gotti

hey everyone. here is a nice airboat web page dedicated to unlimited hydroplanes. they run the flitecraft and hobbico airboats. its defianatley worth the look.



www.rchra.com

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Nice site , but thats kinda like looking inside a bag of navy beans .... they all look alike .
no homemades , no variety .
Good for what they are though .... ( even though I am getting one myself here in a few days .... at least thats when UPS says it'll arrive [X(] )
But , you can betcha that mine WILL be different ...

gotti

maybe so but while everyone trys to re-invent the wheel and spend most of their time at the work bench, we are at the waters running all day having fun. and isn't that the reason we have hobbies? don't get me wrong i do tinker with them and i am always looking at ways to make them faster and turn tighter. the boats look stock but we have all done mods to the engine pods, radio boxes and water rudders to improve there performance and durability. we have at times four or five boats running at 30-35 mph side by side all day long. i guess carving a sled out of foam or using a hood scoop as a platform to mount an airplane engine constatutes an airboat?? like i said i would rather be out tearing up the pond.

Mr Cajun Gator

Hummmmm, now you got me thinking....thats not good...lol....Almost sounds like you are making fun of our inventions. Your boats have water rudders, and MI. stands for Michigan? Frozen lakes? If thats the case, while you are looking out at that frozen lake wishing for warm weather to thaw the water I'm out running my new version of the wheel.....HaHa....lol...If I ever get a chance to go up there, I'll bring my re-invented wheel, and see if it will keep up with yall 30-35mph boats.
Back to the re-invented, the boat you are running is a re-invent boat of the original airboat.
To answer your other question, if you take a an old cabinet door and slap an old airplane engine on it, yes its a airboat.

gotti

well there you go. i read somewhere on this board about airboats not getting the respect they deserve or having local clubs. i can just imagine a bunch of guys with kitchen cabinet boards, foam blocks or cutting boards with airplane motors (that cost under $100.00) mounted to them trying to race each other. funny! i do like the 1/8th scale miss budweiser project converted to an airboat. i hope he gets it worked out.

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

First , not all of us live where it is water right now , second , I , myself , do NOT use foam , all of mine are done with wood and if you think its a piece of cake , try it ....
Next , yes , this IS a hobby ... and competition is fine , but NOT when it gets to the point of rudeness and thought patterns that the only good thing is FAST .
BTW .... my homemade airboat will sit side by side with yours ( if not whoop its tailfeathers ..)
Scratch done , GPS'ed and most important of all , I have FUN !
Also , I do not ONLY run airboats , nor am I am at the "workbench" all day trying to re-invent the wheel . I build , and run them . ( AND on SNOW and ICE and the ground ! )
Kinda hard to do with water rudders .
Running on water verses land or snow is NOT even CLOSELY related . And that ESPECIALLY goes for ice .
Air rudders are ALSO a totally different bird of nature than water rudders . Why is it that NONE of the boats I viewed there have air-rudders ? Do TRUE airboats have water rudders ?
From experience , turning a water ruddered boat is NOTHING like an air rudder boat .
Let me point out to ... those speeds that you are stating , are not all that fantastic of a claim .


And not really sure where you got your info from , but ...

This is about as far off as saying that the moon is made out of cheese .
Do I personally do this ? NO ! Do I knock those that may not have the monies to do it any other way ? NO ! THis is a hobby for most of us ... NOT competition !
Even if my boats only did 15 MPH , I can carry the thought that I built it . NOT some factory and all I did was throw an engine and some servos on it .
Did you have to figure CG ? Or what length , width , height , weight , location of radio gear , what motor to use , what prop would be best suited to how you would use the boat ? NOPE ... you started with a generalized idea .
Those of us who build from scratch are dong JUST THAT !
Are we trying to re-invent the wheel ? No ... we are just trying new things for MORE FUN !
And just curious here ...
Living in michigan , how do you run when you have frozen waters while the rest of us are trying to "re-invent the wheel" ?
And I currently have nine boats , and I do not sit idle too long . As I can also say for a few others also .... Do we build ? yep , you betcha ! Do we have fun ? yep , you betcha . Can we say - we did it ourselves ? yep , you betcha !
Am I ( and the others ) proud of the ones I (we) build ? DAMN straight ! And to us , it doesn;t matter if they ARE built from a "sled out of foam or using a hood scoop as a platform to mount an airplane engine "

