Fans of making various “toys” on the remote control will probably be very interested in how to make an airboat with their own hands. This boat, which is really self-assembled, will be a great gift for a child or a help on a fishing trip.
What materials will be needed
In principle, anyone can assemble an airboat with their own hands. The only thing is that you will have to buy some parts (if they are not at hand at home). All you need is:
- Polyfoam, foam or ceiling.
- Scotch.
- Glue.
- Wires and motor with propeller (or impeller).
- Drawing (although you can do without it).
If you give a child this wonderful homemade product, it is best to use an impeller. Its advantage over the propeller is that the baby will not be able to cripple his fingers. But the thrust of the impeller is quite small - about 500 g. But if you make an airboat light, then it will be enough.
Starting the foam building process
If you use an impeller as an engine, it would be best to take foam sheets 20 mm thick. On if it is not at hand, then you can build an airboat with your own hands from the ceiling.
If the airboat is not too big, you can take sheets with a thickness of 40 mm. Excellent buoyancy indicators combined with ease make foam an excellent material for this homemade product.
In order for the airboat to be stable on the water, it is necessary to balance it by arranging all the parts in a special order. Since the heaviest part of the boat is the battery. It should be set as low as possible. To do this, under it, you can cut a recess in the case. But it should also be borne in mind that the ceiling is a rather fragile and thin material. So we need to reinforce it somehow. A ruler (usual school wooden ruler) is suitable for this purpose. Using glue or epoxy, it is fixed in places that may not withstand loads.
After the electrical equipment of the future boat has been installed, it is necessary to glue the bottom to the hull. This can be done with Titan glue and wait a while for it to dry completely. After that, you can work on add-ons.
Do-it-yourself airboat add-ons
In order to make add-ons on the deck of the future boat, you can use ready-made drawings, or you can try to do something of your own. Of course, all models have some features that unite them. Therefore, do not be smart.
Mounting for the impeller can be made from two connected foam parts. To do this, you need to cut out a rectangle, and cut a circle in it for the engine, and then cut the resulting rectangle in half. This design allows you to make the engine removable (for replacement or repair). In order to securely fix the impeller and not be afraid that it will pop out at any moment, you can fix it using the same ruler and a pair of self-tapping screws. To do this, it is glued between the two halves of the foam rectangle, and then the resulting structure is glued and fixed with screws.
The superstructure in the form of a wheelhouse will allow you to cover electrical equipment from splashes. Fastening is done with glue. You can use hot melt adhesive, but if the airboat will be used in winter, then this is not the best choice. In addition, ventilation holes will have to be made in the wheelhouse.
Boat controls
In order for the airboat to be somehow controlled, it needs to attach a rudder. A thin ceiling is best. A rectangle is cut out of it. To fix the steering wheel, you can use any rod of 3 mm section. Additionally, you will have to take into account that when driving on water, the airboat will “lift up” the nose and the steering wheel will be in the water.
Ship Sealing
The boat is able to move on any surface, be it snow, water or grass. It is not excluded that dirt and water get inside the homemade product. To prevent this, you will have to arm yourself with alcohol, epoxy andbrush. Since the do-it-yourself airboat is radio-controlled, the antenna must be hidden in a carbon fiber tube. Then you need to dilute the epoxy with alcohol and apply it to the ship with a brush. This will not only protect against water, but also make sliding easier. And an additional plus from the epoxy coating is that the airboat, made with your own hands, becomes stronger.
Beauty & Accessories
To make your airboat stand out, you can take care of some "decorations" and useful additions. Paint cans are great for painting the boat, and with tape you can add something to the hull or decorate the steering wheel. But keep in mind that the weight of the model increases, which means that the speed will be lower. The main thing is not to overdo it, because the boat can simply roll over in the water. In addition, the airboat can be equipped with lights and LED bulbs.
Foam airboat
Polyfoam has the same buoyancy characteristics as foam. Therefore, the creation process is not much different. And on the Internet you don’t have to search separately for how to build an airboat with your own hands. Just like in the first case, you can make an airboat with your own hands (drawings of a boat will help facilitate this process). Or show your imagination and collect something of your own. And to strengthen the structure, you can use construction tape. They cover the whole bottom. Wooden rulers can be omitted to strengthen the structure.
DIY airboat for fishing
To make feeding fish not only a simple process, but also exciting, you can use a radio-controlled airboat with your own hands. For permanent use, it is best to make a solid boat out of plastic or plywood (although plastic or PVC panels are more suitable for this purpose, because they do not rot)
- Do-it-yourself airboat (drawings will make the task easier) it is not necessary to start by studying the diagrams. You can make 3D layouts in the appropriate program.
- Next, you need to make a drawing, according to which all parts will be cut out of plastic or plywood.
- Now that the drawing is ready, you can start cutting.
- Gluing can be done with hot glue, Titanium or Moment glue (if plywood was chosen as the material for the body, then it must be glued with fiberglass impregnated with epoxy).
- Nose openings must be filled with mounting foam so that the boat does not sink.
- Next, you need to attach the engine. It will look almost the same as the impeller. When fixing it to the hull of the boat, it is necessary to protect the water intake hole with some kind of grating. This is necessary so that algae, gear, etc. not wrapped around the screw.
- Electrical equipment will need to be bought. If a fisherman decides to seriously engage in feeding with a homemade airboat, then it is best to go to electronics stores and buy a suitable engine and remote control for it.
The cost of the resulting "toy" will be about six thousand rubles. Agree, compared to what fishing shops offer (boats from 30 thousand rubles), this is still divine.
For any avid fisherman, such a homemade product will help to bait fish. Usually, lure is thrown by hand over a certain distance, the boat is able to simplify this process. When making an airboat with your own hands for fishing, you need to take into account that the food will have to be lowered into the water somehow from it. In order to solve this problem, you can take the path of least resistance - make opening containers with complementary foods, and tie a strong thread or fishing line to the door. When the airboat reaches the desired point, all you have to do is pull the string.
Mission Rescue
Avid fans of radio-controlled aircraft may find themselves in a difficult situation - their model can fall into a pond, but it will not work out. Now we are talking about models of seaplanes, because the rest of the models of aircraft, most likely, will immediately go to the bottom.
So the RC fan is in trouble. The plane ended up in the river. In order to pull it out, it is enough to attach the end of a strong rope to the body of the airboat. And then use the boat to pick up the plane and pull it out of the water.
