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open hull or deckover?

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NorthWestFloridaBoy

NorthWestFloridaBoy

Well-known member
I wanna buy a used airboat in the next year or so but I need some help figuring out what would be best for my needs. We don't have a lot of sawgrassy areas up here like in the glades, mostly rivers (15+ feet deep) and brackish bays that can get pretty choppy at times. I like the idea of the deckover so no water can swamp me like the open hull. Is an aluminum deckover lighter than a fiberglass open hull? What are the pros & cons of riveted vs. welded, will one hold up to pounding chop better than the other? I want it to be about a 12 or 14 by 8 with a 4 cyl aircraft engine to keep it light and stable, no need to run dry trails or start on mud flats like you guys. does a 4cyl ac motor weigh less than a 350 dd? if so how much because if it is close the 350 dd might be a better value due to low cost. how about a 4.3 dd would that work ok in open water? we have a lot of logs and stumps in our rivers would the alluminum hold up better than glass, I assume i won't need poly. Any thing else I might be overlooking? Oh yeah I almost forgot, does anyone want to trade a 12 foot deckover with engine for a 2006 yamaha kodiak 4x4 with dual winches and mud tires? Thanks for any info fellas.
 
I would suggest an aluminum open hull. I have run an airboat up there and I just dont think a little deckover would cut it.
Good Luck, you have come to the right place to get a wide array of answers.



I sold a 13ft Aluminum open hull boat with a 220 up there. It ran great up there.
 
It all depends on how much money you want to spend. The more you want the more it costs. Sounds to me like you need a 14-16 ft alum open boat with a 6 cylinder aircraft or one of Waterthunders motors. There are a whole bunch of great boats for sale on airboattrader.com, that have been for sale for awile and probally can be bought at a great price.
 
Northwest, for pure performance and safety you can't beat a deckover. Unfortunately I've never been able to go to the water with less than a cooler, extra life jackets, spare parts, and who knows what else ..... then an open hull boat starts to look pretty good.

Deckovers are the 'sports cars' of airboats. If you don't need a 'station wagon', go for it.
 
I don't need a "fast" boat just a "safe" boat, that's why I assumed a decover might be a better choice, If I am in the bay when 2-3 feet of wave action kicks up I thought it would be safer to be in a deckover. I don't want fancy just extremely simple. I actually bought a 12x7.5 fiberglass open hull about 10 years ago when I graduated high school from a friends dad, It had been set up for years and the prop was rotten, it had a continental 4cyl that he said was a "100 hp engine" but he wanted an extra 1500 for the motor so I just bought the hull and metalwork for 150 thinking I would fixer up over time, Well I sold the hull about 5 years ago to a friend who still has it sitten in his yard. I could get it back for 100 bucks or so with no metal work (it got thrown away). If I could find a small lightweight ac engine would this be the way to go for me? The guy I bought it from told me stories about sinking it several times but that it would go very fast in a straight line. How much does a little (60-100 hp) ac motor go for these days?
 
This is only my opinion, but if you plan on running in 2-3 foot waves in a Bay then you need a Boston Whaler. Airboats, by their design, are not meant for that kind of water.

I got caught by a fast moving storm one afternoon a few years ago on the upper St. Johns. I ended up in the back yard of a complete stranger just so I could get off the water. I was very lucky that I didn't sink the boat or blow the prop before I got to shore. Very lucky. Nobody would want to think of doing that on a regular basis.
 
There are some p.e. 90 gpu's posted on Airboat Trader for $1500.00.
They are listed under parts for sale.

As far as a deckover hull you would need something that would push through a swell. Lo profile deck boats will not handle chop as well as deep
hulled boats. Alumitech, GTO, Diamondback will deck their boats but the expense is there for that.

West Palm style hulls might do okay but glades style could get pretty dicey in moderate chop swells.

While these hulls are "unsinkable" they would be prone to swamping.

Of course these would my concerns. Some people have NO FEAR and
might disagree with me.

Good luck.
 