Oh ... any chance of getting a pic of you "tearing" up the pond now , or within the last month or so ? Last I knew , Michigan got pretty cold during the winter time .
Also , don't come around here insulting folks and what they make when you know nothing about them . If this is in retalliation to what I said about them all looking the same ... well , I am sorry , but they honestly do and was not meant as an insult ...
Its like I said about the bag of beans ... they all look alike , but are not identical though !
I believe you DO owe an apology to those who do NOT have the funds for a fancy high dollar motor , or one of the zillion manufactured plant made hulls .
Me ... I give THOSE guys the MOST respect of all . Why ? Because they have the courage and determination to TRY when the do NOT have the funds .
There is a web-board forum , though , that DOES agree with the way you think . Its called JIMS BOAT DOCK ... they don't do airboats there , but DO have that MONEY type of attitude where ONLY the most expensive and SAME brands thing , will do !
The guys here are CHEAP and not ashamed to SHOW their homemade boats worring that they will not be up to "par" .
Those fellows who DO make them out of faom and or what-ever , it doesn't matter here WHAT they are made of OR how ! What matters here is that they have FUN !
I sure hope this does NOT get ruined , OR changed .
Please note ---- I DID say that the site was nice and so are the boats . All I meant twas that not everyone has the cash to flop down on the counter and pay for one ARTR . THAT is why they build ! From foam or whatever !
Now ... do I have the money for one of those ? I'll let my "price and joy" answer that question for you .
THose are twin PUM Zenoahs , fully modded , matched over sized carbs , twin QD WTC pipes powdered , in an EXPRESSCRAFT SYSTEMS 60 inch cat , custom airbrushed .




Now ... got somethin that will even come CLOSE ?? [img] Shoot ... JUST my pipes cost MORE than your motor . http://home.mchsi.com/~terboinc/roll.gif[/img] I didn;t think so ! ! !
Cabinets ??? I think NOT ....
Also , wanna throw one of those "speed demons" against one of our "cabinets" ? ANYTIME !

Slayer-RCU

You bet I will...1/8 scale hydro airboats will take over the world... ha ha ha


Slayer[sm=cool.gif]

pro27

Hmmmmmmmm........

Where to begin after Terbo's comments.

When I was younger I had the need for speed as most do. I had to have the fastest or the best.

I partake in airboats for several reasons. Yes, one of them is for speed.
Some of you know that I prefer the smaller displacement engines, 1/2A to .20ish.
Do I, or have I done larger? Yes!
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Will I build larger again? Probably.
But I still like the smaller engines, mostly for economics, which is my first reason. They are CHEAPER ( read that as LESS COSTLY) to build, gear up and run. I have given up on other hobbies solely because of it's cost.

Can I afford a $200 engine and $200 radio for one project? Yes. But for that $400, I can build 2-3 complete airboats and have 2-3 times as much fun, and still get satisfactory speed results.

It's a challenge to me to be able to pick an engine displacement, OR, particular brand and size of engine, then go about designing, testing, modifying and even redesigning the hull to get more speed out of it.

The freedom to design and create is another reason. I have built kits in the past, and will even in the future. But building from scratch has its rewards and endless possibilities, from foam slabs to Scale Unlimiteds to Hopefull speed demons. All you need to do is look at some of the pics posted here in the threads and you will see a wide range of hull possibilities as well as very suitable materials that can be gotten for little or no money. That is what makes airboats so interesting. The ability to experiment freely.

I will not knock someone for their preferences, nor put someones pride & joy down because it's not MY cup of tea. I will instead tell them what a good job they did, and honestly mean it, as it was THEIR accomplishment, work and pride.

