WHAT AND WHY YOU RUN THE BOAT YOU DO !

[fatboy0054]

I HAVE RUN VW AND AIRCRAFT ! NEVER A CAR MOTOR UNTIL NOW A 500 LUX ! STARTED OUT TO BUILT IT FOR AROUND 8000 MYSELF ! BY NOW YALL KNOW THE STORY GOT 15000 IN IT NOW STILL IN MY BACK YARD ! I KEEP GETTING IDEAS FROM GOOD POEPLE ! GOING TO BE A RIDE BOAT SORT OF LARGE ,BUT I LIVED ON TAMPA BAY SO ANYWAY NEEDED THE SIZE IT A 16 BY 8 OLD KENNEDY HULL STAINLESS WORKS 237 BOX 3 BLADE 2.3 BLASTER ! I BUILT EVERTHING BUT THE ENGINE STAND . JW WARD BUILT THAT ! OR STUMPJUMPER AS YALL KNOW HIM ! GOT A FULL CIRCLE PAN CAKE CAGE FOR MORE STUFF LATER ON ! BORED 20 OVER 500 300 CAM, KB STEP DOMES ZERO DECKED BALANCE PORTED CAST IRON HEADS WITH BIGGER HOLES , PORTED INTAKE 850 HOLLEY! MY OWN ROLLER ROCKERS WITH MAIN IDEA FROM POTTER ! CUSTOM FAT BOY HEADERS DESIGN BY HEADERS BY ED ALOT OF RESEACH FROM THIS SITE AND CAD FORUMS NOT A DANM THING WENT SIMPLE . BUT THE DAYS ARE NUMBER NOT A BAD BOAT FOR A SHADE TREE PROJECT! EVERTHING WAS DONE IN THE BACK YARD IN THE DIRT EXCEPT THE MOTOR ! AND ALL OF THIS STARTED AFTER MY FRIEND AND TOOK A JOHN BOAT TO CAMP MACK AND WE WERE JUST LOOKING GOT THAT DISEASE KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY !LIKE TO HERE SOME OTHER STORYS! JUST TO KEEP THING SIMPLE !

 

[cowboy]

Airboating affliction. Got that right Fatboy!

Not many airboaters ever get cured, and get away from it forever.
They may leave the marsh, but they always seem to come back if they are able. Sooner or later, they come back.

All the boats we have are used boats, and I think they are some of the best boats we could have.
They were all owned by airboaters who were airboating, before airboating was cool!

Those airboaters can't make it to the marsh anylonger, and They took a bunch of snotty nosed kids out in the woods way back when.......

When we ride the boats we have, They are still taking us out into the woods and back if you know what I mean.

Some may think that's corny, but that's how it is.
The boats we have may not be the baddest boats on the planet, but for the airboating we like to do, they are tough to beat.

I don't airboat to prove anything to anybody.
Well.... perhaps I would like to think some of those oldtimers would look at us and say we turned out ok, while feeling proud of themselves. Perhaps they do.

Later Fatboy.

Oh yeah,
Get your butt in gear Fatboy. Get that boat running, so you can get those snotty nosed kids out into the woods!
See ya out there.

 

[darkwader]

Started out 8yrs. old riding on the deck of my uncles boat on the Withlacoochee River plywood sides metal bottom,half cage just to keep the prop out of the trees that when I got the bug. got frist boat when I 19
paid $2600.00 built the next for 200 more ran it 10 yrs sold it stay lost for 9yrs and got bit again started pricing to build another and got sticker shock got lucky and fell in to a deal. got in a boat for the price of a engine.

14' Alumitech 0540 And loving it

Yes Cowboy I was one of them snotty nosed kids :twisted:

 

[stan]

years ago I aquired an old boat dd 400 that later on we called sinky .Then aquired an old airgator 350 belt drive no polymere we called kermit.Threw to gether an ole air gator dd 400 and ran it for a while Bought an old bear hull out from under an oak tree put it together and currently runin it as Southern Style.ain't never been rich enough to afford a new boat and always tried to to do things in a economical manner ( wich usualy doubles the cost).I have seen all types of airboats and know quite a few airboaters and can truly say that they are all happy when on there boats.I reckon that be the most important thing is that we all should persue happiness and in my case I usualy find it on my airboat.

