Is there a definitive book available which details the building of an
airboat, including principles for adaptation to various terrains eg
sea. Please include ISBN.

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Clarification of Question by tunaboy-ga on 01 Dec 2002 13:11 PST

Have already examined several google searches on this subject, posted
to forums, and not received sufficient information. Most info is
US-centric, and is only worth applying on that basis. I live in
Australia, and hence probably need to go down the route of
self-building. A definitive book, which iterates the theory and
practical knowledge available on the subject, would hence provide a
better basis for the purpose, also allowing adaptation to local
climes.

There are some good airboat group sites out there. There are some
plans available for sale on the Internet. So far I've been unable to
find a good book on the subject. If some of the plans/links would be
sufficient for your needs, I could post that as an answer. In the
meantime, I have a couple of queries out to see if I can learn more.
I'll keep an eye on this question and post more if it becomes
available.

tunaboy-ga,

I'm afraid I have no holiday cheer for you. I could turn up nothing at
various specialized and/or huge book vendors, so sent an email to US
Airboat Magazine for advice. To my question, "is there such a book?",
they replied "Basically, no! The only thing I know of is Glen-L
Designs. They have a line of home built boat plans. They do have an
airboat but it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to an
airboat."

I'm sorry (and a little surprised) by this outcome. Perhaps you should
write such a book :) I'm guessing there's a market for it. If there is
any other information about this subject (magazines, manufacturers,
user groups, etc.), I can supply that if you want to modify your
question a little.

By the way, did you know there's an airboat company in the Houston,
Texas area that makes an airboat that can do 45 mph ON LAND? (Lots of
polymer on the bottom to keep the aluminum alloy hull from chewing
through)

Best of luck, ericynot-ga

tunaboy,

checkout this site:
http://www.innovationet.com/item/airboats/bt1_1.htm

it seems they sell a design plan for about $12.50, with that you might
then be able to source for parts locally in australia