OK, here's the project ....

[PJC]

If you're trying to keep it budget friendly I would look for one of the h2ad 0320s

[Big Casino]

Well Sir,

You know firsthand what a properly built 520 will do on a big glass boat. Just imagine that on a little hull ....

Just sayin

[Olf Art]

Well Sir,
You know firsthand what a properly built 520 will do on a big glass boat. Just imagine that on a little hull ... Just sayin

Yessir I do ..... that motor of yours wasn't down on power anywhere that day, and there were three
of us an 14 crab traps on your rig toward the end. That was a good day.

[Seven3]

Just remember, a smaller engine doesn't always mean better fuel efficiency. Set-up is very important. I've seen properly set-up 540 boats get comparable fuel economy to 4 cyl boats. Getting stuck sucks, I'd rather have the power in reserve when needed.

[Olf Art]

Ken, if it were my turn for a new boat, I'd be leaning toward a s/v 180 on lite in-line two-seat rigging.
I don't want to be pushin & pulling on a heavy boat as I get older and I can almost guarantee I'm still gonna be gettin stuck everything now & then
I found one I like in WhoDat's gallery recently: http://www.southernairboat.com/photopos ... nd/cat/508

Rick

Buddy, that little H2AD rig you had still haunts me ...... that thing was a real sweetheart! Two seats in-line on a little boat like that one and Vivi and I would be good to go!

[rick]

When PJC mentioned the "H" motor above, I was thinking about that little boat too. $2100 motor right out of the plane from Chipper in Cocoa. Talked to him a few months back and he hasn't had any for awhile, so I'm not sure where someone could find an "H" runout (or how much $) these days?

I put my favorite old short video of that boat on youtube awhile back.



Hard to believe those grandkids are 13 & 11 now...some of ya'll are getting pretty damn old around here

Rick

[dblj006]

This is how I want my next build. Built with the engine to carry the load. 180 or 200. Rear steer, front passenger. No lo-rider here. Full cage, pancakes are for breakfast.

[John C]

Here is a pic of my 11' boat with a 0320 (160 HP). Great little boat for 2 people. As you can see, sometimes I take 3 but that's pushing it for a 11' boat.
Ken. I know your not looking for an 11' boat. And I know you said you don't need to run dry ground. If you want a little bigger boat I would go with an 0360. You certainly don't need an 0540, or any 6 cyl for that matter. Not for the type of running you are gonna b doing. but the extra power the 0360 offers over the 0320 is good insurance to have. especially if your gonna have it on a boat that is 12'+. I think a 12' 6" Hull with a 0360 Lycoming would be a perfect 2 seat boat for the way you run and still have the room you need. And you never know where you are gonna end up when your out ridding. that 0360 just might be the difference between having to get out and shake the rake and push, or say, man I'm glad I was able to get through that stuff. The older we get, the more it sucks to have to get out of the boat. jmo.

[Olf Art]

Thanks John! I doubt you'll remember but one time down in the AAOF campground you were loading
up that little boat and I started to hook up the bow winch ...... you said, "That's OK" and then you preceded to drive it right up onto the trailer. Woohoo!

Yeah, at my age I don't want to be underpowered, but I don't think I need to 'feed' a 6 cyl. either. An
0360 or AV200 is lookin' better to me all the time. Probably injected ..... nobody has yet come up with a carb for A/C engines that will run like it should at sea level.

If any of y'all are interested in a project that could payoff big time, develop a direct replacement
carb for 4 and 6 cyl. A/C engines that replaces the dinosaurs that they're running now. The airboat
community will beat a path to your door. JMO

[pirate]

nobody has yet come up with a carb for A/C engines that will run like it should at sea level.

I have an idea that Lycoming and Continental engineering as well as a few engine builders may disagree with that statement

[Whitebear]

years ago a company made what was sold under the name "Lake Injector" for motorcycles. Was a single throat unit and it increased performance and increased fuel economy too. If anyone could find one of these old units I bet I could copy it and by simple ratio make it suitable for any CID engine ya chose. On the surface it sounds so simple. In practice, well who knows, but it might be a fun project.

I actually saw a few run on the old 4 cylinder Honda street bikes and by using a single unit, it made 4 randomly carbed engines function as a single 4 cylinder engine. Thing as dirt simple as I remember. Here is a link to one on a Triumph......
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7OicuDSaNA and here is a link to a decent write up about these and other aircraft type carbs. VERY interesting reading. http://www.greatplainsas.com/iposa.html

[pirate]

Scotty,

I remember the Lake system well. They pushed them for H.D.'s big time. The Lake system is also known as a throttle body. They do have them for aircraft.

http://ellison-fluid-systems.com/

[Whitebear]

The Lake Injector was NOT a fuel injection system, it was just a Diphramless and Floatless Carburettor. Seems the big issue with them is they cant run off of a fuel pump, has to be about .25 PSI or around there. With no vent they have to be kept cool or they will vapor lock. May be that some recent activity has solved this. I just remember the old stuff

Ellison in the link is a true TBI and I like that even better than the Lake !

