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getting started,finished pics!

W

walleye52753

Well-known member
I have been taking an interest in airboats for a while and i think i am ready to get serious about a purchase. I live on the mississippi in eastern iowa and there is only a handfull of airboats in the area. I was wondering if i could just get some basic advice on what to start looking for. I consider myself a chevy small block enthusiast and am hoping that a SBC will fit my needs. So any advice would be appreciated. Examples: Boat length, aluminum/fiberglass, big block, small block, where to look for one.How easy are they to set up from scratch?
very appreciative,
andy :mrgreen:
 
after seeing other post i belive i left some info out.
It is mainly a mud and sand terrain with the occasional shallow wing dam on our river pool.The majority of the land that this boat would see is beaches and maybe a small island portage. There is a good amount of backwaters but i would like something that can move up and down the main channel also. There can be alot of large boat traffic on the weekends and they can create some large waves in the channel. Should this be avoided at all costs?
 
airboats dont play well with bigger boats that throw big wakes
JMO i dont ride mine in the deep rivers with traditional boats
 
It's good to see another person from Iowa on the site. The best place to get that boat is in Florida. Look at airboattrader.com and you have a lot to choose from whatever your price range is. If you go with a car motor you need to get a wide hull for flotation in that deep water. Car motors are heavy and they need extras like a radiator, gear box, and an expensive carbon prop. From what I've read on here in the last few years, very few people can build a car motor into a good airboat motor.

I run the Des Moines River with a 13 foot by 7 foot Laser fiberglass hull with a 220 GPU aircraft type engine. I wouldn't run it on the Mississippi in the main channel because of the huge waves. It is perfect for the back waters. A lot of folks have them up north near Winona and could give you tips on driving the main channel. Get high sides. Poly on the bottom will help if you hit a wing dam. Aluminum is probably more durable but costs more.
 
Des moines,
The wapsi river dumps into the mighty miss just north of our town and houses tons of back waters. The more i read the more i want to stick to just the backwaters and small rivers. How tight can these boats turn around? the wapsi river is somewhat narrow. keep me in mind if you come across a good deal. I greatly appreciate all of the info everyone is giving me. please keep it coming.
thanks
andy
 
they can turn around in the length of the boat it self
ether at plane speed or just at idle
i just bump against the bank and turn the front of the boat is rounded and it walks it self around :)
at plane speed throdle down turn hard and hang on :D :D
 
walleye52753, I'll bring my boat over this spring and check out the area. Carpshooter is right about turning around within the length of the boat. My biggest problem when going down small creeks is avoiding low hanging tree branches. Small bridges can be hard to get under too. When the Des Moines River floods I have one railroad bridge that I can't get under just south of the city.
 
Hey Carp, good to see you down here last week. That's a long haul for ya and i hope it was worth it. How'd ya like the Glades?
 
canefan

it was worth every penny
met a great group of guys ( you included)
the glades are like airboat heaven you can go for miles and not see the same thing

i know i haven't quit smiling yet
 
sounds great, make sure you look me up when you make the trip. I have noticed a few rigs on here that appear to be in great shape around 2500-3500 dollars. They dont have motors or props but they are setup for a small block chevy. I already have a few motors so how much money do you think i would have to lay down for a prop and other misc. things? Or is 2500 too much to pay for a hull and cage anyways?
thanks again!
andy
 
For $2500 you can get a new fiberglass hull and weld up your own rigging. Florida is a very corrosive environment. So, if the boat has any age expect a lot of corrosion. That goes for aluminum boats as well. If you get a boat with rigging be sure to drill weep holes in all the metal sections because they will be full of salt water and freeze up north. Be sure to get at least 24 inch high sides for that deep water and a wide hull if you plan on putting in a car motor. They are heavy.

I'm an aircraft guy because they are easy to work on and don't require any special parts. I really like the 220 GPU for the power and dependability. Cheap to buy and cheap to maintain too. Do some reading on building the small block Chevy and turning it into an airboat engine. This site has lots of information and people that will help you put the right parts together to make a good airboat engine. Car motors need to be special built to run the high rpms and be reliable for a longer life. You need to get a gear box too because propellers don't like high rpms.

The easiest way to start for me has been to find a boat in the classifieds, go to Florida and bring it home ready to go. I always cut down the seats so I can sit in the boat instead of above it and I redo the cage because I like to have easy access to the engine.
 
so far building the engine and welding the cage are the the two things that i know i can accomplish from prior experience. The short block is already build, its a 388 stroker with 6 inch rods. It should put out a good torque curve at mid range i hope. I have noticed that some guys on here say you can go DD with these and some guys say a gear box is the only way to go. Are all of the airbout hull manufacturers in floridia? Is there a decent market for these boats in tennessee? I definitely like the idea of high sides and i DEFINITELY like the idea of sitting lower in the boat...especially if i will be boating on wooded backwaters full of hanging branches. Other than the list below what kind of surprises may i find while building a boat from scratch.
hull,cage,motor mounts,seats, rudders/steering system, prop/gearbox,motor/radiator
throttle cable?
thanks so much!
andy
 
If you sit low in the boat you won't be able to see DOWN into the grass, water, stumps & etc. thats why old timers sit high, you just have a better viewing angle to see things of interest or danger.

I am from East Tennessee and there really isn't any good areas for airboats there. 2-300' deep water isn't the ideal place for an airboat. They shine best in shallow or no water. The rocky rivers of East Tennessee aren't very cordial to airboats either, nor are the unpredictable dam water releases for generating power.

Hope this sheds SOME light on your questions.

Scotty
 
I got of the phone with a really good friend a few minutes ago, and his company has a few jobs coming up in Floridia. So there is a very good chance that he can bring a boat home for me. I greatly appreciate all of the advice that everyone is giving me. I am starting to lean towards picking up a starter boat to get myself orientated with how these things work. I would really like to build one from scratch but i am buying a new house and will be pressed for spare time and cash for a little while. Before i dump a truckload of money into one of these i would like to give it a shot with something i can put together in a relatively short amount of time.( a few months) derby season comes up fast in the spring. Im hoping that i will like this hobby enough to get away from smashing cars..... its very addicting/expensive!
 
that sounds reassuring....... BUT PLEASE KEEP THE INFO COMING! driving tips,building tips, DD setup combinations, It all helps
thanks a ton guys
andy
 
just located an airboat by word of mouth, a few minutes from home. I talked to the guys son and all he know is that it is a DD 2cyl aircraft engine with a wood prop??????? He hasnt ran it in over 6 years and could possibly sell it.Clueless as to what engine that could be, but im sure a few of you guys have a good idea. Imguessing its just an aluminum flatbottom hull. Halfway decent setup????????? What kind of pricerange could it be worth?
thanks
andy
 
Years back Franklin made some 2 cylinder aircraft engines for the then reintroduced Aeronca Champ. They were rated at 65 HP I believe.

Would be a great little Mini or very small Airboat engine but it would fall very short in mud and dry running, especially with a passenger and any gear and a dog.

Their value is just whatever you can get it for.; Not much of a demand from airboaters for them. They would be light weight compared to a 90 HP GPU or 100 HP 4 cylinder aircraft but are just short on HP overall.

Spend your time looking and reading this forum now instead of spending your money first and then getting up to speed.

Lots of boats when you are ready to buy. now is the time to learn what boat and engine/prop fits your needs.

Scotty :wink:
 
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