 

[GWTW-000]

Cowboy you are dead on about snotty nose kids (I was one) and leaving and coming back. I ran a 125 Franklin on a 14’ fiberglass Airgator. It looked great but that thing would always get stuck. I ran it mostly from lake Washington north to lake Winder. That was in the late 60’s early 70’s.

Fast-forward 30 years. I was surfing the net and found this site. It has been all down hill from there. Got the bug BAD. Bought an old worn out boat. All most killed myself on the first outing. Learned a lot from here thanks to many good people. Trashed everything except the motor. Thought about what kind of running I was going to do. Settled on a new 15’ from Hoffman and put my rebuilt 500 Caddy on it. I run the Altamaha River up here in Southeast Georgia. It’s mostly deep water with a lot of sand bars. The coast has deep water and shallow creeks with salt marshes. I thought I needed a big boat for safety and security. It’s stable enough to dive off the sides. I still get stuck in some places and I am getting to old to pull that boat out. I guess you will always try to make your boat just a little better. I have a 2.38:1 drive coming from Waterthunder and have a K series 80� 3 blade Sensenich to go on it. I hope this solves the pulling problem.

I will be running a 15’ Hoffman, 500 Caddy, 2.38:1 Stringer soft drive, 80� K series Sensenich.

I run mostly deep water. Needed high sides and stability. Will need to carry everything but the kitchen sink when camping on the sandbars.

Kim

 

[Waterthunder]

I tried calling you a few times. I meant to tell you most 2.38 are rated for around 500HP this box was built for one of my 600HP motors so we got the heavy duty 750HP box. I packed everything up good and she is one the way!

 

[cowboy]

Awesome KJC.
I bet your boat will go like stink with your grabbing another gear.
You put that new big wheel to work, and I bet your gonna be happy.

Like Stan says, that's what it's really all about.

Nice post to you also D/W!

Airboaters are just a better class of people, but I remember when folks thought airboaters were trashy.

Perhaps many still do.

I say their the ones who are all screwed up.

Heck,
I'd love to have a waterthunder set-up to push me around the environments I like to be in. Perhaps one day I will.

Those old boats we have now will probably still be in the yard if I had one though.

See ya'll in the marsh.

Good topic you started here Fatboy!

 

[Olf Art]

I come to airboating late in life, but I've wanted one ever since I was a kid and saw my first one years ago on a trip to Florida with my folks. I've spent quite a bit of time around flying, and I've always loved the water, so to me putting water and propellers together seems only natural.

Several years ago on a trip with the family I spotted an airboat sitting in a gas station up in Tennessee, being towed to somewhere and I almost wrecked the car tryin to get turned around just so I could get a look at it. My wife looked at me like 'you are a very sick man :? '

Anyway, 12 years ago I had a chance to transfer to Florida. I won't say that the chance to finally own an airboat and be around the sport was the only reason I wanted to move down here, but it was certainly a part of the decision for me.

My old 14' Gilileo ain't fancy, but By God it's an airboat.

 

[Tide Runner]

Well my first encounter with an airboat I was walking home from Elementary school and seen one in a yard and told myself one day I gotta have one of those, Well alot of years later and countless other toys and boats I finaly got my first. A 12ft old gore with a 210 Franklin on it first airboat and the first time ever on one much less driving one.. what a ride.. I had no Idea that they picked up speed in shallow water. well after bouncing off a few trees and pounding the floor board tring to find the brake I figured out that power is your friend. Always keep some power to get out of a bind. that was about 15 years ago I/m on my forth one now and i/m sure it won't be the last.
Wayne

 

[darkwader]

Hey Cowboy my dad use to tell me that airboaters were 3 things



(they were one of three ILLEAGAL,UNLAWFUL OR UNCONSTITUTIONAL)


OUTLAWS:lol:

 

[nebraskaairboater]

