Home-Built Air Boat

Home-Built Air Boat FARM HOME recreation 22-3-34 Here's an air boat I built mostly for recreation on the extremely shallow rivers we have in Western Oklahoma. The 16 by 8-ft. air boat is designed for optimum maneuverability and speed, with weight totaling just 1,000 lbs., compared with 1,500 to 2,500 lbs. for the swamp boats they use in the Everglades. The completely enclosed airtight hull, which weighs only 690 lbs., is designed like an air-plane wing with three box-type spars running the length of it. The hull is built of poplar and 1/4-in. plywood and covered with epoxy glass, which is more durable than conventional fiberglass. The bottom is coated with a super slick polymer that makes it easy to clean off. The air boat is powered by 3.8-liter V-6 engine out of a 1984 Ford Thunderbird I bought from a salvage yard. It provides a top speed of 35 to 40 mph. It took approximately a year to build the craft primarily out of materials that can be purchased at any lumber yard. I purchased some parts, such as rudder and controls, the 68-in. wooden propeller (mounted in a housing I built out of light 1 in. sq. tubing) and custom-built air boat seats from air boat equipment sup-pliers. Cost of the project was $3,000. (Bruce J. Peoples, Box 744, Thomas, Ok. 73669; ph 580 661-2298)

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