Thank you :)

​@theoldcanadianguy6977 where did you buy the blade unit and how much weight can this handle would this only be good for the smaller flate bottom boat?

@@1000186ful i wouldnt say alot of weight especially when youre on mud flats being powered by 6.5 hp(could be wrong), you dont need a flat bottom to build an air boat a v shape will also do. as for the kit you will have to google search it.

Hopefully you're not speaking from experience. 😂 There was a guy a few years back who fell into his paramotor in my town... not fun

Thing about this setup is that you have to be giving it throttle to spin the prop because it uses a centrifugal clutch

Girl just got killed in Tallahassee FL by being slung into an air boat fan. Freak accident….head totally chopped off. Safety is a must with these things.

Thank you Graig, for a low budget airboat it turned out ok. Now that spring is here I am using it quite a lot.

Thank you :)

Thank you for the compliment :)

Thank you, I hope my ideas have given you some valuable tips.

Thank you:)

Hi Edward, more than one person has asked me if I could make an airboat kit. That is not as easy as it seems as there are numerous variables involved. I made mine with a mix of angle iron, square tube & round tube, the first sub frame is for the engine mount which is a mix of angle & square, next I fabricated the sub frame for the prop shaft after sitting the engine in place to get the correct dimensions. The final sub frame is the fan cage which is made from 1/2" dia metal conduit, curving the 2 hoops was a bit of a challenge but turned out pretty good. I chose metal conduit because it is very light yet strong once it is assembled, the down side of using this material is that my basic mig welder does not have a "pulse" setting which is recommended for welding very thin metal, also my welding skill is not that good, lol. So I used my torches and flux coated brazing rod to assemble the cage. All 3 separate sub frames are bolted in place which will make it easy to do any future modifications, for example if I want to install a larger engine. As for a "kit" like I said there are a lot of variables : boat size between the transom and rear seat, transom height and angle, engine size, prop size, length of boat, etc. Maybe someone somewhere makes and sells airboat kits, I hope you find what you are looking for :)

The air boat is my choice and I use it a lot, it is a bit faster than the pump boat and can take two people. Sorry, but don't have a vid for the pump boat in action. The air boat was more complex to build with lots of cutting and welding, whereas the pump boat was quite an easy project to complete.

I bought the prop from Hoverhawk Inc. They are located in Alabama. I told them the HP of the engine and that I would be running it with a 2 to 1 reduction ratio. With that information they recommended the 3 blade prop with adjustable pitch.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 Thank you sir. I'll investigate.

Thank you :)

Thanks :) I use premium gas with added fuel stabilizer and have zero rust in the gas tank.

Yes, that is correct. Hoverhawk recommended the six blade hub with 3 blades which is perfect for this size engine. I installed the blades on the hub using a shallow pitch so that the engine runs at close to 3500rpm.

Hi Reji, I will give you a quick run down of how I built this boat. The first thing I did after I purchased the engine and the 12foot jon boat was to position the engine in the back on blocks of wood, so that I could get the dimensions to build the engine sub frame. You will notice that the front of this sub frame is screwed to a length of 2"x6" and the rear is bolted to the transom, the 2"x6" is not screwed to the boat. The next step was to calculate the position of the prop shaft so that the prop clears the top of the transom, then I made the prop shaft sub frame that is also bolted to the transom. Next I made the prop "cage" which is also bolted to the transom and bolted to the prop sub frame. All three sub frames are individual, so it makes it easy to do any future modifications. The engine runs at 3500rpm with the adjustable prop set to a shallow pitch, a larger engine will turn the prop set to a more aggressive pitch which will make the boat faster if that's what you want. The twin rudders are mounted to the prop cage, I chose to use twin rudders rather than a large single one because twins are more efficient. The rudders are operated by an outboard shifter cable and the throttle cable is a bicycle brake cable. I added an extra throttle return spring to make sure the engine returned to idle when the throttle lever is released. I hope this gives you the inspiration to build your own airboat :)

I hope you have success in finding one. They are quite rare, that's why I built my own.

I have had no issues with the belt at all. I had to change the belt when I upgraded to a bigger engine, but that was only because it needed a different length.

What size engine are you running now?@@theoldcanadianguy6977

Thanks for the compliment :) I ordered the prop from Hoverhawk Inc. who are in Alabama USA

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 thank you. I am building one myself, I shared your video with some friends, all enjoyed it.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 how much

@@mikeoxsheer345 The prop cost me over $300 Canadian, the best bet would be to contact Hoverhawk Inc. They were very helpful and will give you an exact cost.

Not sure if that would make a lot of difference, the fan housing is only 6" wide.

Hi Jacob, the engine I used is probably strong enough to push the boat along a frozen river if it is clear ice, I am not sure if it would handle snow. To be sure your project boat meets your needs I would try a bigger engine.

I'm doing the same - 12 jonboat but with a 277 rotax off a scat hovercraft. I hope it's capable of land snow river - if I read right it's 26 hp @ 8000 rpm

I upgraded it with an electric start 15hp engine, which works really well.

Thank you :)

Check this out - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hrV5jdeElZa4pXU.html

I purchased the pillow blocks & pulleys from Princess Auto which is a Canadian store similar Harbour Freight in the USA, I purchased the shaft from a local machine shop who machined a keyway in it for me. I ordered the prop from Hoverhawk Inc. who are located in Alabama, USA.

Thanks for that previous info..how about blade and hub where can I get that? ..thanks again

@@cj9298 Hoverhawk Inc. Alabama, USA

Yes, I had the same problem finding a prop here in Ontario too. After a bit of research I found a company called "Hoverhawk" who are located in Alabama USA. I contacted them and after describing what I wanted to achieve they recommended a 3 blade prop to fit a 1" shaft. The beauty of this prop is that when I upgraded the engine to a 15hp electric start I could change the pitch of the prop blades to a more ""aggressive" angle. which still let the engine run at 3600 rpm. They were a good company to deal with, so give them a call.