12-13ft open aluminim hull with deep sides & 220 GPU sounds like it would be best, but i agree 2-3ft waves are not what airboats are designed for!! :shock:
 
I don't plan on going out in those conditions but mother nature can change her mind very quickly up here in the summer I meant running back to the launch if conditions worsened. I don't go out in that kinda mess in any boat, just no fun. I have seen the gpu 220's go for cheap but don't they weigh a ton? The sides on the 12 foot fiberglass open hull i can get back from my friend are about 18-20 inches high when the boat sits on the ground, It resembles one of those laser hulls or old combee style. You couldn't get a boston whaler up some of these river sytems without motor foot and prop damage plus a boston whaler isn't as cool as an airboat.
 
A 12 footer with a 4 cylinder will sit on top of the water like a cork. Hard to beat when the chop kicks up.

No polymer means lighter weight too. You should be happy with that.

Scotty
 
Thanks Whitebear, thats what I needed to know. I guess I'll Buy that old hull back from my friend. Just what my wife is gonna want to hear. I don't think I'll need the poly up here for the rivers.
 
I guess a couple other of your questions should be answered as well.

Riveted -vs- welded. It is just two different methods. neither has a distinct advantage. I perfer welded but there is nothing wrong with well made riveted hulls. I would not let that in itself become a deciding factor.

Aluminum -vs- fiberglass. Weight wise a poorly made glass hull can be heavier than an aluminum hull of similar dimensions. Made correctly, fiberglass can have a slight weight advantage. The really glowing difference between the two materials is that a well designed glass hull can have finer and more complex curves and shapes than aluminum. This in general translates to a sweeter more sea-kindly handeling. Keep in mind there are a LOT or well designed but poorly made hulls out there of both material types. Stick with a manufacturer not a brand name that has a following or that will demonstrate their boat for you and then stand behind their work. The two are about the same as for ease of emergency repairs. Ease of damage is about the same overall but aluminum, in light impacts, may have a slight advantage. Espense to repair yourself by far is cheeper to repair a glass hull. I would let which ever one you are more comfortable working with be the deciding factor. Don't get hung up in lore or anecdotal tales. Poor workmanship stands out like a sore thumb on aluminum hulls, its very visible. Poor workmanship in glass hulls can be well hidden and you won't know til something happens.

As stated above, old hulls need to be thoroughly inspected. Nothing inherently wrong with an old hull, just inspect it well before dropping your money on it. Look how old Cowboys hull is! Glass will after long term become more brittle and prone to fractures. Alumimum is subject to long term vibration and stress cracking. INSPECTION is the key.

There are a lot of boats in both material and construction types out there. Both are valid and proven materials.

If all this sounds like double speak just pay attention and maybe get someone with a lot of experience to help ya check things out.

Scotty
 
The deckover DOES help water run off, BUT....water can still get in the hull; it's not completely sealed. It can't be, because your gas tank is in there, etc. You need to keep that in mind and don't forget to use the bilge pump every so often.

Also keep in mind that there's nothing to keep water from swamping the prop if the back end goes under water, or if a large wave should come up from behind you.

That said, a deckover is a great design. My friend has one and it seems quite at home in deep water just as on the ground or shallow stuff.

Riveted hulls are usually made from harder aluminum than welded boats because the hard stuff just doesn't weld good. I think they might be a little tougher. Ask Cowboy how long a good riveted hull will last.

Depends on the size of both hulls, but I'd say a deckover is still pretty light. An identical fiberglass hull will outweigh an aluminum hull.

If you're serious about a nice deckover boat, check out Scorpion Airboats in O'Brien FLA. Just be ready as the price tag is high, but remember, a good aluminum hull will long outlast a fiberglass hull if they are both treated the same.
If you're interested in a nice deckover boat
 
Whitebear":2b9xexai said:
.... The really glowing difference between the two materials is that a well designed glass hull can have finer and more complex curves and shapes than aluminum. This in general translates to a sweeter more sea-kindly handeling. ...
Click to expand...

This is an excellent point that I missed the first time I read Scotty's post.

I must say though, that of the VERY few boats I have driven, I think I like the round-sided aluminum "slider" hulls best. One day I will own a round-sided boat.

If you're looking for a great fiberglass design, check out the Freedomcraft and the Predator hulls. From what I've seen, they are top-notch in workmanship and ride quality.
 
