Hey guys I'm wondering on the a stage night fishing from 8pm to 3am how much gas do you burn? I know airboats are gas hogs but if I have to spend $150 a night to go shoot then I don't want one. With a smaller airboat would $40 a night be possible if you put in close to where your going and mostly are fishing instead of crossing big water? I wouldn't care to drop $100 on a big tournament night but not twice a week just fun shooting.
How much gas do you burn in your airboat a night?
awaldro7
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maybe when i fished off an airboat it just wasnt the right conditions or my driver sucked but i would have rather been in my kicker boat fishin than a 18 by 8
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378 Posts
deep water running will use more gas than sliding over skinny water
a lot different running/fishing in those river and lakes up north
we run in florida all day/night and never run in water over 3 ft
a lot different running/fishing in those river and lakes up north
we run in florida all day/night and never run in water over 3 ft
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621 Posts
Cool, thanks for the info. I was looking pretty intently on the 14x7 Elite mini. It has much taller sides though, even if it lacks in the HP department.
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That was the only thing I didn't like about his boat sides are short as heck and transforms low to. Great motor though
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Tell ya how I took it, I assume Super Unleaded so I think $350-$375 to fill up your rig so it made me feel really good about putting $30 to top off my 15 Gallon Tank every third trip out to fuel my measley 90HP Yamaha... I never take fishing buddies money because I was going anyway.
If I had your gas bill, I'd shake'm down like a hooded gangsta wanna be to pay for gas!
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I going to get one after my full size is paid for, got a 43 hrp motor that work great.
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12,040 Posts
my old boat had a 150 gallon tank.
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3,390 Posts
I talked to the guy at elite awhile back and I don't think they are making them now? Something about not being blue to get on plane and needing to use a bigger motor?
I have fished out of a fan boat a lot and an air boat once. I was always concerned with fuel bill as well. BUT after I went in one it got me to thinking in a different way.
I thought of it not in gallons burned per night, but in area covered per gallon or potential fish seen per gallon. If we get the fan boat stuck in shallow water it could be 10 mins before we get out and back to fishing. airboat just hit the gas 20 seconds later shoot a fish... If we were in the fan boat that night it would have taken us all night to shoot 100 fish. In the airboat we had 220 by 1 oclock...
when you look at the time wasted getting a boat unstuck or idling an outboard out of a stump filled area or not being able to get to the fish because they are laid up in 2 inches of water. factor in all that and an airboat all the sudden seems like a bargain... to me of course.
The fuel bill may be 3 or 4 times more but you can cover 3 to 4 times more water. so if you look at it from a (area covered per gallon of fuel) you are probably dead even with a fan boat... and a troller boat haha you are prolly spending 10 to 20 times the money in fuel but you are fishing 10 to 20 times more area.
Its all food for thought, if you are happy going out and shooting 50 fish average a night in a troller boat then keep on keepin on. if you would be happier going out and shooting 50 fish per hour average then get a airboat...
that's my opinion of course. I can tell you this as soon as I get my fiancé out of pharmacy school there will be an airboat sitting in my yard...
I thought of it not in gallons burned per night, but in area covered per gallon or potential fish seen per gallon. If we get the fan boat stuck in shallow water it could be 10 mins before we get out and back to fishing. airboat just hit the gas 20 seconds later shoot a fish... If we were in the fan boat that night it would have taken us all night to shoot 100 fish. In the airboat we had 220 by 1 oclock...
when you look at the time wasted getting a boat unstuck or idling an outboard out of a stump filled area or not being able to get to the fish because they are laid up in 2 inches of water. factor in all that and an airboat all the sudden seems like a bargain... to me of course.
The fuel bill may be 3 or 4 times more but you can cover 3 to 4 times more water. so if you look at it from a (area covered per gallon of fuel) you are probably dead even with a fan boat... and a troller boat haha you are prolly spending 10 to 20 times the money in fuel but you are fishing 10 to 20 times more area.
Its all food for thought, if you are happy going out and shooting 50 fish average a night in a troller boat then keep on keepin on. if you would be happier going out and shooting 50 fish per hour average then get a airboat...
that's my opinion of course. I can tell you this as soon as I get my fiancé out of pharmacy school there will be an airboat sitting in my yard...
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Sums it up.....good post!!
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621 Posts
I spoke to Bobby about this boat as well, and he simply explained that the boat was severely underpowered. I was thinking maybe a BPS 7000 Mag would work be a better powerplant for that setup. It's basically a built 40hp Vangard with dual carbs, performance heads, valves, etc. It gets around 65hp. I realize this boat isn't perfect and it certainly won't run dry, but for someone looking for a boat for shallow water shooting, it would work.
It's either that or perhaps a smaller (15x7 - 16x8) boat with a 350 sbc and a 2 or 3 blade prop.
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Just build it like a deep hull race boat
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378 Posts
you could always go with a 160, 180, 200 lycome and have plenty push and great gas milage
you will spend a little more for a good schmidt, or jr jurnigan, built motor but last a long time
could even put a 100 shot (nos) on it for sticky situations, Yeah and on the right hull will run dry
you will spend a little more for a good schmidt, or jr jurnigan, built motor but last a long time
could even put a 100 shot (nos) on it for sticky situations, Yeah and on the right hull will run dry
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621 Posts
I have thought about going this route, but living in Michigan it isn't easy to find these engines locally, find someone to work on them, or find parts to rebuild these these engines without paying to have them shipped.
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40 Posts
Hmm, and people say Airboats don't have an advantage..
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