earthdog

Has anyone had luck turning a v-hull into an airboat? I have a 34" v-hull that I used to run an outboard 11.5 on and was thinking if it could be done. The hull is 34" by maybe 13"/14" wide.
I don't have an outboard for it anymore but I do have a .61 airplane engine thats just sitting there, doing nothing and was looking at it and going, hmmm. I also have a 31" Prather v-hull I could use.
Here are some pic. of it. Let me know what you think. If it can be done, how far back should I place the engine stand?

asmithnc

I think Turbobob turned a Jesse James hull into an airboat.

Selph-Inflicted

I made my own slight V-Hull, turned out very well. I'll locate some pics and vids for you.

earthdog

Thanks SI, I'd like to see them.

saleens7

the dimensions seems to be right....although i would see if you could flatten the vee out a bit (to a slight vee, like on a crackerbox)...the turn roll of the motor will want to push it to one side when running and it will have the potential to flip...either that or make supports that go out to the side that will help keep it level....the normal CoG of a boat is 25-30%, but on airboats, youll want it a little further back becuase when the engine is running it will want to push the bow down in the water....

good luck with this build

oh, another tip, the hull should be atleast an inch or so wider on each side yhan the diameter of the prop, but with vee's, it will want to roll to one side when at speed, so i would think my metion for side supports/floats might be needed to have this boat run good..

Selph-Inflicted

[link=http://www.rc-airboats.com/gallery/albums/Chris-Selph/SI_Slight_V_Hull.wmv]Here[/link] is a video of my running in some slightly choppy water. The boat is very stable and controls very easily with great response. I run a OS46AX on this boat. It weighs in just a tad over 5 lbs. This boat is capable of 35 mph. Here are some pics for you.

Selph-Inflicted

Earthdog,

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3257903/anchors_3257903/mpage_1/key_slight/anchor/tm.htm#3257903]Here [/link]is a link to the video of the slight V. Sorry for the delayed response I forgot all about it. I was going through some of my old post here and seen where I didn't repond. Once again, sorry for the delayed response.

martno1fan

leave it as a water propped boat and water cool your plane engine i used a .61 in my old deep v and cooled it using brass tubing coiled round the head and it works great.all i did was buy a flywheel for it.my engine is an sc and they make marine versions of it so the flywheel was a straight fit once i removed the prop spacer.i used zip ties to hold the coil tight till i soldered them together.fill the tube with sand to bend it, all you do is tape one end up fill with sand to about 1" from the top then tape that end and coil it round the head as tight as you can and thats it one cooling coil.

vamp131

My 1st air boat i made myself was made with the hull of an electric boat it was really bad but a good learning experience thank god i had a dingy lol kept capsizing lol gave up got a real air boat hull get a gator hull the best i have ever seen save you allot of time and you will have great fun

put in a pic of the hull of my 1st one lol