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454Chevelle

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Hey guys, new here and looking to get into airboating. Been reading around here trying to learn a few things..and Am just looking for a few helpfull tips /dos and donts abotu airboating. Right now I dont have a boat, all Ive got is a built 350 I took out of my Chevelle(which is getting a built 468). Ive got a good friend that's talking me into an airboat..we were standing in the garage looking at the 350, he said hey what if...I said why not..lol...so Now im looking for a good Hull. What exactly should I look for?? Aluminum hull or glass...how deep of a hull does it need to be to handle a Small block chevy?? Anyway, thanks in advance....never had an airboat (hell, never even been on one) before, so I'd like to learn more before I go kill myself on this thing ;) :roll: Catch yall laterzz
 
hey 454, welcome to the site. the style boat you want depends on what you plan on running? fiberglass and aluminum is really dependent on what you wanna do with it.....ya know, deep water, dry land, rocks, sand. all that stuff determines hull type. the main thing with airboats is safety and performance. in my opinion, a safe boat is one that handles well and has plenty of power. an old barge is not always the safest boat. you need power for steering, control and weight management. i have a 200 lycoming on an oversized boat. "i can run anything i want to, i just might have to hit it a 40 mph!!!" thats my saying but its really not safe at all. my 260 lycoming has more power and i can run tougher marsh at lower speeds.....much safer. with that said, i would go no larger than 14' long and no narrower than 7.5'. that should be a good starting point. oh, and i would not waste your time and money on a direct drive. start out with a good reduction on your 350 to maximize your power. the main thing of all is to ride with several guys that are experienced at driving airboats. they can be very tricky. i recommend riding with a good driver for several hours (at least 100 hours) before even attempting to drive an airboat by yourself. thats a lot of power and moving parts to control so you wanna know whats going on before you take on the challenge. go to some of the monthly runs and i'm sure those guys would be more than happy to let you ride with them......good luck!!!
 
Hey, thanks for the reply man 8) Im really just looking to do some local lake runs with a few friends and something to fish off here and there, but mostly play around the back canals. Want to be able to cross the lake on a calm day though. Im not sure exactly how good a 350 would do on an airboat. It pulled pretty hard on the track in the car, but is it considered good power for an airboat to be pushing it up on land with say 3 people on board? Im not looking for a whole lotta top speed, but rather more power down low for climbing up a bank or something;) Not wanting to spend to much money..just a BASIC airboat to play around with on the weekend, I dont need a hot 70mph beast. (BTW, how fast does an average 350 powered airboat go on smooth water??I know it depends on prop/hp right?..just curious) What are the pro's and cons to a direct drive??? I'd think it would be cheaper?? but I dont want to spin the motor up past 6500 trying to get it up on land. What kinda money am I looking at for a BASIC prop and gear box if I really need it? Thanks again, sorry to bomb you guys with newbie questions.

(btw, thought of one more..hehh...what's insurance n' stuff cost you guys ..(ya know..all the legal stuff)??
 
hey ask away man, thats why this forum is so successful. well, honestly, you probably could not run dry ground with 3 people with a direct drive 350. because you can't turn the prop but 3000 rpms and no 350 has any power at 3000 rpms. now, this is just generally speaking. but, imagine if you had your prop set at 3000 rpms with your motor turning 5500 rpms. both are at their peaks. then, you could run dry with 3 people. a 350 is a very popular choice with airboaters. good power, dependable and easy to find parts. however, most guys that have them either start with or go to reductions. that reduction will be the most important part of your boat!!! its important to decide now cause your engine stand will have to be built for either a direct drive, gearbox or belt reduction. i have an aircraft engine but i'm sure those car engine guys could give you a lot more input. go to classicairboats.com and check out the reductions....prob about $2300 and then it comes to prop choice....whooh, thats another can of worms. probably a 78" two blade or 3 blade, depending on your motor. about $1800 and $2400 respectively. most airboats are not designed for speed. they're made for cruising. the fastest i get mine up to is about 40 mph at 3/4 throttle. be careful though cause i've heard of several airboats spinning around on the nose at 40 mph.....not much fun!!! take is easy for now. its hard to find insurance on airboats. you'd have to ask around in florida for that, i'm in texas. the main thing is put that motor on a good hull (14 x 7.5) with a reduction. and most importantly, learn how to drive. its not a car, its not a bass boat and its not an outboard. a complete and separate evil of its own.....
 