I built my first boat 3 years ago when I was 25. I have been around airboats since before I could walk. My whole life was airboats so my dad wasn't suprised when I told him I was ready for my own. I actually was given an old fiberglass boat with a 6 cyl continental aircraft rated for 125 hp but missing a jug. After trying to find parts for the engine I decided to sell it and was all set to put a small block on it direct drive. Then noticed that the stringers were all rotten. Long story short got it stripped down to the bare shell to put the new stringers in and found out how much the glasswork was going to cost... found an old aluminum hull on airboat trader for the same price with new poly so we took a road trip. 26 hrs each way. So what I can afford is a 1978 panther 15 x 7.5 aluminum hull with poly, home built rigging for a direct drive 500 caddy, and newly upgraded to a whirlwind stump puller prop. Only things new on my boat are the seats, rudders, and prop... everything else was built by my father and I or purchased used off airboattrader. (engine donated by my fatherinlaw) Dream boat is one of Waterthunder's engines turning a 4 blade Q ultrawide and a hull that will handle it. (16 foot long at least)... but isn't that everyones dream. he he

 

[D-BREWSTER]

WELL A OLD LINE IN THE MOVIE "JAWS" SOME'S IT UP BEST FOR ME I THINK , OLD CAPT. QUINN SAYS ("WHEN I WAS GROWING UP EVERY BOY WANTED TO BE A HARPOONER OR A SWORDFISHERMEN') WELL WHEN I WAS A KID GROWING UP IN LOXAHATCHEE EVERY KID WANTED A BUGGY AND AIRBOAT OF HIS OWN, SINCE THEN IVE BUILT 5 BUGGY'S AND 6 AIRBOATS , WELL HOLD ON MAKE THAT 7 IM BUILDING A NEW BOAT NOW..... THE MARSH IS A SYREN YOU MAY LEAVE HER BUT SHE'LL CALL YOU BACK BEFORE LONG..AIRBOATING AND BUGGY'S AND DOG HUNTIN ARE LIKE CRACK AND IM A FULL BLOWN JUNKY !!!...LOL.....

 

[UncleBubba]

Been around airboats most of my life. Took my first ride about ten years ago. then two years ago I got my first boat 12 laser with a dd302 Ford, it did good for a first boat. Now that the rug rats has got a little bigger I needed a bigger boat. Sold the Ford boat and got a 13 ft Bayou with a 472 Caddy dd on it.

 

[K-mac]

Yall are right, I'm in remission right now, but there is no cure.
I'm saving my money though and hoping for a relaps.
we used to say there were only three kinds of people
Them that got airboats, them that want airboats, and them
that aint never been on an airboat. any one not in one of
those groups is just wierd.
Kevin

 

[Whitebear]

I guess I have to answer it as Why am I going to build the boat I am.

I have run most of the different kinds of drive trains and some of the nicer hulls. At one point I was lucky enough to have a paying job running big powerful redrive airboats. A partner and I had already been in the manufacturing business of airboats and it is a killer business when your small scale. You are married to the business and have little time to go ride. I am down to myself at home now so I don't need a big ride boat that will carry a crowd. My needs are frogging, maybe a hunting trip and just poking around.

Nearing 60 years old and I don't have any desire to be tugging and winching anything around. So I look at a light hull with a light weight moderately powered motor. Minimal rigging and structure. Easy on gas, easy to run and easy to repair.

If I do need a big barge for something special I can get my kid to take his big boat out for me and I'll ride in style hahahahah. A benefit of spending time and building and running airboats with him when he was a littler critter.

I may end up still yet introducing someone else to airboating but most likely it will be just out enjoying the swamps. I want to do some camera work and some amature archaeology and the small light boat is idealy suited for that as well. A mini is just too small and a 12' ultralight hull rigged for two with a 4 cylinder A/C is just about right.

I thought I was done with airboats until I stumbeled onto this forum. I saw Cowboys super SWEET old PB boat and it got me ta thinking, next I was dreamin, now Im makin definate plans. So the forum has kinda rekindeled or reinfected me if ya will. It's one disease thats pleasurable indeed.

