Hello from Lago Vista, TX

[krwsr]

Just joined and looking for mini hulls or plans. Need Help!
Thanks,
krwsr

[aerokirk]

Hi krwsr and welcome to the site! Check out the posts in the builds area and you'll find a wealth of information - that's how I got many of my ideas as to what I wanted to build and how I wanted to build it. There are several of us active on the site right now and they are all great resources.

[krwsr]

Hi krwsr and welcome to the site! Check out the posts in the builds area and you'll find a wealth of information - that's how I got many of my ideas as to what I wanted to build and how I wanted to build it. There are several of us active on the site right now and they are all great resources.

Hey! Thanks for the reply. I am just getting started and trying not to spend a small fortune for my build. I can do most all of the work myself and need to keep my cost down.

[Doozit20]

If your willing to travel there are deals to be found. Down here in florida there are tons of boat hulls for projects. You just have to look around. As far as money goes I built two boats from finding deals on the engines and hulls and I think total cost for each build so far, always finding things to improve on , was around 1500-2000 each build. Though keep in mind that both are direct drive boats. You'd have to get a price from the other knowledgeable builders currently on here that are running the reduction drives as they add a good penny for the larger props and drives though the outcomes can be impressive. Not to steer you away from this site but if you hop over to the southern airboat site they have a nice classified section for all parts that youll need. Just remember try to find a light weight hull for a mini.

Oh and encase I forgot...welcome to the abyss
Steve

[krwsr]

Thanks so much for the reply Steve!!!!!!!!
What would be the best area to look for a hull? The motor you are showing is the surplus military continental correct? That price range is what I am shooting for and can make slow improvements. Why do builders use reductions? How do you control RPM? Is your prop fixed or variable? I have lots of questions; just driving into this. Always wanted an airboat; too much money for me but a mini will work. Can you send photos of your rig?? That would really help me.
Kenneth

[krwsr]

Steve; I checked on the reductions, very expensive. Where did you get your prop?
Kenneth

[Doozit20]

Ok sorry for the delay. To keep the cost down on both my builds I actually I did a lot of hunting the web. And luck and being at the right spot at the right time. southernairboat.com I think thats the website in the classified is where I found my dads hull and craigslist is where I found his motor. Yes it is the 4a084 engine built by teledyne but designed by contenental. Ive tried two different props on mine and my dads boats. One is a wood prop from arrow prop and the other is an ultraprop from competitionaircraft.com The wood prop is fixed and is a 54x26 though it should be less on the pitch I feel. The ultraprop is adjustable in the way that you put different pitch blocks in the hub. That prop is a 59x10. I ran both these props on my dads boat recently and found that I have a better overall performance with the ultraprop both with speed and it seems like it has more push. My dads hull weighs around 250 lb the cage weighs right at 75 lb the engine and stand about 170 lb 6 gallon gas tank full and a battery weight. And the ultra pushes me in about a foot of water around 26 mph and me and my brother up to about 22 mph in the same water. You can see pics of my two boats in the build section under my name. Keep the questions coming

[Doozit20]

Oh and reduction drives how I understand it is that they multiply the torque of the engine so that you can spin your engine up into a higher rpm and hp range and have the ability to spin a larger prop essentially increasing the thrust and ground push. Youtube mini airboat and you'll see several builds that have kohler engines with the reduction drive on them pushing dry from a standstill with two and sometimes three people on board. My boat will not push dry by itself any longer due to the weight ive added to it though I only need an inch of wter to keep me going. My engine rpms are governed by the prop keeping it there. More throttle has no effect once the prop and engine meet there maximum ability. The wood prop I can spin up to 2650 and the ultra up to 2750 rpm. Both read on the trailer sitting still with a prop tach that you point into the propeller to read.

[krwsr]

OK! I have bit the bullet and bought a NOS 4A084. Now I need a hull. Can use all the help I can get; I can fabricate from plans. I will keep looking in the southern airboat aids.
Where did you buy the prop?

