An airboat with… wheels?

I’ve been meaning to put wheels on this silly thing ever since I started building it back in 2011 (has it really been that long?). I never could figure out a way to steer the wheels that was both efficient, effective, and lightweight enough to be removable. After a few different tries I ended up just sticking casters under there and steering with the fan and rudder. This actually works surprisingly well until it’s time to stop…

And here’s the prior video of the wheel system build process:

Aaaand the video of my last ice-based test run when I managed to crash the airboat!

 

Airboat Intro Video

I’ve done a quick video on the miniature airboat project (which I’m still working on, despite the slow progress!)

This is more of an intro and description of the boat, I don’t have much video of it in action at the moment. If I can get some things finished up this winter I’ll hopefully have more updates soon!

Another terrible boat project!

In my ongoing quest to own and/or sink as many boats as possible, I’ve done something silly with an abandoned canoe. Someone dumped this in the parking lot where I work, and naturally I had to give it a better home.

The entire stern and various other areas were pretty smashed and rotten, so this was a great candidate for a quick and dirty modification. I had an old weedwhacker sitting around, and was able to find a trolling motor prop that fit the weedwhacker with minimal effort. After that it was just a matter of bracing the weak areas, fiberglassing the holes, and painting some awful flames on the side!

You can see a video of the build process on Youtube here!

I might start putting more of my projects like this on Youtube, hopefully including some with a higher level of craftsmanship! This one was just a quick low-effort way to start. I’ll post an update once this gets out on (and hopefully stays above) the water!

 

Latest Project: Mini-airboat

Here are some pictures from my latest project, a mini-airboat made from a small Jonboat and a paraglider motor. The eventual goal is to have an all-terrain vehicle with wheels that can run on water, land, and ice. This is the first time I’ve worked with a radial engine or done anything with an air-propulsion boat.

The engine is an MZ-34 Paramotor that is rated at around 30hp.

The first step was to get the parts together. The boat hull was small enough that I didn’t even need a trailer! I was able to find it on Craigslist for $100, and it included a bunch of free mice living in the seats!

Here’s the initial setup to verify how things should look.

I constructed a safety cage around the motor and propeller, which also serves as the framework for the rudder.

 

I also installed a complete electrical system with battery, running lights, headlights, bilge pump, and even a horn!

 

The entire engine and rudder assembly folds down for easier transport and storage.The wheels are designed to fold up and/or be removable.

 

Here are the initial on-water tests. The boat still needs a few tweaks and some final adjustments, and I’m still working on a few components for the wheels.