Tim,
I flew earlier with Gordon to Umatilla, great flight, I'll post some video. When the pic was taken I was just going out to test fly, just added a couple of degrees of pitch to the prop. I like it!
Theres the MOA just to the North and West of us, where the A-10's and everybody else go play, and the Blackhawk was headed yesterday afternoon. Deland was rocking yesterday. It was blowing and gusty; seems like all the student pilots were practicing their cross-wind landings, sky divers in the air, helix, Blackhawks, great fun. Got home later than I told my wife I'd be.

Southern airboats is a good forum http://www.southernairboat.com/phpBB3/index.php so was the 'sawgrass university'

I am CactusJack on SA, haven't been able to get on, my password wont let me in... trying to contact them

Did you piss them off as well?!!

Not yet, still working on it But I am sure I will, eventually Dunno, it just seems to happen

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Southern airboats is a good forum http://www.southernairboat.com/phpBB3/index.php so was the 'sawgrass university'

I am CactusJack on SA, haven't been able to get on, my password wont let me in... trying to contact them [/quote]

Did you piss them off as well?!! [/quote] look for swamp parrot, and yeah I got a new toy.

Wonder what size rotor it would take to fly...lol

I like the rattly sound of a small block Chevy engine... built many of those over the years.

Does yours have a PSRU unit, or is it direct drive?

I have seem a few airboats with 4" wide belt reduction drives... on a large block Chevy... 425HP crate engine.

this one is a pre 86 SB chevy, 488 cam, stock pistons ,2 bolt main, 600 Holley with a 5 blade 64" direct drive Warp drive Prop.
was told it will run 60 m.p.h., not with my ass on it any time soon it won't..lol

I still got to learn how to run it.
hull has 3/8 poly on it and can run the hill.

Pretty cool!!!

I thought I recognised you in the video on SA

That's awesome mate Just remember when you drive it, if you are heading for something you don't want to hit, chopping the throttle is never a good thing

When this thread opened up, I did a double take I had to check I was on the forum I thought I was

By the way, I like the exhausts up like that.... I don't mind the mufflers, who cares, they reckon you should get round shiny flash ones... pfffttttt..... when you are driving, you cant see them.... they will be nice and quiet.... they are aerodynamic (sort of) and they are new.... so just run them as they are If you want, put chrome tips 45 degree facing back, so rain wont get in.... and maybe a safety wire to the cage, so if one falls off, it wont get lost (or in the prop somehow)

Great boat

yeah I am looking forward to playing with it, figure it will give me some fun while waiting for my helicopter to ever get done. at least I don't need thousands of dollars to learn how to drive it. Hum might have to put a Wolverines sticker on it..

Yeah... I think Muz has a point there... If it rained and water got down into a muffler... and into a cylinder... when you cranked the engine... the results could be expensive. Better IMO to have some way to keep the rain water out of the mufflers.
Now IMO what you need is a set of equal length tube headers... they help an engine 'breathe'... out that is...

And yeah.... where is the Wolverine sticker...

I have some caps on the pipes right now and the boat covered under a tarp. but i am planning on putting some curved tips or flex pipe to go back over the top of the cage.

Yeah GG, but Tim has been putting rattle can plastic tops on the mufflers to keep water out.... just some 45 degree bends over the top of the cage will save him the hassle..... I like it that it actually HAS mufflers....at all... some guys run open pipes or just a hotdog.... then wonder why the public complain

That is a very sensible boat for a first boat Tim..... airboats are like gyros.... the first one you get, is never the one you are happy with (well, very rarely) because until you get one and learn to fly/drive it, you are not qualified to know what you want

So, I always say.... just get something cheap and safe to learn in, THEN you will know what you actually want

One thing you have to be careful of Tim, is people knocking off your prop or even the whole boat and trailer, and they usually do it in broad daylight.... so make sure you make it difficult for anyone to rip off (the boat) by chaining the trailer to something and the prop by making a removable part to add to the cage so they cant get at the prop bolts to steal the prop. And don't leave the battery in it.... they get knocked off all the time from what they say

as long as I don't sink it i will be happy. just wanted something that can get me and Cindi out on the water together with a deck she can fish from.
and hopefully Not get stuck in the tall swamp grass. Been learning a lot on SA.

