Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

HERE IS SOME OF THE AIRBOATS I BUILT LAST SUMMER. I THOUGHT I WOULD PUT THEM ON HERE SINCE THERE'S NOT MANY PICTURES ON AIRBOATS ON RCU. THEY BOTH ARE BASICALLY 18X36" PINK 2" FOAM. WITH A SHEET OF LITE PLY ON TOP. 1/4" PLY MOTOR MOUNT BOOM WITH BALSA RUDDERS. THE MAIN QUESTION I GET" HOW DID YOU PUT YOUR RUDDER HINGES IN THE 1/4" PLY. I JUST EPOXYED A 1/4X1/2" PIECE OF BALSA TO THE BACK OF THE PLY MOTOR MOUNT AND USED CA HINGES. THEY ARE BOTH COVERED WITH ULTRACOTE RC AIRPLANE COVERING WITH FABRIC AIRPLANE COVERING ON THE BOTTOM. WORKS GREAT! EASY AND CHEAP! DON'T TAKE LONG! THANKS BOOGERBOY!

MORE AIRBOAT PIC'S
 

WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH THESE!

POWER SLIDE BY THE BOOGERBOY!
 

THIS MY FAV PICTURE RITA TOOK OF THESE BOATS! THIS IS THE BEST RUNNING BOAT OUT OF THE TWO. THIS ONE HAS A .21 OS CAR ENGINE WITH A OS 46 FX CARB AND A 8X4" PROP! LOUD LITTLE SCREAMER. THESE BOATS ARE FOR STUNTS NOT SPEED! THEY RUN FASTER ON GRASS THAN WATER! AIRBOATS ARE FUN AND A CHALLENGE TO RUN! :D

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

How should I balance my air boat .?The deminsions of my boat are 31 inch length and 14 inch beam.

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Very nice boats. I was just sitting here thinking it would be fun to make one , maybe with pink foam and lite ply, maybe even balsa sheeted.I was thinking around 36" X 15". So I came on here to see if I could get ideas and advice and.... there they are, two of the nicest, simplest r/c air boats one could hope to see !! Nice job!
1) When turning, do they tip towards the outside of the turn and seem as though they might tip over? How did you control this?
2) Have you made any for speed ? I was thinking of a catamaran design, lowering the drag by reducing the surface area in contact with the water.
Thanks for showing your pics !

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi Boogerboy -
I agree they're nice airboats. I like the simplicity with which you made the vert fin/engine mount. I made a few of these when I just started in the hobby and had mixed success.
Are they flat bottom hulls?
Do you have a fin on the bottom?
It looks like you have considerable up thrust in the engine. Did you have problems with them skipping like stones at high speeds (like mine)?
Cool man like the boats!
Will
I wonder if the up thrust would help reduce the skipping...

THANKS FOR THE NICE COMMENTS!
 

THANKS GUYS FOR THE NICE COMMENTS! LETS SEE? 7 DEGREES UP THRUST IS A MUST! THESE BOATS START HOPPING ABOUT 30 MPH. I CALL THEM STUNT BOATS. THEY BOTH HAVE FLAT BOTTOMS. I DON'T KNOW WHY?, BUT THEY LEAN INTO A TURN LIKE A MOTORCYCLE RIDER! IN THOSE PICTURES I'M RUNNING WIDE OPEN WITH FULL RUDDER! NO FIN ON BOTTOM, I RUN ON GRASS ALSO. I'M NOT INTO SPEED WITH THESE BOATS. AIRBOATS SEEM TO ALWAYS FLIP WHEN YOU GO TO FAST. I THINK AIRBOATS ARE FOR STUNT BOATING! THANKS GUYS! CHRIS

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

i cant wait to get my .61 dumas big swamp buggy into the water, that tunnel hull desgign is gonna get butt.