It depends on what you want your boat to do. I noticed around lake Kissimmee and Cypress everybody runs fiberglass hulls you will see 10 glass hulls to one aluminum. In South Florida it's mostly aluminum and in my area it's one fiberglass to 10 aluminum. Out of the 20 or so times I have been to Kissimmee I noticed nobody runs thru the woods and trees. In my area everybody runs thru the cypress tress and woods it's a different environment. The fiberglass hulls I have owned were destroyed and full of holes and the stringers were ripped out all within a year and a half. That is why very few people in my area run fiberglass hulls. The fiberglass having a smoother ride was true ten years ago but a Hammant aluminum is one of the best ridding hulls I have rode glass or aluminum. My personal preference is a deck over unless you take a generator and a gas grill with you when you go riding a deck over performs better then any other boat I have ever owned or drove. Plus I let friends and family drive it because it's sooo much more forgiving to the driver. Let's be honest we all have seen 20, 30 year old Thurman's and Clolingers how many 30 year old glass airboats have you seen.
 
Whoaaa Thunder.. I run Kissimmie, Hatchnehia, Cypress. And if you dont see prople running through the trees, you must not be looking hard enough. Summer time for us is racing, chillin, and haven a good time. When Hunting season comes around, thats a differnt story. Come over around hunting season, I'd be glad to show ya the back-woods! As for aluminum vs. fiber glass i can buy probably 3 Brand new 14'5" Wide Tracker Predators, w/ slick-bottom, powder coated trim, etc. for the cost of 1 14' Aluminum boat. Just a thought!
 
NotheWestFloridaBoy ASKED......."I need some help figuring out what would be best for my needs. We don't have a lot of sawgrassy areas up here like in the glades, mostly rivers (15+ feet deep) and brackish bays that can get pretty choppy at times. "

I don't see anything here about running trees, cypress knees, or racing, or even competative driving.

My perspective on boat oerations may well be somewhat different from others. Nothing in my explanation impunes any particular boat or material and my resons for advantages and disadvanteges of such are quite valid. I certainly don't mind impuning shoddy craftsmanship though, and theres a LOT of that around.

Anybody can tear a boat up, but ya sure don't have to just because you know how.

I "suspect" the main reason for the increase in aluminum hulls is the significant increase in weight of a lot of boats due to the popular use of V8 engines. "MOST" V8s are a LOT heavier than the average 4 cylinder aircraft engine or even the heavy old GPUs. There is a perception that aluminum will hold up better under the additional weight, and that "may" be valid. Most glass hulls were dsigned with aircraft motors in mind.

Fiberglass does become brittle over the long term and can fracture or delaminate when poorly fabricated. No glass boat has any business having the runners tore up in it or holes in it under normal use in less than 10 years though.

A 30 year old aluminum hull needs the same rigid inspection as any other boat thats 30 years old. Most 30 year old aluminum boats take a heck of a lot of hard work to bring them back to really fine condition. Ask Cowboy what it took to bring his boat back.

Any 30 year old boat better have a clever knowledgable owner or a very wealthy one. Its my opinion that most owners give up on, or do not posess the maintenance skills to keep an old glass hull in top condition, so they give up on them and buy a new boat.

Glass or aluminum, a 30 year old boat is still a 30 year old boat and not something to recommend to a new airboater.

The man simply wishes for some help to find what will be good for HIS application. He has some choices to look at.

Damn what a rant. Sorry bout that :)

Scotty
 
Just one comment. If you intend to run in any saltwater, or even brackish water, then fiberglass with stainless riggin. If it's a freshwater- only boat,
then aluminum will be OK. JMO.
 
I need to stop posting my opinion when somebody asks for one. I have owned several fiberglass boats a Gore (125) Lycoming, Gillieo (220)GPU, Star O470 and a Apache. When I was done with each of these, the longest I owned them was 2 years they were worthless junk. And every aluminum hull I have ever owned is still on the river even. I'm sure lot's of people do run the Hill during hunting season around lake Kiss. I just noticed there was allot less hill running around Kissimmee in general. I must warn everyone My posts are only my opinion which I have solely learned from personal experience. With that said if you want to own a safe airboat (if such a thing exists) for several years or even decades. I personally would own an aluminum hull. I still see welded Aluminum Charlie Jones aircraft powered hulls every time I go up river and their a minimum of 15 years old. I would also state 90% of the airboats that I see over 20 years old are riveted. My neighbor owns 2 riveted Thurman's that are old enough to have a flat head Ford on them. Sorry to ruffle feathers just stating fact's.
 
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