Welcome to the forum 454 ! You came to the right place for info.

Your hot Chevelle 350 is most likely not "tuned" in the right direction for an airboat. Thats not to say with minimal retuning it can't run just fine for ya.

In todays modern age of airboating there are precious few pros or advantages to a direct drive over a decent redrive of some sort. My boy has a SBC on his Hammant hull and a CH3 belt redrive and its totes his whole family of 4 just fine.

You got good advice to spend your time before your money and go with some experienced airboaters before ya buy anything. Talk it up and go to the rides we have. I guarantee wou will ,in a month or so, have an entirely different view of airboats and airboating than you do now. Most likely your wants and desires from a boat will radically change as well. Give yourself a break and spend your time first.

Theres nothing wrong with your 350 and a redrive is the answer to making it perform. As for hulls, the sky is the limit. Best look at deep sides and 12-14 feet probably 13 feet is a good length to focus on for your application.

You will want some serious consideration given to matching the right prop to your engine redrive combo. Its a delicate match to get the most out of all 3.

I have run most combinations of drives and aircraft and car engines and they ALL can be made to perform. It may seem expensive to go for a redrive right off, but believe me when you do it later it will coast WAY more. New redrive, new prop, modify engine, engine stand and rigging. Sleep on it a bit and do some riding in all kinds of conditions.

Dont think you will go out in a new boat and be a good driver in 6 months to a year. Any long term driver will telly they still learn things and see things in a different way nearly every time out. There is always some little thing ya can pick up on. Be patient and take it slow. Watch, listen and learn. It don't happen all at once.

All the best man, good luck

Scotty
 
You want a deep hull. Mine has 24" high sides and I wouldn't want it any shallower.

Yes, a gear box or belt drive will make your boat perform a million times better, but if you don't have the money, there are a LOT of direct drive 350 powered airboats out there. You will still have a blast with it, even though it probably won't run well on the ground.

If you go direct, don't saddle it with too much prop and build the engine for low end torque. I'd highly recommend a Warp Drive 4 or 5 blade or a 2 blade Sensenich Q series prop. What you are looking for is throttle response so when you need to power out of a bad situation, the engine is right there.
 
Thanks for all the tips guys! really appreciate it 8)
Red Dwarf, I do see the obviouse advantage of a gear reduction, But I'll probably end up going Direct drive anyway....Im really just looking to get some used parts and build a Very BASIC boat, I mean cheap....literally just something to play around in and fish off of. Seeing that there really are ALOT of 350 direct drive boats (Ive seen 3 at my local ramp so far, one with a 305 and 2 with 350's on the back) and they all seem to perform well enough. When you guys say it'll be tougher on land with direct drive...ya mean like damn near impossable??? or just alittle slower?? I mean, I dont want it to be so bad that I get stuck on a sand bar or something.. :p The real big question I have about Direct drive is...how exactly do you guys control the RPM so you dont "accidently" tear the prop apart? Im a pilot, and In the planes we only spin the prop to about 2600rpm on take off...so Im guessing an airboat isnt much different?? Do you all just have rev limiters on the Ignition...or a pedal stop??? As for low end, yeah, Id have to change some stuff around as its set up for high end power for the track.

Whatever I do, I'll definatly take my time and think it over....But Im looking at maybe a few hundred on an old aluminum hull...and a few hundred on a used prop...like I said, the most basic of airboats. Ive driven all kinds of boats on up to a 66ft cruiser...but Never steped on an airboat before...so I dont plan on horsing it around very hard...ive learned my lesson on being stupid in my car :roll:
 
Prop length will be the factor deciding your prop RPM. Wood props are good to about 3,000 RPM. Most use the prop size to limit the engine rpm in a direct drive situation. If you end up with a composite adjustable its a lot easier cause ya just set the pitch to limit the RPM.

I hate to tell ya pal, THERE ARE NO CHEEP AIRBOATS. Just like whiskey, airplanes, guns, women & kids.

