GF16 -- Smart Tabs???

[Jerry-rigged]

Will do. I don't think I have any of my current boat on hand, and the boat lives at our creek house, 2 hours away so it may be a month or three, but I will get you some.

Jerry

[Cracker Larry]

Thanks!

[robbiro]

Larry,
Check on e-Bay and look under the outboard motor listings, there is a boat that resembles what I think that Jerry is describing. I had never seen one like that and I read this thread yesterday and then last night I saw this offering listed and thought about what I had read. If it is not what he is talking about, it still looks unique. I think that it was in the 10-40 hp division.

Robbie

[stickystuff]

Look on the Ph16 plans page. click on pictures. Second row down and second picture in you will see my oops. It also was a cypress stump. Rode back two miles or more to the ramp and stump was still intact in the hull after I put the boat on the trailer. I epoxied the stump in the hull piece which I cut out for a conversation piece.

[AdamG]

People take a 4 cycle lawnmower or go cart engine with a horizontal shaft, and just mount a heavy duty shop fan blade set and guard to it, and then put it on a swivel bracket. Usually, it puts out enough pressure to move you along gently. I've seen a few flounder boats rigged like that.

The mud motors I usually see are the third world types, where they take an engine a lot like the one above, but maybe 18HP instead of 5HP, and mount a long shaft with a support brace to it, and then a bearing and prop assembly at the end, usually with a bottom guard as well. The shaft on my uncle's mud motor was about 10 feet long, and you could run the sucker through wet cement. You see a lot of motors like this in the philippines, or Brazil, etc, becauase they are reliable, available, and super super cheap to make.

[Cracker Larry]

I've seen the home made mud motors in several backwaters of the world, but never seen a 5 hp airboat. You Texas folks do things differently

[timoub007]

I've been trying to tell you that for better than a year now Larry. LOL

Well, I convinced my in-laws that I needed the Smart Tabs for Christmas. I bought them on eBay this afternoon. I'm going to open this present early and stuff something else in the box.

I will be out of town all of next week when they arrive, so a full report will comed about mid-December.

Still would like to hear from anyone on the homemade jobbies if anyone took the initiative.

Tim

[Jerry-rigged]

AdamG
People take a 4 cycle lawnmower or go cart engine with a horizontal shaft, and just mount a heavy duty shop fan blade set and guard to it, and then put it on a swivel bracket. Usually, it puts out enough pressure to move you along gently. I've seen a few flounder boats rigged like that.

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!

Ours is a horizontal shaft I/C Briggs motor, 5hp, but with a "Real" prop from an Ultra-light plane. Our motor is not on a swivel mount, we steer the old fasion way - with the Giggs! Our set up is very basic, the only "Fancy" thing on it iaa throttle cable up to the front deck (and that dosen't work 1/2 the time) and a 4000w generator to power the lights. Folks that are really serious will swivel mount the motor, with stick stearing up front, and will have a belt driven 12vdc generator (that will also start the motor) to power the floundering lights.

Running the motor at a low idle will push the boat just bearly too fast to flounder - so we will drag some old Sash window weights off the stern to slow the boat down a bit. Throttle up, and the prop will really sing - but it only pushes the boat maybe 3/4 hull speed.

The first air motor setup I remember my dad making used a 3hp motor and a steel auto radiator fan. Noisey, vibrated very bad, but it got the job done.

Jerry

[Deedaddy]

Smart Tab work great on my GF14.

[AdamG]

I've never gone giggin myself, but I see the boats a lot down here..with the front rail with a string of halogens and the "big fan" on the back, a lot are mounted on a recycled casting platform above the outboard. On a wide flatbottom boat, it moves shallow, and spooked flounders don't run, they hide (or so they think)..so the noise isn't a problem. My boss's boss used to go giggin all the time..he swears it is lots of fun. I'll have to try it sometime.