I built one with a 1600 cc VW engine , 54x 36 pitch wood prop on a 16 foot wide bottom Jon boat, it was great on gas, enough power to push my 225 lbs and 2 teenage boys across the lake to go frog gigging , but not fast enough to run thru heavy grass , so we built a 13 foot fiberglass hull with slick bottom coating and a big block 472 cu in Cadillac engine with Cam from a 500 Cadillac, fast and good on gas for a heavy boat,. But still love these little lite puddle jumper airboats.
This boat looks like it gets 20-24mph at full speed so if you figure cruising @75% power and traveling 18mph, 12 miles will come in 40 minutes. This engine is definitely capable of that. It's just a vtwin vanguard/Kawasaki/Kohler they put in lawn tractors etc. It would be the same gas as mowing your lawn with a nice big John Deere Riding mower for 40 minutes. They generally use a gear ratio for lower gas consumption/higher speed. 1.5:1 would spin a prop at 4500rpm while the engine is cruising at 3000rpm.
A Predator 22 would push 8-10 mph, and just might plane out a single person, but would be underpowered for any real payload in a boat this size. We normally use predators in smaller boats like a 1436
@@chrisisboss9620 yes, this one does have a reduction drive. It’ll handle 2”-3” of water pretty well, maybe a shallower on a boat with a good slick bottom coating.
I built one with a 1600 cc VW engine , 54x 36 pitch wood prop on a 16 foot wide bottom Jon boat, it was great on gas, enough power to push my 225 lbs and 2 teenage boys across the lake to go frog gigging , but not fast enough to run thru heavy grass , so we built a 13 foot fiberglass hull with slick bottom coating and a big block 472 cu in Cadillac engine with Cam from a 500 Cadillac, fast and good on gas for a heavy boat,. But still love these little lite puddle jumper airboats.
If y'all could give me a complete price on the 54 I'd appreciate it. I have a wide 14 footer that I'd like to convert.
How much are they? I'm seriously interested
Like 4200 plus buying the engine it’s ridiculous
Would the bandit 54 work on a 1542, or is the bottom width reliant on 48"? Im very interested in switching from a surface drive to an airdrive
Hi there, what fuel & Fuel consumption rate?
It’s regular gas, and burns 2-3 gallons per hour depending on how you drive it
What would be the fuel range of a boat like that? Could it traverse 12 miles?
Assuming 10% of the time requiring full power for low water zones.
Would also be dependent on weight. Let's say 2 people at 550lbs including gear.
This boat looks like it gets 20-24mph at full speed so if you figure cruising @75% power and traveling 18mph, 12 miles will come in 40 minutes. This engine is definitely capable of that. It's just a vtwin vanguard/Kawasaki/Kohler they put in lawn tractors etc. It would be the same gas as mowing your lawn with a nice big John Deere Riding mower for 40 minutes. They generally use a gear ratio for lower gas consumption/higher speed. 1.5:1 would spin a prop at 4500rpm while the engine is cruising at 3000rpm.
What motor are you running ?
This one has a Vanguard 37 hp EFI
How long is the john boat
This boat is 16 ft long with a 48" bottom width
How well would it work using a predator 22hp instead?
A Predator 22 would push 8-10 mph, and just might plane out a single person, but would be underpowered for any real payload in a boat this size. We normally use predators in smaller boats like a 1436
@@LoneStarHovercraft do you have a reduction unit on the boat in this video ? And in how shallow of water do you think this boat could run to ?
@@chrisisboss9620 yes, this one does have a reduction drive. It’ll handle 2”-3” of water pretty well, maybe a shallower on a boat with a good slick bottom coating.
I want to use this on ice. If I broke through could it get back up on the solid ice?
@@BlanchardBlanchard yes, it’ll climb back up on ice.
Im gonna build me one....
B