New to airboating!

[khvann40]

Hey guys,

Been on the forum for around two weeks doing a ton of research on pros and cons trying to get an idea of what I wanted my first boat to be. In that time, what I feel like a great deal has been presented to me and I wanted to get u guys opinion on the deal. A buddy of mines brother has what I believe to be a 16 or 18 by 8 foot Dixie fully rigged for bow fishing w a 350 chevy V8 engine on it. The kicker to this boat is it was sunk 2 years ago and has been sitting in the same spot since then that you see in the pic. He's willing to sell the boat to me for $5000. Deal or no deal? Keep in mind this boat will be used solely for duck hunting and bow fishing. A few main questions that I have are:

Does the 350 (w enough work on it) have the potential to climb inclines w just me in it?

Round about cost to do something of this nature keeping in mind the boat was never repaired after being sunk? So I know pistons will need to be banged out, engine re-bored and so on...

Any comments you guys have feel free. I am brand new to this so really want to do this right the first time. Thanks for all ur comments.

K

 

[:)]

I don't believe it will leave the water much as a direct drive

 

[JAMES]

if it will start and run its worth every cent of 5k id bet it wont get out the water even with out u in it... and i also will say yes it will work for duck hunting ect but seems under powered thats a big boat heavy and well built ... safe, priced right, and looks decent and on another note how the hell did the owner sink that ship :lol: u always have room for a gearbox and a bigger prop but remember its a tank and if u wanna run dry or ect make sure u buy one that will first boat might not but u can always move up /..

 

[khvann40]

Can you explain to me what direct drive means and what alternative there is?

K

 

[Quackcephus]

Can you explain to me what direct drive means and what alternative there is?

K

Direct Drive means the prop is directly attached to the flywheel... fuel effiecient but not a lot of pushing power (torque).

Reduction Drive... this is what nearly all us Texans are running on our rigs. The prop rmp is reduced by 1/2 or so & helps to generate the "push" you will need to run dry ground, obstecles, etc. They are very easy to maintain & do a great job.
http://www.centurydrivesystemsinc.com/dealers.htm

Gear Box... a reduction system that uses gears & they're usually designed to run at a particular engine rmp (I think).

You might consider a big block with a reduction drive set up... like a 454ci HO with a 2.1 reduction drive & a 3 blade composite prop for that ol' Airgator. If you choose to pass on that rig shoot me a PM. :thumbleft:

 

[khvann40]

So do u think it is worth getting the rig then swapping out for a 454?

K

 

[khvann40]

Or can you add a reduction unit to this set up?

K

 

[khvann40]

K

 

[Quackcephus]

I don't think that 350 will have enough power to do what you're wanting to do... in the long run you would be ahead of the game by swapping it out for a big block & a reduction drive... you'll also need to upgrade the prop to get the performance you'll need. I know $$$ is always a concern, but just adding a reduction drive with what you've got there isn't going to gain you very much, IMO.

 

[dean]

http://www.southernairboat.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/449/title/billy-27s-boat/cat/500


Looks familiar

 

[tx gar patrol]

Man I don't know as much as alot of the guys on here but I would go for it heck even if it didn't run dry its still a airboat if you decided not to buy it send me a pm if its for sale to anyone

 

[:)]

Can you explain to me what direct drive means and what alternative there is?

K

Direct Drive means the prop is directly attached to the flywheel... fuel effiecient but not a lot of pushing power (torque).

Reduction Drive... this is what nearly all us Texans are running on our rigs. The prop rmp is reduced by 1/2 or so & helps to generate the "push" you will need to run dry ground, obstecles, etc. They are very easy to maintain & do a great job.
http://www.centurydrivesystemsinc.com/dealers.htm

Gear Box... a reduction system that uses gears & they're usually designed to run at a particular engine rmp (I think).



You might consider a big block with a reduction drive set up... like a 454ci HO with a 2.1 reduction drive & a 3 blade composite prop for that ol' Airgator. If you choose to pass on that rig shoot me a PM. :thumbleft:

Gearbox does the same thing the belt does, it just swings prop the opposite direction. Its all a matter of preference. Seems like most Texas boats run belts, here in Florida seems like its mostly gears. Gears r a little more compact and I believe they r a little lighter also. There's a boat on here now for 8000 u could buy with all the stuff on it, ready to go and do a hull swap in a year or so. Save urself some $. And also in that year u will know more about what your preferences are. Jmo

 

[khvann40]

Where did u see that boat for $8000? Been looking all over site.

K

 

[cummins diesel power]

go to craigslist. theres a yellow panther at china spring which is near waco.
its sitting on a gravel bar so evedentally it runs ground.actually i think i've seen
it on the river before & believe that boat goes anywhere. its 8k $ btw

 

[khvann40]

Perfect. Thanks man.

K

 

[emmitt Kelly]

ride up to I-10 at the Texas / La. line and talk to the Air Ranger guys.

they will give you good advice and the gotchas...always better to have a face to face...

it will give you a better idea of what you want.

 

[:)]

It's right on the front page! I believe it's in Florida though. Good looking boat. Look in 5-10,000 section it will be one of the first ones. 14 ft aluminum boat

Scratch that, I just looked and its gone already. Idk it was there when I posted that. Right up at the top of the new ads thing on home page. Just sit back and take ur time. If u can wait until after hunting season there should b some good deals come up. Between there and summer. U can find a descent reduction drive boat for 7-10,000 if u can b patient.