All the best man

Scotty
 
454, i hate to be the bearer of bad news but white bear is right. for instance, i planned on buying a kit boat for myself. i already had the motor, prop, gauges, etc. priced at 10,900. 3 months later i had invested around 17,000 on a new prop, new trailer, new gauges and misc. crapp!!!! its a never ending battle. i will tell you this though. i don't really think you would get stuck on a sandbar hauling 3 or 4 people cause i don't believe you would even get onto the sandbar.....i may be wrong, but i believe you're making a big mistake by going direct drive. honestly, IMO, if you don't get a reduction, i would seriously save a few thousand and find a good used boat with a 220 on it. i'm not trying to be a smarta$$, i'm just trying to save you some money.....cause once you get stuck ONE time you're gonna say, "man, if i had a reduction on this thing, i'd still be cruising!!!" i seriously would not plan on spending less than 7000 on anything. don't ask me how, but you will probably spend twice as much or more than what you planned....
 
I run a 16x8 Panther with a direct drive 454, 5 blade warp drive prop. A barge. LOL. LEarn somthing new every time i'm out. There are times I could use the reduction, but you learn to do what your boat will do and avoid what it cant do.
I avoid dry land, and sand pretty much, and will not stop on either. I hate pushing or waiting on tide levels.

Couple of things to keep on the boat as I do, Spare: altinator, starter, feul pump, tool kit, belts, etc. If your stuck out in inches and need something, its a long walk back to the truck...

Definitle go with some people before hand to get a feel...
Good luck, and it is and addiction.
 
454 LOOK ON AIRBOATER TRADER! 5000 AND UNDER ! I SEE IF YOU CAN FIND A BOAT SET UP FOR A SMALL BLOCK, PRETTY COMMON ! THERE NOTHING CHEAP IN A AIRBOAT ! THIER IS ONLY ONE THING !WHEN YOU TRY TO SAVE SOME MONEY IT WILL COST YOU TWICE DOWN THE ROAD ! YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT NOW AND SCREW UP LATER OR SCREW UP NOW AND FIX IT RIGHT LATER FOR TWICE THE MONEY !WE LOVE OUR BOATS THIER IS NOTHING SIMPLE ! AND ONCE YOU FEEL THE BREEZE IN YOUR FACE ! YOU WILL WANT THE BETTER PACKAGE !JUST LIKE YOUR CHEVELLE ! NOW YOU SEE WHERE I AM GOING !JUST KEEP LOOKING FOR OUR MONTHLY RUN AND SHOW UP SOMEONE WILL SHOW YOU WHAT YOUR MISSING ! BUT BEWARE ! IT WILL MAKE GO HOME AND PULLED YOUR NEW MOTOR OUT OF YOUR CAR AND MAKE YOU SPEND YOUR CAN MONEY ! :shock:
 
454 I got to agree with everyone else about the gear box (or belt reduction) I just finished building my boat and the first thing I got (besides mufflers) was my box. I bought a Direct drive from a friend and basically gutted it and only used the hull and engine block. Look around and see what you can find used. Just talked to a guy the other day that had just sold a 2.38 stinger with very low hrs. on it for $800. Now that was a good deal for who ever bought it. Ifin you can find a cheap alum. hull you'll be lucky the prices have gone thru the roof for hulls( got a 12 footer with new poly I'll sell ya cheap in a couple of months when I get my new hull) I have some start to finish pics in my members photo gallery if you want to check them out. I got a brand new box from Panther for 1700 (what they call old style)with a 1yr waranty and a used prop (6 blade warp drive) for a 1000 and both of those were good deals at the time.
Your doing exactly the right thing by coming here and asking questions, thats what I did and you will get a lot of help from the fine people that visit this site. Hell you only live in Kissimee if you ever want to go for a ride I'll take ya for a spin on the St. Johns anytime ya want just get in touch with me. And remeber ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS.
SAFARI RICK
 
hey guy, just moving to the st. cloud area myself. just got a new GTO alum. boat this spring. what a blast it has been will be located on e. lake toho. if you want to hook up let me know. have not found anyone in this group who wouldn't help great bunch by the way moving next week so try my cell 410-310-3012 bill
 
Hey thanks for the tips guys...On second thought, yeah, maybe I'll just look into direct drive after all...I didnt think there was that much difference, but hell what do I know? :p Well, Guess Ive got some saving up to do....As Ive learned with the car, just do It right the first time...When I was having the new motor built, I was goona settle for a mild cam and stock heads....before you know it, Im up to a 605 lift voodoo can and Brodix aluminum heads.....but its way worth it when I see that Dyno needle push over 550 at the crank. Thanks for the tips guys...really appreciate all the help...I might actually just look for a cheap (or cheapER) used boat. Thanks! 8)
 
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