oldscratch
Member
Hi folks, new here and new to airboats. Been searching and lurking quite a bit and I am leaning heavily towards powering the 15'8" x8' alumatech hull I have with a 6.2 l LS engine. Now might be a good time to mention I have never set up an airboat, or assembled an engine from scratch, but I'm doing it anyway. I've spent the last couple weeks watching engine builds on youtube and I'm comfortable it is something I can do, plus I have a few engine guys I work with to help if needed. I am a cnc machinist/fabricator/machinery design specialist by trade. I do have shop space, tools, and a good understanding of how things work, so I'm not going into this completely blind.
I am building this boat to use for hunting, and to take the family out on an occasional cruise. I don't anticipate a lot of dry running but don't want to get stuck if dry spot presents itself unexpectedly either. I would like to keep the engine budget in the 10k or less range. I do not have a prop or gearbox and would like to hear suggestions in that department as well. I do have SS cage, rigging and a motor mount.
With all of that said I am having difficulty deciding on what parts to buy. My hope is to get some specific recommendations for which block to buy, which rotating assembly, which cam, which heads etc. Any assembly advice is welcome. I will try to keep the thread alive with pics of the project as I go. Hopefully ending with a complete, properly running boat.
I am building this boat to use for hunting, and to take the family out on an occasional cruise. I don't anticipate a lot of dry running but don't want to get stuck if dry spot presents itself unexpectedly either. I would like to keep the engine budget in the 10k or less range. I do not have a prop or gearbox and would like to hear suggestions in that department as well. I do have SS cage, rigging and a motor mount.
With all of that said I am having difficulty deciding on what parts to buy. My hope is to get some specific recommendations for which block to buy, which rotating assembly, which cam, which heads etc. Any assembly advice is welcome. I will try to keep the thread alive with pics of the project as I go. Hopefully ending with a complete, properly running boat.