Thank you for that info. I did call then and Ron was very helpful and prompt with the delivery.@@theoldcanadianguy6977

I bet this can get in some skinny water.

I have had no temperature issues at all. Unlike an air cooled motorcycle engine, these stationary engines are fan cooled. Air is drawn in through vents in the recoil assembly then blown up and over the cylinder and cylinder head. There is plenty of space around the engine to supply it with cool air. I run this engine at 3500 > 3600 rpm ( I have an on board tach ) and it has never overheated.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 thanks for replying to that, I was really thinking it was more of a motor cycle style engine. I do love the work you put into it. Looks good.

have you seen my video "diy airboat upgrade" ?

I agree with your choice of engines, they would quieter with less vibration. But, as they would cost at least 4 times the amount I paid for the 15hp upgrade that I bought on sale, the cost would be way beyond my pensioners budget.

Very!

Thank you ))

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 a propeller from a truck ?... from the engine cooling radiator ???

@@pioneer6432 No, it is a 31inch diameter adjustable pitch prop that I bought from Hoverhawk , Alabama, USA.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 f you need propellers for aircraft that we install on boats, please contact me .... we produce in the city of Rostov

The air boat is approximately 3 times faster than the pump boat. I built it using a 6.5hp engine. To get it to run at 3500 _ 3600 rpm I had to adjust the prop blades to a shallow pitch. I built this on a tight budget, so buying a bigger engine was not an option. I wanted it to be a low budget project, if a bigger engine was installed I could adjust the prop to a more aggressive pitch which would make faster.

I did not use a thrust bearing and I have had no issues with the 2 radials.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 interesting, thanks!

Thanks

I purchased the prop from Hoverhawk Inc. who are in Alabama USA. They are very helpful people and if you contact them by email like I did they will answer all your questions.

Hi Noah, I have not taken any passengers with me yet. So I cannot answer your question at this point. It travels at a good speed with just me in it, but for two people it might need a bigger engine, maybe a 9 or 10hp. I built this boat on a budget, so did not spend the extra for a bigger engine, maybe if I see one on sale I will upgrade it.

No it is a custom prop purchased from Hoverhawk

I don't know if anyone makes a kit. I custom built mine.

I would not recommend the clutch I used for this application. It is a cheap Princess Auto product that is made with a bronze bushing instead of ball bearings; because of that there is too much internal friction and the prop spins while the engine is idling. I am going to build another air boat this summer with a 10 or 12hp electric start engine and I will use an ordinary pulley, which is a fraction of the cost.

It is 31.5 inches diameter, hub is for a 1 inch diameter shaft, 3 blades with adjustable pitch. I purchased it from Hoverhawk , Alabama, USA.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 can you measure the width or chord of the blade

@@mohdeusoffazizolnashriby1382 The blades are 12" long from hub to tip, 4.75" wide at the hub and 3.25" wide at the tip.

This gonna be my next project..most parts except the prop from princess auto..?

I bought the engine when it was on sale at Princess Auto.

See below

A company called " Hoverhawk" Located in Alabama, USA.

I ordered the prop from Hoverhawk who are located in Alabama, USA.

Not sure of the top speed, next time I take it out I will see if the speed app on my phone will give me that info.

It's a question I have been asked before. Not really sure if anyone makes a kit , in my opinion there are too many variables, eg: engine size, size of boat, angle and height of transom, size of prop, etc.

It is a 12 foot flat bottom Jon boat.

I contacted "Hoverhawk Inc." in Alabama, USA. I told them my engine is 6HP , the prop would be running at 1800 RPM on a 1 inch diameter shaft with a 2 : 1 reduction ratio. They then knew what size prop I needed. Contact them with your information and I am sure they will be able to help.

oh okay, can I get the diameter and width of each propeller? And what size rudder do you use for your airboat?

@@Novalavinda the dual rudders are 10 inches X 30 inches, For the prop contact Hoverhawk in Alabama USA. Tell them the horse power of your engine and what speed the prop will be turning at, and they will recommend the correct size prop.

If Google translate is correct , are you asking what motor I used ?

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 ok thanks i already saw it in the comments... and i want to make one just like

@@olvingaleano9347 I chose this engine because it was on sale at a good price. It moves the boat quite well, but if you want more speed a bigger engine is needed. If I see a 9 or 10hp engine on sale I might upgrade my boat.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 Ok thank you, we're in contact

approx 4 KMH. My upgraded version is much faster.Please click on the link below.

I did not make any diagrams or plans. I just built it to fit the boat and engine.

Air boats are quite noisy, I would chose a different drive.

I built this project without any "plans" it just evolved as I progressed from one aspect to the next.If your read my reply to Reji Kondody below it should give you an idea on how it was constructed.

The wind blew it away.

How can I help you ?

It is not for sale.

It is a 12' boat.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 awesome man how fast u think

It is a 10ft aluminum flat bottom boat.

@@theoldcanadianguy6977 скажите высоту борта, ширину днища в транце и развал бортов в транце

Sorry Alex, but the boat is in winter storage so I can't get at it to give you the dimensions.

No need to do that, I have upgraded the boat with a 15HP electric start engine. Here is the link kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hrV5jdeElZa4pXU.html&ab_channel=TheoldCanadianguy

Hoverhawk Inc. who are in Alabama USA

As I replied to Edward Tyndall's post there are too many variables involved for me to make a kit. Sorry that I can't help you with this.

banditairdrives.com/