I am considering a mini for duck hunting. The big guys use their Chevy motored airboats on the lake when it freezes over. Could I do this with a mini? My concern would be remounting ice from unfrozen water, if I broke through.

The load would be me (200 lbs.) and maybe another 150 lbs. of gear. If another person tagged along that would be +200 lbs.

I live in Idaho and it is very hard to come by an airboat of any size, but trailering a mini 60 miles to the lake would be a lot nicer than a full size one.

I dont think you would have a problem on ice with a mini if set up right
I would plan on a thicker bottom than the average mini hull

you said The load would be me (200 lbs.) and maybe another 150 lbs. of gear. If another person tagged along that would be +200 lbs.

you with the 150 lbs shouldnt be a problem but with a another 200lbs well your buddy might have to get his own :lol: :lol: :lol:

What type of load will they take? I am thinking a 35-38 HP Briggs. Is a reduction needed? For the hull what thickness is standard and what do I need for ice?

The red and white mini hull in the members gallery under CHUCKITT we had 2 200 pound guys in it and ran 30 MPH it is 11 feet long by 6 foot 6 wide

The aluminum hull will probably handle alittle more its also in CHUCKITT gallery they have a 35 horse briggs with a belt reduction

If you are planning on having alot of gear in the boat get a reduction

I posted this and the pictures but the site crashed and when it came back up my post was gone

Go with aluminum, just as I said about the oyster shells..... Aluminum is much more durable and forgiving than a fiberglass hull when faced with harsh conditions such as rocks & ice.

I know this topic has been dead for a little bit, but I've got a mini with 1/8" 5052 for the bottom but plenty of bracing in the bottom so it won't move. On the water it hauled 600 pounds of gear and guys no problem. It gets up on plane at a half throttle and stays there with the same half throttle. I'll have to let you know how it goes on the snow and ice, I'm def going to give it a shot this winter. If you're in idaho I would go with a snowmobile motor. They have plenty of power and torque to go around and still have some left over. I've got a Skidoo 583 motor on mine. Its about 85 hp and gets around better than the big boats. We can shuttle things like guys, decoys, and gear over rogher surfaces like sand and shale (underwater) while the big boats have to sit it out! I love my mini and it'll stand up to the speed the big boats have!

How's that 583 holding up for you? Is it a high maintence motor? I am seriously considering this motor for my mini with the rave exhaust of course. But I am kind of having second thoughts about this buy after talking to a few of the ultrilight/aviation guys around here. They claim the 583 to be a high maintence / high performance motor. They suggested that I go with the more reliable 582 (64hp) aviation model. Althrough, I do really like the power to weight ratio of the 583 motor. I just don't want a motor that I'll have to be working on every time I want to take the boat out. To your knowledge, what hp is that motor supposed to be?

PS. Sorry I hadn't been on here lately guys, Life has kind of gotten in my way and I haven't had much spare to to stop in and chat much less take my boat out to ride. I did in fact take it out "DURING" hurricane Ike. That was pretty much the only way I could get to my houseboat to check on it. That's also an experience that I won't forget for some time. Never the less, I ended up popping a small hole in the right side of my hull. A very strong gust (approx. 40-50mph.) caught me from the side and I ended up eating the end of the angle on the side of my tralier with the hull. You've gotta love that fiberglass! Build it light and this so it will perform better on dry, but you tend to sacrifice strength and durability in doing so. Well trapping & hunting season will be here very soon and hopefully I'll get some use out of my mini.

Hey again! I would compare the 583, and I've heard others compare it the same, to a chevy 350: Reliable, durable, easy to work on, common, and all around bullet proof. If you know guys that run snowmobiles, you know they don't run them at half throttle. Its all or nothin for those guys and the manufacturers know it so they build them tough. Mine starts on the first pull even after sitting for a couple weeks and I've never had to work on it. I pulled it out of a sled that had 1800 miles on it, and I've put 30 hours on it on my boat. I would say it is extremely reliable and since it is water cooled, is less prone to overheating than the 582. Plus its got 20+ more hp!! I love that motor and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

Hey Andy - look on KSL.com under the classifieds and search airboat. I've got a 12x5 boat there with a rotax 447 with a gearbox. 1/8" aluminum bottom. To run much ice I would suggest polymer but if it's smooth ice I've been there before. It will run 28-30 mph whether you are alone with an empty boat or 3 guys, guns, decoys and coffins. It's a scootin' little lightweight boat. I'll try to get time to put it up here in the classifieds but let me know if you (or anyone else too) would like some more info. 4000 bucks.

Hey! Just to give you an idea how good those Rotax motors are, my 583 started with a length of baling twine after having not been started for 10 days. A few primes and pulls and it was going. After sitting for a couple hours I just grabbed the prop and spun it and on the second try it fired right up. The pull start broke at the launch one morning I was going duck hunting. I would look at that boat the Utah Scooter has for sale. Its a sweet little boat. We run together a lot, he is my bro. We can pull right up to a stuck boat, get it out and then hop in ours and drive right off. I'm more that impressed with how Rotax has built its engines to perform under all conditions, and last!

I know this is an old thread but I own a 582 (12x5) and looking at lightweight options with a little more horsepower. Anyone else have info on a 583 and what sleds they were attached to?