Scotty

 

[cowboy]

Thanks Scotty.
Nice compliment on Onion's boat.
Once apon a time there was this snotty nosed little kid, who was wishing he had the baddest boat in the marsh. Back then, that boat was Onion's boat, the one We have now. Like Larry said, back then if you had a 125, you were the king.

Now she's out there in the yard, waiting for me to put some mufflers on, so we can ride again. More parts are on the way.

When we were looking to get it from Onion, my old man said "that boat certainly was the most lusted after boat he's ever known". He was even a little jealous when we got it I think.

Ever hear that saying "careful what you wish for?" Well, I'm still glad we got her, and brought her back from the brink.


We had her loaded up, and ready to take home.
I had a lump in my throte when Onion laid his hand on her one last time, shook her on the trailer, and said "well good bye old girl". He turned, walked away, and never looked back. He had smashed grass with that boat nearly all his life, and he was glad we were getting it. Most folks wanted to buy that boat for the motor, and junk it. It was still a tough thing for him to see her go.

He sure was proud when we came down the canal months later, and slid up into his yard with it. She was all fixed back up, and perhaps ready to go another 30 years. After looking her over, He knew she would be well taken care of.

I don't care how bad ass anybody's boat is. When people come up at a gas station yelling "Hey! That's Onion's boat"... well that to me is pricless.

Some of the baddest airboaters, and airboats are available for us to see here @ S/A, but I don't think we could trade that boat for any boat I'll ever see.

Well anyway,
That's some of the reasons why we ride one of the boats we have.
All I can say is we ride with pride!

 

[SAFARI RICK]

I'm fairly new to this lifesyle (THATS WHAT IT IS!) and am so glad I got this bug. Neighbor bought a boat and after about 3 yrs rideing with him I couldn't take it no more and built the one I have now. Cost was a major factor in and why I have what I have but I'll tell ya I love my boat. Still changeing things but am told by the old timers that will never change and honestly I'm just fine with that. Wife told me to do it once and to do it right so I wouldn't always be working on it.(HE-HE) Little does she know. :wink: :wink: :wink:

 

[kaos]

I too am very new to the airboat world. When i was a youngin, my parents would bring me down to florida every spring to stay with my grandparents for acouple weeks. My grandfather brought me over to his friends one time, to show me this thing called a airboat, and go for a ride. I was 8yrs. old and was hooked. Every year i came down here after that, one of the first things i had to do was go out for a airboat ride.

Well here it is some 32yrs. latter. I've been here for 4yrs. now, and finally had the means to purchase my first airboat. Man was i stoked, when i started to look for one. I went on line and did some research, and talked to everyone i new that owns one to make sure i would make an informed decesion when i found one.

I ended up lucking out and found a excellent 0540 boat with a 13X7.5 Hamant hull that was only 3yrs. old with about 75hrs. on the motor, for a very good price.

On top of that, to make it more suited for my needs of taking out 3 big sons, and chasing gators and hogs, i am haveing Diamondback build me a new higher sided hull right now as we speak.

When all is saied and done, what started out as looking for a boat in the $10,000 range, has lead to a $18,500 endeavor.

But it was all worth it and i'm as giddy as a school girl on her first date waiting for that new hull to be ready in a couple weeks.

[/img]

 

[jim]

If any of you are looking to design your own boat, take a close look at cowboy's rigging. It looks to me like it was designed by an aircraft structural engineer. The seat stand front legs are well triangulated with straight pieces which produces the lightest and strongest structure.

The engine mount is also well triangulated and only uses the aircraft lord mounts. This reduces the vibrations transmitted into the hull and (if you read the fwc report on airboat noise) will reduce the structural noise produced by the engine. This boat has the potential of being the quietest aircraft engine boat.

The whole structure is well thought out and has proved itself by the test of time. (34 years old)

jim

 

[Waterthunder]

Hey KAOS that boat was a friend of mines boat it doesn't have much time on it and I'm sure you will be happy with it it's a good combination on a Hammant hull.