DUMAS STRAIT LINE BUGGY
 

I'VE GOT 3 OF THOSE .61 BUGGY'S. THEY ARE FUN IF YOU WANT TO GO IN A STRAIT LINE. RUDDERS ARE TO SMALL! YOU'LL ALSO NEED A PERRY PUMP TO GET EVEN FUEL FLOW UP TO YOUR ENGINE. THE FUEL TANK IS TO LOW AND YOU CAN'T GET A EVEN HIGH SPEED NEEDLE SETTING. CHRIS

I like those boats!
 

I love airboats!

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hey Boogerboy. Nice boats! How well do they turn on the water with no rudder in the water? I built one out of Coro last winter for the snow but have yet to put it on the water. It was a blast on the snow but I figured I'd need some kind of water rudder.

Dave

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

I made an airboat a while back for my Thunder TIger 07. Yes, they are really fuun to drive, especially with air rudders. Water rudders take away all the fun from these beasties. Although my engine was small, so was the boat at just over 16" long. It was quite quick and was a blast to drive. I should build another i guess......with a bigger engine, say a 25cc weed whacker moter!!! :D :D :D i have one lying around waiting for a use. HE HEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! Oh BTW, boogerboy, check to see if capslock is turned on before you go and type 3 posts

????????????
 

does anyone have any plans for these boats................. :D

dennis

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

look at my threads there are some diagrams of how i built mine PM me if u have any probs with the design etc a body board is a cheap stable platform for an airboat and they are available in different sizes....

Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

dennis1943: honestly, you dont need plans for one of these :D just whack together a flat bottomed hull with some scrap wood or foam put a radio box innit with you stuff innit. and make a mto mound out of some aluminuim angle :D :D :D easy !!!! :D

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi boogerboy, about time to revive this thread....:D.....since I built myself a bodyboard airboat recently. They certainly run much faster on grass but flips very easily.
Hmmm, if that is correct I have way too little upthrust on mine. Have planned to do the following mods:
1) move engine forward
2) remove surface area ahead of engine
But maybe I should try your suggestion with 7 degrees upthrust first.Viewpoints..??....Cheers/Harald

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Canardlover that is a good looking boogie board rc airboat. You should enter it in the contest [link=http://m-ab-a.com/page9.html]Boogie Board Contest[/link]

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

.....done....Cheers/Harald

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi boogerboy and all,
nice looking airboats, cool paint job canardlover, here,s mine bit different but it works a treat.
Rickster3057.

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Rickster,
That is the most unique airboat I've ever seen, nice job! Did you have any Spitfires in mind when making the shape? It's like a modified pair of airplane floats! Looks extremely cool
Will

Boogerboy - I enjoyed witnessing your build Keep them coming!
WS

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Yes indeed, ricksters airboat is very good looking and I wonder if there is any video to show its performance.....Cheers/Harald

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi all, Thanks for your kind compliments, i like to build strange craft,LOL,
I dont want to take over boogerboys thread but i will answer your questions,
Will ,the bottoms are stepped just like floats,you could easily use a set,the tops are P51 mustangs after a fashion, the design was a £2.50 plan on ebay from an old pop mechanix magazine from the 60s.
Canardlover, i havnt had the time for a vid but will post it as soon as i can.
keep the thread up boogerboy
Rickster3057

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Rickster, what is the mid-mounted "torpedo" thing..??...:eek:....please give us some more pics....thank you...BTW, it appears that Boogerboy is not with us any longer since the revival of the thread..?!?...Cheers/Harald

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi canardlover, so boogerboy has left the building hey????LOL
The torpeado thing in the middle has a lead weight in the front to push the front of the hulls down in the water,when i made them i didnt expect them to be so bouyant,:eek: the torpeado pushes the front down which brings the back end up,it sat a little low in the water. it can be taken off for running in snow, but i have no lake or snow near where i live,why do i build airboats and snow tracks????
I will take some more pics tomorrow for ya, with the torpeado off.
Thanks for all the interest.
Rickster3057

RE: Please Check Out My Airboats!
 

Hi canardlover,
here are some more pictures of the airboat.