Some of my current/future projects include some real fun designs ( another hint {tease} for you Terbo) as well as one that I fantasize will vaporize the water due to it's speed. Will the speed project cost alot? No! ( I budget each project) Will it be fast? For it's size and powerplant, I hope so!

Most folks say it is quality ($) not quantity that matters. Well, my philosophy is you can build quality for a reasonable price, and reasonable prices can give you more quantity to have fun with.[8D]

brother

Gotti, I'm not sure how to respond to you, I looked at the site you posted a long time ago and admittedly it peaked my interest. The truth is I like the boats I saw but like Turbo I think they look alike. Now there is nothing wrong with that at all, they look like good boats, as a matter of fact I thought about buying one myself. But I have a need to create, and it doesn't just apply to boats. The truth is I like making things, anything it really doesn't matter what it is, it just happens that boats are my favorite. You made reference to foam... so some of us use foam, is there a problem with it that I'm unaware of? It seems to me that one of it's best traits is that it is unsinkable. You give the impression that you think someone that builds their own boat is some kind of ammature... well I think the truth is some of the people here are true inovators and I've said this before " they are good people that share their ideas and experience". I think it could be said that we don't feel a need to validate oursevles or our ideas to anyone, we do what we do because we enjoy it. You wonder about our choice in boats?... well I wonder about your choice in the nickname you use and the picture associated with it. Hmmm... must be a wannabe? In closing all I can say is I would stand back to back with any of these MEN in a battle of the boats ANYTIME! Brother

Slayer-RCU

I guess I should add a bit more and whilst tearing around on the lake, dam, grass or ice(although not here) whatever, is where the majority airboat builders want to be... you know the end state of the game...to some it is how you get there...I mean take this scale hydro - one of a kind, yea at this stage performace is somewhat lacking, however I like the challenge of doing something that has not been done before (it will go faster) and if by doing this it helps others along the way, then just may be I have intrested others in the sport (or at least created a market for 1/8 scale unlimited hydro Airboats (I wish)).

As for the cost factor this boat has taken a few dollars (yes more than $100) and a fair bit of time, but that is not the issue, money or cost factor can not be used as a guide on what boat is acceptable as it limits creativity and forms an elitest type attitude, not what this forum needs.

Slayer

pro27

I eluded in a previous post that I budget my projects. I do so, not because of the lack of funds, but to make More projects possible. I also want others to know that you do not need a lot of cash to build and run an airboat. If you were to get a general consensious, most people would think that this is an expensive hobby. Well, it can be, IF YOU LET IT. There are some things you just have to have, or you need that DO cost some sizable dollars, but not everything has to be top of the line.
Budgeting my projects allows me to experiment with new materials, techniques and ideas. It lets me be creative to get my end result. Others here do the same thing. I like the one about stripping orange crates for the lite ply. Ingenious !

Slayer-RCU

What can I say I agree.

Slayer

canadianjosh

I think what we all need to remember here is what an airboat really is. Airboats were built to skim over the swamps which are full of weeds, trees, grass, you name it. The main thing an airboat needs to be capable of is durability. If any of you watch Monster Garage you'll know that an airboat can be built out of anything including a VW beetle. In that episode alone, the guys driving the real airboat, drive it right on to the trailer. So while your miss bud look alikes may go fast, it's not a true airboat due to the water rudder, and the inability to drive it right onto the beach at full speed while not damaging the hull. As well, airboats when the y turn were designed to slide and drift a bit, with a little practice one can master this turning technique and not need to worry about turning radius, if you were to build a hull for precise turning, you'd need air rudders that were enormous due to the simple fact that air is a lot less dense than water, therefore less turning power per square inch of rudder. Modeling is about representing the real thing on a smaller scale, while your miss bud's are fast and cool looking, they are neither a true miss bud model, nor a true airboat model. Where our foam sled's and kitchen cabinets, heck i'd like to see someone bolt an engine to a waterski, are true airboats. No offense to anyone here, but hick's drive airboats, hick's use duct tape, and stereotypically hicks don't have a lot of money, which makes for a cheap, fun hobby, that can usually be fixed with duct tape!