You just have to get someone experienced to go with you to start with, and go for a ride in similar boats so their owners can show you what to do and not to do.... the worst thing for sinking airboats is to be too quick to chop the throttle..... if you are cruising and chop the throttle and slow right down or stop (nose to a bank) the stern wave will catch up and can swamp the boat (sink it)

You have to think about what you do more than in a normal boat...... If you are zooming along and want to stop, don't chop the throttle, reduce the throttle, reduce it some more, then back it right down, then as you are stopping, do a U turn (so the wake and stern wave don't run up behind you, they approach from the front.... Airboats when planning in skinny water don't make a wake to speak of.... but when you come off the plane and slow down, they do.... that is what catches you.... 10-20 seconds after you stop so the turn stops any catastrophe

Also, when taking off from a stop, turning too hard, with too much power, to your worst 'prop effect' side can dip a corner (on the inside) open top boats that do this, simply start doing a U turn and sink So if you are stopped and want to do a U turn and fire off back 180 degrees, do it to the side with the down going prop blade, the prop effect will help keep that corner out of the water.

Also, always consider where the wind is coming from and try to always stop (on water) into the wind..... so if you are zooming along and want to stop just ahead, look where the wind is coming from, slow a bit, then a bit more, then turn 'down wind' so you can do your U turn and stop, facing into the wind

If you are zooming along and see a rock up ahead, don't cut the throttle..... you cant steer without throttle..... maybe reduce throttle, then rudder and gas it to turn.... and like a gyro, if you want to turn right at speed, make a tiny left turn then right..... don't just stick to the right....

you will get the hang of it.... just find some locals to show you the ropes Man, I wish I were closer

So what is this about?

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I like your new toy Tim ... and the sound at idle !!

And YES ... put a WOLVERINE decal on it

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Lofty, you know if you are riding a pushbike or motorbike and you want to do a U turn, or make a sharp turn to the right, you actually do a tiny turn to the left first, then lean to the right..... same in a gyro, if you are flying along at say 70 kts and you want to turn quickly to the right , like a big rotor wopping hard U turn, you actually stick a little left, then the big right, which sets you up for the big right turn..... it is the same in an airboat.... you are zooming along at say 30mph and you want to stop fast or turn hard, you don't just rudder the way you want to go, you first rudder left, then right.... it is very small left input compared to the right (and it works the same going to the left, you do a small right first, then a big left.....

The fast start off in an airboat, especially a powerful one, say it has a clockwise ( standing in the propwash) turning prop, if you power up too hard, too suddenly, the boat will lean to the left (opposite the prop rotation) so if you are sitting idling and hit the throttle and do a left turn from the slow or standing start, the prop will lean the boat to the left, you turn to the left, the left corner of the boat can dip under the water and sink you..... in a boat with this rotation, if you are wanting to do a U turn from a start and zoom off, you are better to do it to the right.... because the rotation of the prop is trying to lean the back right corner up and out of the water, if you follow my meaning..... same as if you are doing a slow/medium turn to the right from standing still or slow at least, don't give it lots of throttle, start the turn and suddenly chop the throttle..... the prop will be keeping the right corner up in the turn, if you chop the throttle suddenly, the prop is no longer lifting the back right corner, so it might dip under the water and sink the boat.... there is a lot of thinking to do when learning....

It is worse on direct drive boats, the torque reaction of the motor/crank and the prop is the same direction, so there is a big leaning 'moment' when powering on or off .... whereas if there is a gearbox, the crank tries to lean the boat one way and the prop tries to lean it the other way, so they counter each other.... it is the same in an gyro as well .....

Water skiiers will know what I am talking about with the little left turn before a big right turn and vice versa.... if you are on water skis, in line with the boats travel, if you want to carve left, first you steer right a bit, then the big left carve.... it is all about the balance and most important when you want to make a big turn, not talking about minor little changes of direction

Edit: You have to remember, for me a U turn is to the right, for you it is to the left.... I cant be bothered going back and changing it, so think of U turns from my perspective