A TBI that is not rated for flight should be dead simple and fairly cheap for an airboat engine. Seems anything rated for flight increases the cost by about 300%. Not saying put junk on the airboat engines, just saying the thing doesn't need the testing and approval of the FAA for an airboat engine. Mixture controls can be simple plug in devices or a full rich and lean mix control as well. To my way of thinking a TBI should not need any electronics to run it, keep it dead simple and reliable or at least working class man field repairable..... Makes me want to find a used TBI and see exactly how they work.....

[Olf Art]

I have an idea that Lycoming and Continental engineering as well as a few engine builders may disagree with that statement

Actually, there's no way that they could ..... it's the reason that the manufacturers went to fuel injection. Aircraft carbs are terrible for sea level only use, and their design is well over seventy years old. They were simple and cheap to make, and AvGas was less than 25 cents a gallon then
so nobody worried much about fuel economy.

[pirate]

Ken,

While there were other factors, one of the main reasons aircraft went to fuel injection had to do with carburetor icing.

I'm not arguing the merits of one vs the other. Both have good as well as not so good points.

Atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7. Optimum air/fuel ratio is 14.7 to 1 if I'm not mistaken. At higher altitudes where the air is thinner the carburetor is leaned out to maintain the same 14.7 to one ratio.

That being the case, I don't understand is your statement that they don't work very well at sea level. Does that mean that they work well at an altitude other than sea level or just don't work well?

[One Eyed Gator]

I sure like Plumb Crazy's aluminum hull with and PE-90 conversion on it. Boat was simple, clean and plenty of power.

[chuckitt@earthlink.net]

Olf, we put a 1.8L Chevy Cruze engine on George Thomas 16 X 7 cut-down Seminole Hull to use for Red Fishing. it only set about 3 inches deep in the water. It also runs some dry ground. On one trip, Daddy Daves 0-540 used 20.7 gals and George's boat used 7 gals. The running engine kit cost 8700.00 dollars. It includes engine, belt drive, engine stand, complete fuel system including tank, Complete cooling system, Console with Can-Buss programmable Gauges with your name on the gauges, Throttle Pedal, and all wired and programed ready to hook a battery to it to fire it up. About what a rebuilt 0-360 cost. With the 0-360, you don't get the engine stand, oil cooler, Fuel tank, fuel pump, AN fuel hose, Console with gauges, Throttle Pedal and cable, and all put together and ready to run. We also test it and leave some fuel in the tank for your first run.
You need to get a ride on George Boat.
Thanks, Chuck

[chuckitt@earthlink.net]

Also, with the 1.8L Ecotec, years later ( if needed ) you could replace the engine for under 2000.00 and that would include all Labor. No oil leaks or oil use, no old mags to keep repaired, just great trouble free performance.
Thanks, Chuck

[john1edwards]

Also, with the 1.8L Ecotec, years later ( if needed ) you could replace the engine for under 2000.00 and that would include all Labor. No oil leaks or oil use, no old mags to keep repaired, just great trouble free performance.
Thanks, Chuck

Chuck you always have great Ideas and inovations

[dblj006]

Olf, we put a 1.8L Chevy Cruze engine on George Thomas 16 X 7 cut-down Seminole Hull to use for Red Fishing. .
Thanks, Chuck

Do you have an image of an example of one of these airboats you can post online or a link to one?

[chuckitt@earthlink.net]

No, the computer I had the pictures on want boot up. I think Daddy Dave may have some if we can get him to chime in. I will call George to see if he can post up a picture or two.
Thanks, Chuck

[chuckitt@earthlink.net]

George sent me 2 pictures.

Thanks, Chuck

[Olf Art]

Chuck has quietly been one of the biggest innovators in this sport. He's been building stuff nobody
else thought was worth their time, or had never considered, for a long time and most of the time
he's been right on the mark with those projects.

A country way of sayin that is "he ain't skeered"! If he thinks something up that might work, he'll
just build one and see. He's a very creative man.

[chuckitt@earthlink.net]

Thanks Olf Art, Have you decided on the engine for your new boat?

Chuck

[PAINKILLER]

Is this hot rod going to have a name /rudder picture