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

And bubble gum ,

and shoot ... lets not forget CRAZY GLUE ( aka - CA glue - LOL )
Where would we be without that ?

Mr Cajun Gator

Did some body say duct tape???? hummmm yep I done that.
That VW that was made into an airboat was made by one of the locals, just down the road. One of them crazzy Cajuns.

pro27

And you are not part of that group ???????

Do I sense a bit of jealosy?

Model_Mann

wow, what can i say, where can i start

i for one can understand both sides of this arguement, is being a person that hates taking sides im ganna have to say that pro and t-bob have one on you gotti (no offense or anything,) and to put it blunt ly im ganna take their side,

im 16 years old, and have like 10$ to my name, i use what i can get my hands on, no matter what it is, on one of my projects i used a flat coil sled, other materials that ive used were pink foam, balsa, tin cans, plastic bottles, duct tape, ca glue, silicone, and pertty much any other material i can find usefull, and you my like your fancy expensive factory built hydros more than what i (we) build, but that gives you no right to put down what we work so hard on, this is very much a hobbie and i enjoy it very much,

currently im in the tenth grade, last year was hell, i had no friends, (and im mean no friends)
your just like the kids that used to bully me for who i am, what i do, how i do it, or how much money i have, i work very hard to make my boats, and try to continue to ecome better but people like you have to come in with you fancy factory built and tells us how good they are,
honestly i could care less, i like what i do and what all of the guys here on this forum do but people like you gotti come in here and destroy our confidence to do better.

VERY SORRY ABOUT THE NAME CONFUSION SLAYER

pro27

model-mann..........

please re-read the original author of this post's name.

It is not Slayer[X(]

The one who put sand in our ice cream was 'gotti'.

Not that there aren't two sides here, there are, but then I am on both sides in many respects. I run and design my hulls both ways, air rudders and water rudders. They both work, albiet in different fashion. Is one better than the other, under particular circumstances, yes.

I take no offense as to which way someone chooses to provide directional control for their hull, but it is another matter when myself or others are put down for trying to 'reinvent the wheel' as was said. That person should then carry that through to everything else, that is on a continous cycle to 're-invent', like automoblies for instance.

If we are to be blamed for anything, it should be our 're-designing' and 'experimenting' with something that already works. Some of us call that advancement! I think all of us here take extreme pride in our ability to create and make something work, rather than 'rely' on a mass produced item that takes the fun out of it. Some people are afraid and too close minded to see other points of view.

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Model Mann ,
Calm down dude ... everything is "kosher" ....
And VERY well put there PRO ....
Now ... everyone cooled down ? GREAT ! Now on with MORE building [8D]
Balsa , plywood , foam , orange crates , "kitchen cabinets" ( ) , who cares ... as long as it works and is

After all , isn't THAT , what this is ALL about ?
Everyone take a "chill pill" and relax .

asmithnc

I think model man needs to talk to a professional. Quit the b/s talk nobody wants to here it. Just build and post pics.

Model_Mann

yeah im calm now, i guess i overreacted when i read the whole post, well im back to building my small hull,, it's 9x5.5x1, will be powered by a .049 engine, ill post pics when im done with the bottom of the hull,

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Hey ,
Ya gonna RC that 49 ? I know PRO runs them without , but .... I know I myself , like throttle control .

Model_Mann

yup, i've made a p.o.s hull for that motor already, it worked very well and have decided to make my first all balsa (and a little ply wood) hull, ill post pics as i go

ludovic

hey model mann! That's a really small hull! keep us posted with pictures! Mine is almost ready to go, just waiting for appropriate weather...snow is all but melted down, but lakes and ponds are still frozen but it's too dangerous to walk on ice if the boat stalls...it's .061 powered, 18x8x1.5 and I can't wait to try it

What is a P.O.S. hull????????

See ya!

asmithnc

P O S kind way of saying piece of sh_t.