Winter Time Airboating

Working with an air boat in the snow and ice creates many challenging and safety issues that need to be addressed so that one can stay safe. Work in winter river ice in locations that another air boat can get to you if you have an emergency. NOTE: They may be the only type of vessel to be able to get to you. Keep an eye on the other operators around you.

- Ron Miller

Boat Trailer Considerations

It will be wet unloading and loading. Taillights and trailer brakes will freeze up. Trailer bunks will be slippery with ice and snow on them.

Boat Ramps with Ice and Snow

Small or steep – every time a boat is pulled out of the water and loaded onto a trailer, the water dripped goes onto the ground and freezes.

Dry Unloading

Anti-lock brakes on today’s vehicles make it difficult to slide the air boat back off the trailer. You may have to strap the transom to a solid object and pull the air boat off the trailer

Dry Loading on Snow

There is no friction drag, so go slow. Air boat going down a bank and into the river may not just be water, but also ice, a much more solid force than water.

Air boat Winter Preparation / Maintenance

Gas Tank – Keep it full – condensation can form in a tank that is not full. Water filter – Keep it clean.

Cables – Push / Pull for Gas and Steering

Moisture forms inside the cables and they can freeze up. Fill the cables with Try Flow oil or equivalent. Do not use the antifreeze as it is corrosive and will ruin the cables. To do this, remove the rubber caps from the cables. Remove one end of the cable from its mounting clamps. Use a piece of hose that fits over the cable (hose clamp it to the cable). In the other end, have a plug with a tire valve so after inserting the oil into the hose, plug the top with the plug that has the tire valve in it. Now add 3 to 5 pounds of air pressure and work the cable back and forth. When the oil comes out the other end, it is full of oil.