Fastest airboat ~90mph

[DesignerDan]

1) Too bad the GPS stopped working during the run. The speed was around 90mph
2) Too bad it got totalled in the crash.
But it was a fun project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi-4mXqFcOw

[Fluid]

Dan you did incredibly well with that build. No surprise it was totaled, the energy in a 90 mph crash is huge. Next time just build it stronger - an extra half pound of weight will not hurt you.


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[graill]

That was very fun to watch. To bad it launched off one of the previous wakes, should have waited for the pond to calm down.

[befu]

Neat

This is really neat stuff.

have you ever thought about doing something like this with a Cat? or a cat with a ducted fan? I wonder if you could get enough thrust with a smaller fan to make it work? I know nothing about ducted fans, so maybe you do.

I want to build a 21" long mystic style cat with a ducted fan for power source that is nestled down in the hull where the hatch bubble normally sits. But I do not know where to even start. How much thrust do I need to even get it on plane let alone run fast.

Do you know what kind of thrust and weight you were running at?

Very impressive!

Brian

[Punisher 67]

I have always dreamed of doing a ducted fan hydro or rigger , I see some real potential for some serious speed

I also loved the video awesome job Dan

Peter Z

[Fluid]

Like their flying counterparts, an EDF-powered boat will never reach the performance of a propeller. They simply do not move enough air to provide the needed thrust, and they rely on high speed - 100 + mph - to reach their best efficiency. They can push an airboat well if sized appropriately, but a corresponding air prop will be faster.

I've built catamaran airboats and they are faster than a typical flat bottomed "scale" airboat due to less wetted surface, but without the water prop to help lift them out of the water they can't hold a candle to a lightweight rigger for speed.



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[NativePaul]

Nice thats not far behind the tethered airboats, 100-120mph for b1Restricted with a stock .15ci price controlled engine and commercial prop.

All the fastest tethered airboats are canard designs not sure how well it would work for an R/C airboat but it may be worth considering, I don't have any pics but heres a clip of Jim Free's B1 unrestricted.15ci which shows the typical design common to all decent tethered airboats quite well at the start and finish.

[DesignerDan]

Tethered boats don't even compare to rc boats. That thing wasn't even on the water. It just flew in circles occasionally skimming the water. And there is no chance of it crashing when it's on that tether.

Anyway, my boat weighs... uummm... weighed five pounds. And it took a lot of thrust to get it up on its plane.

[Punisher 67]

Like their flying counterparts, an EDF-powered boat will never reach the performance of a propeller. They simply do not move enough air to provide the needed thrust, and they rely on high speed - 100 + mph - to reach their best efficiency. They can push an airboat well if sized appropriately, but a corresponding air prop will be faster.

I've built catamaran airboats and they are faster than a typical flat bottomed "scale" airboat due to less wetted surface, but without the water prop to help lift them out of the water they can't hold a candle to a lightweight rigger for speed.



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Well that puts a new wheel on the wagon..............LOL

like I always say to myself dreaming is for free

[DesignerDan]

For those of you who want pics this is what it looked like before it got totalled: