Air Rider Boats
Submitted by Willlo on Wed, 2020-06-17 09:09
Looking for info on these boats , also are they any good with an inboard ?
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Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
backlash
Posts: 335
Date Joined: 12/10/10
Air-Rider's look awesome
I do not have one, nor have ridden in one, but the online video of them playing in sloppy conditions in WA makes them look like an awesome-riding boat
they're very expensive to buy; the build i think is quite complicated when you get a chance to have a look at the hulls; a lot more work involved in wleding them up
Some of the deisgns I have downloaded from their website (free) provide for an inboard option.
I would think an 8.5m boat with a cuddy cabin for weather protection and the ability to add a sahde canopy, a large fuel and water tanks would be an awesome north-western long-range fisher (like montebello's, abroholos, off Exmouth, Kimberley, etc).
I'm very interested to hear if anyone on here has one. I have talked with Dave at his boat sales business, and I believe that he owns one. He also has a centre-console inboard for sale, which is what I'm guessing has triggered this query. I'd ask for a sea trial if you're keen, and the motor/hull/trailer stacks up to inspection.
The only otter one I have seen that looked any good had 2x Yamaha's (Ithink) but was circa $250K (eek!!!) I"m guessing a new trailer for one of these would be very expensive due to the hull.
If anyone's interested, here are some youtube links
here's the one in sloppy conidtions - looks like it rides very smooth
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch "Blue Yonder" - awesome looking rig!
www.youtube.com/watch
dodgy
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Links didn't work but I
Links didn't work but I assume the one you are trying to link to is 'Joint Venture'. That one had a yanmar inboard and performed very well. Was the builders personal rig but has now been on sold.
'Blue Yonder' was from same builder with a jet unit and was built as per supplied specs from the designer. It failed sea trials and was on the hard for a long time while insurance did their thing. Has since been sold and repowered with twin inboards I believe.
Ive been in a few different sizes. The 9m one I liked.,
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Swompa
Posts: 3887
Date Joined: 14/10/12
Failed sea trial - expensive
Failed sea trial - expensive cock up.
backlash
Posts: 335
Date Joined: 12/10/10
links
Hopefully these links work better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgGhjnHwV5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeaMaqvb2YU&t=15s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-GtRJkMIqs&t=162s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI5uQggD1PI&t=39s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBIm__ZdDzo&t=36s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDeZic-Cw8&t=61s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ksaGLuzD8U
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Your on the money mate. I've
Your on the money mate. I've been looking for something to take me out deep dropping from bunno. These look alright
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
still trying
Posts: 1059
Date Joined: 27/06/17
They build these at Kirby
They build these at Kirby when a buyer comes along they get almost as much air time as the niads with outboards on the back very big boat.
rather be fishing
Swompa
Posts: 3887
Date Joined: 14/10/12
The 6m looks like a big boat
The 6m looks like a big boat for its size.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8669
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Trialed
We trialed Exmouth Sea Rescues 10 metre Air Rider when we were looking at a new boat for Carnarvon Sea Rescue and didn't take us long to decide against getting one compared to the 10 metre Naiad.
About 3 years back I shifted down to Shark Bay, transfered to their rescue unit and drove their Air Rider on rescues in all sort of weather and was very glad we didn't get one in Carnarvon,.
Sure they have the bigger cabin and more deck space but the ride didn't impress me one little bit
backlash
Posts: 335
Date Joined: 12/10/10
Great feedback
That's great feedback from someone who spends a lot of time on the water - thanks for sharing that experience
Willlo
Posts: 1490
Date Joined: 07/10/11
Interesting comment John . I
Interesting comment John . I was lucky enough to go and take a look at 1 of these in the mid stage of 1 being built . The guy building it had already built 1 for himself and this next was for another client. That and the fact the Bunno sea rescue has one , well now not sure what to think . Might try get a test ride.
Call Sign - BZ785
Haynes Hunter Prowler CC
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
I know a bloke who just bought one
It's the one still listed at Oceaneers, but he has settled. He's just waiting on the Ram dealer to get his new ute ready before he hooks up and heads to Winderabandi. First world fishing problems
apparently the hull design makes transducer placement tricky, and he has had one built in to a design previously found to work.
crano
Posts: 702
Date Joined: 04/11/09
transducer
I went for a ride in one about 8.5 m long in coral bay a couple of weeks ago. I had the transducer mounted in a fibreglass housing mounted on the transom between the motors. Not sure what transducer it is as I could not see it but could see a plastic bit like on top of a TM260. It was sounding well at around 25 knots running through a furuno 295. The bloke that had the airider owned oceaneering until recently.
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Got a run on the 7.5 at Winderabandi
Went for a drive down there on a windy, blown out day, got there just before midday. Had phoned them to say we were coming. Quick catch up with everyone, then the owner's got me helping him to load the boat up. He hadn't had it out yet, only arrived a couple of days before. It had been strong SE, did the late morning hull, then fresh southerly. I assumed were were just going for a spin inside the reef, nup, we are going fishing.
. The closest deep ground isn't far away, so out a gap in the reef and into 90m. I just idled up and down while he finished rigging, then it was baits over the side. It was an honest to god 18-20 knots, probably gusting higher, seas were the sort of thing you really don't want to be drifting side-on to. Hardly a drop came over the side. I've fished like this in the Reefrunner, it handles it OK, just not fun. We quickly snapped the rope on the Big Fat Snapper sea anchor, had to replace it with heavier stuff. We were lucky that the tide was running counter to the wind, or the drift would have been unmanageable, but as it was, we could hold bottom OK with 40 oz leads. Caught a few redthroats and assorted minor species, I got sharked on what would have been the best fish--sharks don't bother with red throats, apparently. 
So, it was very stable drifting beam on. Couldn't fault it really in that respect. It also felt good running both up and down wind at low speeds. Very noisy in the hull , of course, when you are used to a glass boat. Twin F200's gave it plenty of poke. It ran quartering into that sea at 20 knots just fine--he tried to go fast head into it, nup, no go, but there aren't many hulls that will do that under 30 foot long. Some slops were getting up to near 2m, and with the wind running contrary to tide, very short. Seems like a good fishing platform, in the few hours I was on it. I would have liked to give it a good work-out in slightly more moderate conditions to see what it is capable of.
It's running twin Furuno TZT2's, 12", with a separate control panel. And a 2kw TM of some type. Without a manual, I managed to suss a few basic functions for him. Those displays are beautifully clear, superior to anything i've personally seen from any of the other major manuafacturers.