Hello silverbullet9,
This is an interesting search.
I found that the first airboat was designed by Glenn Curtiss and was
used in the Florida Everglades in 1920, eight years later than his
first flying boat:
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dav4is/people/CURT599.htm
"CURTISS, Glenn Hammond [1878-1930] -- American inventor and aviation pioneer
He was a member of Alexander Graham Bell's Aerial Experiment
Association (1907-9). In 1908 he made the first public flights in the
United States, and in 1909 he established the first flying school
there. His greatest triumph was his then daring and spectacular flight
from Albany to New York City in 1910 ? with a refueling stop in
Poughkeepsie at Camelot, near the present IBM site on NY Route 9.
In 1911, Curtiss and Bell patented the aileron, which Curtiss attached
to his newly developed seaplane. This control surface proved much
superior to the wing warping method that the Wrights were using. He
organized (1916) the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Corp., which built
many planes for the Allied nations during World War I. After the war
Curtiss continued to contribute radical improvements in the design of
both planes and motors..."
Continuing to the timelines later on this page:
"...1912
First flying boat (Lake Keuka)
...
1920
First airboat (Florida Everglades) ..."
A page on Lake Placid Florida also mentions:
http://www.lakeplacid-florida.com/04_airboat.shtml
"...Floridian Glen Curtis built the first airboat in 1920 and called
it, "the flying boat." By 1933, airboats were on the market..."
From this, I deduce that the airboat of 1920 was most likely
experimental in nature and private or commercially owned airboats
became available in 1933. Although I can't locate the year that
Florida first required vessel registration (and hence, I am not
entirely confident about posting this as the answer), I think it is
safe to assume it was prior to 1933 and the first airboat was most
likely registered that year.
Best,
-=clouseau=-
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