[krwsr]

I like the ultra pro idea much better, don't need to climb shore banks and run dry. The big issue now is the hull. I am really looking forward to a build, but running into a lot of dead ends for a mini hull.

[Doozit20]

http://www.competitionaircraft.com/p...-ordering.html

Heres the link for the prop. If your handy and are looking to do a lil work, you can buy like a 10-12 fiberglass hull and cut the funnels down a little bit. Some people have gone with a lake buggy design plans which are made of wood and then glasses in. Papee on here built a hull from scratch out of aluminum and welding it together. An airboat realy is a symple designed boat. You can buy 5' wide aluminum sheeting in varying thicknesses from Eastern Metals and either have one bent up of weld it in a very similar style of a flat bottom john boat but rather then have the ribs and stringers on the outside...they are on the inside leaving the bottom as flat as possible.

[Doozit20]

http://www.southernairboat.com/class...baby-gore.html

Ask and you will receive. This would make an excellent size for a mini. You'd have to talk to the guy about stringers and such to make sure they aren't rotten as thats the main problem with glass hulls.

[krwsr]

http://www.southernairboat.com/class...baby-gore.html

Ask and you will receive. This would make an excellent size for a mini. You'd have to talk to the guy about stringers and such to make sure they aren't rotten as thats the main problem with glass hulls.

You are a good MAN! Your help is so much appreciated! I have looked at the buggy, not overly crazy about it. I am glad to say I can fabricate out of al. Just wanted to find some plans. I suppose I could design one, but did not want to reinvent the wheel. I have a quote a great AL hull for $500, but is in FL and I think the freight would eat me alive. All of my research shows all of the work to the build I can do.

[krwsr]

http://www.southernairboat.com/class...baby-gore.html

Ask and you will receive. This would make an excellent size for a mini. You'd have to talk to the guy about stringers and such to make sure they aren't rotten as thats the main problem with glass hulls.

It looks like Chuck at Airboat Pros is everyone's hero; is he the best go to guy?

[Papee]

If you're interested in a hard chined boat like the ones I build I'd gladly put some plans together for you. Hard chined boats are a little harder to handle than a chined boat but are a faster hull. Really with a mini and the speeds you see there really isn't any handling problems to note. They just spin out a little easier but they are also easier to build. The only thing that I would change on my design is maybe put a bend lengthwise in the sides to give them a bit more strength. They are good as is but a bend would give the boat a better look too.

[Doozit20]

Chuck is a very intelligent guy when it comes to minis. Hes been building them for quite a few years.

There are a few ways to build an aluminum hull...you can weld it or rivet them. When welding them you have a full sheet on the bottom typically and weld the too sides on as papee build his. There are a few others that have built there hulls on here. Youd have to look at past build threads to see how they went about them. Both of my boats and many boats down this way are riveted together. The way this is done is you take two pieces of aluminum and bend them to make your sides and then you have a center seam where you rivet on T-bar or you can weld in the t-bar stringers and cross braces.

I have descided that I am going to make me a hull in the near future. It will be bent and riveted like the other boats that are down here. Oh and im shooting for a super light weight build. Real lightweight

[krwsr]

Wow! Plans would be supper cool! ! I like how your rig looks anyway. That would be a tremendous help with my build; I had just about resigned to the idea of designing my own. I would be forever grateful Sir! I don't think adding a chine would be that hard for me if you think it is worth it. Luckily I can weld, machine, and fabricate due to 44 years in manufacturing. I just don't want to make stupid costly mistakes trying to reinvent the wheel. That is why I am so glad I found you guys to help me not do that.
Thanks ever so much for your help Papee!

[krwsr]

Yes, I have decided Al is the only way to go. I too need to keep it light and strong, I am a heavy dude to start with. Luckily I can weld, machine, and fabricate. That's the only way I can do most of it. All the airboats you see here are the big rigs along the coast. I will start looking in past builds for more ideas.
Thanks!