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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Airboats: They Won’t Get Snagged in the Everglades


Airboats are no strangers to everglades and marshy waters; their flat hulls and giant fans give them the advantage over boats with outboard motors in these places. In fact, using an outboard motor boat in the everglades will likely end up as a frustrating experience, especially when the motor ends up snagging water plants. Places like Florida happen to have a lot of everglades, namely the preserves west of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, making airboats rather common sights.

The workings of an airboat is founded in Isaac Newton's law of action and reaction. As his Third Law states, any object that exerts force (action) on another object will result in the latter object exerting an equal amount of force (reaction) in the opposite direction. In the case of the airboat, the energy released by the giant fan serves as the action, while the forward motion of the boat serves as the reaction.

Whether it's for fishing or sightseeing, airboats can carry an entire family or office staff for a joyride across The Everglades. It may be a bit noisy, given that the fan is mounted on the boat instead of below the water, but modern airboat designs feature quieter motors and carbon fiber propellers that reduce noise. Leave the open seas and lakes to outboard motor boats, because the everglades are best explored aboard airboats.

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