because apparently they don't have too many down there. The reason, according to them, is that they only run the glades and don't venture into deep water, so they don't need a boat with high sides. I've heard about guys running stainless steel instead of polymer in places where oyster beds are bad.

One thing I don't understand is why boats in Texas are so much bigger than Florida boats. Yeah, I know everything in Texas is bigger, but there has to be other reasons.

Also, what are the differences in the boats up north?
 
we run open bay & deep water a lot in Texas carring 3 to 5 people
. not much marsh like South Fl.
 
Just teasin, Moritz. You could probably answer Bo's question just that way. Style of the boat has to do with the depth of the water.

Up here on the upper St. Johns, 50' water is no big deal. There are a lot of times when I've wished I had another foot of hull all the
way around :lol: .

olf
 
We run the wide open Bay where the bays are 2 to 10 miles across. Most boats are used forfor hunting & fishing the Mid to lower coast. The upper coast is more like Fl with marsh rivers & canals.
 
The ave Texas duck hunter is 250 lbs and if you have 3-5 hunters, dog 2-3 big sacks of decoys,guns, sacks of shot gun shells, straps of dead ducks you have to have a big enough boat to get there and back in good and bad weather conditions. (most boats in Texas are used for either bowfishing or duck hunting, excluding commercial applications,fire rescue ,game warden etc..) I will go miles out of the way to run the bank in shallow water to stay out of the deep water. Calm Seas... The boats in Alaska and the river running with swift currents rocks ice conditions is insane.... the northern airboaters have a small margin for error and thier boats have to be tanks..
 
I appreciate the comments fellas. Interesting stuff. Do y'all think that more boats sink out there due to all the deep water?
 
Bo, deep water doesn't scare ya until you think about it. :)
Mostly, it's the recovery thing ...... it's a whole lot easier to 'recover' a boat when half the cage is stickin up out of the water.

It gets a little more complicated at 150'. I've got a hole on this lake I live on that the depth finder says is 168' .... probably the mouth of an old aquifer. One of the things I had on my old boat and I'm adding to my new one is a bouy that will float to the surface and mark the location of the boat if I sink it.

There's an old thread on here about that.

olf
 
Shallow water here in PA, 2 feet or less during fishing season. Lots of rocks hidden just beneath the surface. We use .090 aluminum for our hulls.
 
Yeah them Texas Boats are big for the big state.

Look at the Alaska boats. We are a bigger state :lol:

Just cut Alaska in half and them Texans will live in the third biggest state :lol: :D
 
375ultramag":3jwd2784 said:
Yeah them Texas Boats are big for the big state.

Look at the Alaska boats. We are a bigger state :lol:

Just cut Alaska in half and them Texans will live in the third biggest state :lol: :D

Man you stir the pot everywhere you go................ :wink:

loco pato,
You are right , little room for mistakes up here , The hardest thing for me was to learn how to come out of the shallow slow moving creeks right into the big fast moving river, It only took one time of almost touching the river from my top deck to learn that you slow down and aim the bow upriver when leaving shallow water entering swift water. Never try to run across, That water catches the side of the boat fast and will scare the crap out of you. We always have to be on the look out for floating trees , And when we are running the shallow creeks always have to be on the look out for moose and bear standing in the way. The 3rd time I took the wife out we went exploring we were coming around this tight bend and as soon as I slide around the corner there was a grizzly in the middle of the creek I sure was not going to stop and give him the right of way ,My wife said she swore its nosed rubbed on the windshield as we went by, I was laughing so hard after that I had to stop and catch my breath , I do not know who was more scared the wife or the bear . The bear came back out of the willows twice and looked down creek at us while I was stopped down creek laughing. Looked like he was trying to get the tag number of the vehicle that almost ran him over.

Alaskatours
 
I think more are sunk because people think high sides are a good substitution for experience, intelligence and common sense. In all my years I have seen a lot more high sided boats sunk than any other.

july2006_051.jpg


This boat has been in rivers, lakes, bays and the intercoastal waterway right beside ships a few hundred feet long.
this picture was taken on the Pearl river between LA. and Miss.

Grant
 
From the pictures I've seen the Titanic had very high sides and was touted as un-sinkable> :lol:
 
Very good point, Grant. High sides can hold a lot of water ..... the deckovers just keep right on keepin on.

olf
 
Oh man, that just might be the sexiest airboat I've ever seen. Very cool. It looks like it's ready for anything.
A jacked-up 4wd F-350 diesel for the water ...... :D .

olf
 
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