Nitro airboat build
#1
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Nitro airboat build
hello I am new here and new to airboats, I used to run trucks and boats and have always wanted to build an airboat but could never find anything on them, I recently purchased a Stevens aeromdel waterboard and love it and am wanting to build something bigger. I just picked up a os .25 nitro engine with a master airscrew 9" prop, I am looking to build a new boat from scratch, I am thinking about dimensions around 24"x12" as that's the largest sheet of craft plywood I can get without ordering online. Any plans or ideas would be great, I am trying to figure out the hull and also if I want the engine to be in pusher or tractor configuration.
#2
any one of the various outrigger hydro plans you find free on line can easily be converted to air driven tractor, by adding a engine pylon and setting the prop about 10% of the hull length behind the balance point and maybe adding just a bit of width to the sponsons to get them up on top of the water a little faster. I would think a 24 inch outrigger hydro would be about right for a .25 engine. it's easy to print the plans off and get them enlarged to 24" for a full size plan. I prefer the tractor configuration to pusher because it simulates an aircraft arrangement and I am more familiar with that. that size (24") builds cheap and quick, so you can experiment fairly easily and cheaply, until you find what works best.
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Looking for something more of a Florida airboat style as it has to run dry land, would I run into issues with cooling if I run the engine in pusher style, I like the idea of a cage as the boat I have now doesn't have a cage and has broken props and engine mounts when it rolls. I am thinking about building the back with a step down so the prop can sit a little lower. I have to figure out how to post pictures, I have a few boats that I'd like to design it after.