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GOT LIFT-OFF?

C

CULTURED REDNECK

Well-known member
HAVE ANY OF YALL SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?

ARE THERE ANY RIDGED INFLATABLE AIRBOATS OUT THERE? I DON'T MEAN BOATS THAT FLY, BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A LARGE R.I.B. FITTED WITH A BIG PROP? I WONDER IF A RIDGED INFLATABLE WOULD HANDLE THE DEEP WATER ANY BETTER THAN A CONVENTIONAL HULL?
 
Thats a super cool idea and looks fun from the picture but man does it get involved dealing with the dynamics of it so ya don't kill yourself in it.

Center of drag -vs- Center of lift -vs- Center of thrust -vs- Center of Gravity and they all have to be right on or the thing will bite ya bad when ya least expect it. Some maneuvers in them are simply non recoverable as well. There are oscillation modes it can get into, both pilot induced and power induced that destroy the thing in the air.

They tried for years to put gyroplanes on floats and it never worked. Gyros are still a crap shoot. I have seen some ultralight floatplanes but don't think I have ever seen a flying boat in the ultralight category. Not sure if its even possible within the weight limitations.

On the flip side, if it could be made safe that thing would be a riot to fly and land nearbout anywhere ya wanted then off again with your gator tail, oops, ..... bag of fish before the man gets on top of ya. Yeeee Hawwww

Sure looks fun though !

Scotty :wink:
 
CULTURED REDNECK":2pcfbqc9 said:
HAVE ANY OF YALL SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS?

ARE THERE ANY RIDGED INFLATABLE AIRBOATS OUT THERE? I DON'T MEAN BOATS THAT FLY, BUT HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A LARGE R.I.B. FITTED WITH A BIG PROP? I WONDER IF A RIDGED INFLATABLE WOULD HANDLE THE DEEP WATER ANY BETTER THAN A CONVENTIONAL HULL?
Click to expand...

I've seen some RHIB's handle some pretty nasty swells, but they were 20+ feet long, powered by a diesel, and sat pretty heavy in the water.

I got to ride one in the North Arabian Gulf one evening in a Shamal worth about 5 foot of seas... In an airboat, I'd have had a worm's eye view of the whole fleet.
 
There is a guy in manatee county that gives rides. He also sells these units. His business is located at a marina next to the bridge that takes you out to anna maria island. I know some one about four years ago died in one of these down there when a bolt broke that held the wing to the boat.
 
I saw a guy with a flying zodiac somewhere off 70 (gas station). His truck and trailer had his business name and photos of it. I am puckering enough in some of these airboats. I would not worry about take off too much just landing.

Tony
 
I've seen one of these several years in a row in the keys when we go down there for Memorial day weekend.... just north of marathon. He's a local. I've seen it take off and land. It looks like it does pretty well. Must be a blast too..
 
My other boat is a 13' RIB with a 50 hp Honda.It will take any and all conditions you can throw at it.And its a blast to run.It will only run about 37mph.
 
I've seen the guy in the keys a lot of times and I cannot believe how high he takes that thing. He sells them and offers lessons. Thought about trying it but afraid the boat would be overloaded with just me in it.
Tim
 
Bravo,
I believe it was 1982 when an old friend of mine attempted a altitude record in one of these hang glider/boats. He had to get clearance from Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach to make the attempt. If I remember correctly he had to go above 18,000. We ( his father, brother and me) built a huge wench in the back of a offshore boat and with piano wire as a cable we pulled him to altitude where he broke tow, fired the engine, sailed around a bit then made his way back to a landing on Cocoa beach. Florida Today newspaper had pics of him and his Doberman (max) at altitude from a camera mounted on the wing. He was on the beach before we had all that wire spooled back on the wench. :shock: The powers that be in the record world did not give him the record because the wrist mounted altimeters ( which had to be calibrated within days of the attempt) calibration clock had run out a few hours before he made the attempt, therefore not official! :(
Another time he made the news with that thing some of you in Brevard might remember, he crashed it on takeoff into the high power lines on the 520 causeway and shut down all power to Merritt Island for a day! :shock: He lived but took many months to recover from the burns.
 
I saw one crash off 331 bridge, the passenger had a broken back, the thing came down from water in the gas, looked like a short glide path to me
 
WHITE_WATER_RIDER_TEST_0046.JPG



Where do I find wings? :D :D
 
jonnybird":3o9easbs said:
I've seen one of these several years in a row in the keys when we go down there for Memorial day weekend.... just north of marathon. He's a local. I've seen it take off and land. It looks like it does pretty well. Must be a blast too..
Click to expand...

Yep-- I saw hima bunch of times whenn we were camped at Curry Hammock State Park last year. He was taking off from a little community just south ot the park.
 
THERE IT IS!!! THAT'S WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. I KINDA FIGURED SOMEONE HAD DONE IT ALREADY. A SWIFT WATER RESCUE BOAT, IT MUST HANDLE PRETTY GOOD AND BE RUGGED AS ALL GET OUT; BOUNCING OFF BOULDERS AND SUCH. IM CONSIDERING DROPPING MY O360 INTO SOMETHING LIKE THAT IF I CAN FIND A GOOD USED RIB FOR REAL CHEAP.
 
Cultured Redneck, It isn't safe. That is the most dangerous airboat I have ever
built. If you build one, it must be a hard bottom raft. the soft bottom develops too
much hook. This boat was built in 10 hours on Junk Yard Wars back in 2001. However, it was hair raisin trying to keep it from turning over in the turns but some
of the most fun I've had on an airboat. Chuck
 
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