Among boating and fishing enthusiast there are many different types of boats. The air boat is specialized boat designed for very specific environments and extremely effective. The air boat solved a problem by allowing travel into places where other boats cannot go. The boat\’s name comes from the fact that it is propelled by air, but it is also known by other names, it is known as a jon boat and a s a bottomed vessel. The air boat is propelled by using the air, a propeller, and a car or aircraft engine. Typically the boat\’s engines are air cooled. There are significant advantages and disadvantages between the aircraft and car engine. An advantage of the aircraft engine is that it is much lighter and easier to repair. The availability and cost of fuel is a very important factor to consider, because the aircraft uses an expensive specialty fuel and the car engine does not. Aluminum and fiberglass are used to make the air boat hulls. Almost all air boats are made to order by small family owned manufacturers.

The air boat is used primarily in the everglades in Florida or Louisiana. The primary reason why these boats are used instead of traditional boats is that the water is shallow and marshy or both. An air boat can travel on very little water and shallow or marshy water conditions will not impede its ability to travel.

The boat\’s passengers and the propeller is protected by a metal cage. The metal cage keeps things from coming into contact and it protects people. Everything around the propeller is in danger of contacting it, including passenger belongings, wild life, branches, tree branches, and the passengers. The air boat propeller only moves forward and there is no reverse. Less surprisingly of the air boat, there are no brakes. The direction of travel and stop location is entirely dependent on the skill of the operator. Most air boats have elevated seats to allow for great visibility over the swamp vegetation and it allows the operator to better see if there is anything in the path of direction.

The air boat is primarily used in the everglades and shallow water conditions, but it has also been used extensively for ice and flood rescues. Because the engine is above the water the hull can be flat. Steering and control depends on wind, currents, the depth of the water, and the power of the engine itself. These boats are very noisy because of the propeller. To quiet these boats down, mufflers and carbon fiber propellers are used. Air boats range in size from very small carrying 2 passengers to some very large carrying more than 18 passengers.

The air boat started gaining popularity probably in the 1930s when many homemade air boats started to appear in the swamps of Florida and Louisiana. The boat became very popular among biologists because it made it easy to travel in shallow swampy conditions.

Just like any other boats these boats should be operated with safety in mind. A government agency created a safety video for the operation of this boat and it made be the only safety video, but it is free, because it is public domain. In the New Orleans disaster the air boat gained substantial exposure as a very important boat, because it was instrumental in helping rescue 3,000 patients and medical staff from hospitals.

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Category: Sports
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