Airboats Dont Fly, Pilots Do

neumanns

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Mar 1, 2003
Messages
1,926
Ok here goes, A few years ago I was living in Port Isabel Texas. There is a lot of skinny water down there in the intercoastal not to mention South Bay and I'm about 17 at the time and Dad locates this Airboat You know the ones, 18' jon boats with a 1960's corvair engine with a propeller mounted on the Back.<br /><br />One day A Dear friend (female) and I decide to take a ride in South Bay But the tides are low and my favorite Area to Cruise is isolated from the main bay by to much mud to cruise over so we finally locate a "channel" that will allow acess.<br /><br />Heres the situation as we start up the channel I'm positioned up in the helm seat and she's down in the boat all looks well so I get her up to minimal cruise speed of about 25-30 MPH, Perfect day wind in our faces Rosette Spoonbills (like Flamingos) of to the left shimmering water ahead and of to our right a 2-3 foot bank of the channel.<br /><br />And all of a sudden, WHAM-nothing-BAM as the captian is catapulted through the air like a ragdoll and land on my back about 20-25 feet in front of the boat out on the mud flats, I regain my breath and footing, check my friend (shes fine)and turn to the boat.<br /><br />The Front 4 foot is bent up nintey degrees to the rest of the boat as she sets there ideling patiently.<br /><br />As it turns out the channel depth unnoticably came up to about 2 inches on the right side just enoufgh to create a drag to turn the boat directly into the bank.<br /><br />We got here back to the trailer and got it home, but i must admit she looked a might bit funny on the trailer and I was not looking forward to my fathers iminent return.<br /><br />Dad was quite understanding and with some skilled reinforcments the boat was eventually put back into service. I'll be the first to tell ya that boat was a lot of kicks but just was never quite the same carefree feeling as before that day.
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: Airboats Dont Fly, Pilots Do

neumanns,<br /><br />Great story. What you needed was MORE-POWER.<br /><br />Airboats, what a kick. Who said anything about-water?
 

Trent

Captain
Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
3,333
Re: Airboats Dont Fly, Pilots Do

Man...I getting so tired of the boat and trailor story. Iv seen it so many times and so many ways, but he forgot it was a Bayliner! :)
 

sloopy

Commander
Joined
Jul 12, 2002
Messages
2,999
Re: Airboats Dont Fly, Pilots Do

air boats..... just the name makes you think.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />They are cool though
 

EatMoreFish

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Dec 9, 2001
Messages
81
Re: Airboats Dont Fly, Pilots Do

Airboats haha the stories I could tell. maybe one day when I get a week to write them down I will share some.<br />look out for that cow<br />Oh sh** who put a fence there?<br />what was that sound? where did the prop tips go?<br />black mud = sudden stop / wife does not stop
 
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