About 8-12 MPH. This is not an air boat. Air boats are designed to go very fast over almost any wet terrain. They have massive engines, some as large as 454 cubic inches. Fan boats are designed to go in very shallow water and over weeds and small brush. They also do not muddy up the water (unless the hull rubs on the bottom) the way a trolling motor or outboard will at the same depth. The speed will also be determined by how much water the boat displaces. Basically this means that if your boat sits deep in the water, then it will go slower than one that sits higher in the water.
Most fan setups are homemade and built by the owner. Some, like myself, have good friends who help them build their fan motors. There are some people who will build fan motors for boats but there is not a kit that can be built for all types of boats. If you are interested in having parts of the fan setup build, then send a email and we will try to help you locate it or talk to the right person.
This is a much debated topic. Of course it depends on the size boat that you plan on mounting the fan to. I chose the larger engine because I never wanted to say, "I sure wished I had got the larger engine." If you get a large engine, then make sure that your boat is wide enough to handle it. Since you are putting a lot of extra weight in the air, it tends to make the boat less stable. If the boat is already unstable, adding a fan motor would be bad, no matter what the size. There are people that can be contacted to give you an educated guess, but here is mine...too much power never hurt anyone. If you are not sure, then get more than you need. If you have too little power then you might be going slow than you want or wear your engine out quicker.
This will depend on the size engine that you get, how much clearance you have and how high you want to the fan to be. Most composite props with a large (20+HP) engine will be 42" props. Many smaller engine props are around 36". Pitch will depend on the size engine, size of the boat, type of prop, how fast is idle speed of the engine, etc.
Generally wood props are cheaper, but the pitch cannot be adjusted after the prop is purchased. Composite props cost more, but have adjustable pitch blocks that can be traded out if the fan pushes too fast at idle speed. Also think about where your boat is stored. If it is stored outside in the rain, then the wood prop will rot out, basically because it is wood. Yes you can get a coating on the wood, but expect it to have a shorter life than a composite. It is generally thought that wood props are quieter than composite props, but composite push better..
Bowfishing boats are generally aluminum flat bottom boats. They take a lot of abuse from the waves and elements. Most bowfishing boat trailers are simple and do not have great shocks like some of the nice bass fishing rigs. So the boat is getting beat up on the water and even while on the road. With this said, do you want to make that mount using a brittle metal like aluminum? Yes it is pretty, weighs less, and does not rust (quickly) but how many bowfishing rigs are pretty? It is my opinion that steel is the only way to go. It's weight disadvantage is far outweighed by its strength. Nothing could be worse than spending over a $1000 and then losing it all to the lake or somewhere on the road! With all that said there are people who build their mount with aluminum and do very well with it, but make sure that extra bracing is added.
Yes, you can but the first thing I would ask is why? I have heard people ask, what size fan should I put on my 14ft 40inch wide boat? Well, are you sure that you should? First off the 1440 is not the most stable boat for bowfishing. While it works, it is very shaky. You put 100 lbs of fan motor in the air on that boat and it will become difficult to stand on. You could use pontoons, but that is just more stuff in the water. Some would argue that where they fish they need the smaller boat. Then I would ask, do you really need a fan for that small area that you fish? My suggestion would be to get a 1660 or bigger boat and then think about the fan.
Steering will depend on the setup. Some fans are setup to steer from the fan (the back). While this will work and will be easy to setup, it is not ideal. You really want to be able to steer the boat and fish at the same time. This will mean steering from the front using some type of cable and hub system. Most systems are setup with cables and hubs (or sprockets). When the steering stick is turned, then the fan is turned. Ideally you want the fan to turn almost 360 degrees. This will let the driver go into reverse or be able to "rock" the boat back and forth while in reverse, to get out of a jamb or off a stump. My boat had a steering stick in the front of the boat with a hub at the bottom connected via cables to the hub at the fan. Turn the stick and the fan turns. The ratio of stick turn to fan turn is a personal preference and will be determined by the size of the hub in the front in relation to the size of the hub in the rear. Some people like to turn the stick only half way and the fan turn completely. Just think about the stress levels on the cables and which would work best for your boat.
One hint: Make as few big bends as possible in your cable system. It is far better to have several gradual bends in the cable than one bend that is about 70 degrees. It will be easier on the user to turn and less stressful to the cables. Normally the weakest link in a fan setup is the cables, simply because they get weak and break. Always keep a few extra cable clamps in the boat in case emergency repairs have to be made to the cable system. Maybe even keep extra cables in the boat for tournaments.
Yes. If you have too much weight on one side of the boat, it does affect the way the boat tracts through the water. It also makes a big difference if you have too much weight at the front or the rear of the boat. Too much in the front and the back of the boat might turn too easily and vice versa if too much weight is at the rear. Center consoles take up a lot of space but are good at keeping the weight in the center. Make sure to watch where you are throwing fish and try not to let too many get on one side.
That also is a custom setup per owner. Some are manual throttles (meaning the operator raises and lowers) and are connected to the engine via a throttle cable. Most use aircraft throttle cable because of its flexibility and because it does not take much force to pull the inner cable through the outer cable. These manual throttles all have some type of manual throw. Mine is a brake lever, others use go-cart twist grips, 3-wheeler throttles, etc. Other types of throttles are electronic. Push a button and the throttle goes up and another button to make it goes down. The advantage to electronic throttle is that you can set the throttle and leave it. The advantage of the manual throttle is that you take your hand off the stick and the throttle returns to idle.
Their are basically two types of engines that can be used for fan motors, two-stroke and four-stroke. Two stroke engines are generally found on small engines, like weed eaters, and off-road motorcycles. While two stroke engines generally have more power, they are also higher maintenance (mix gas and oil) and louder. Four-stroke engines are easier to maintain (no mixing of gas and oil.) If you are planning on mounting the fan in a typical way, then you will want a horizontal engine. This way the fan hub can bolt directly to the rear output shaft. While you could build the fan to use a vertical engine, it would make the process more difficult.
Brand is a personal preference, but you can't go too wrong with a Honda.
Hondas have been know to be hard to find parts for but they are becoming more
readily available, especially with the internet. Briggs & Stratton is an
American brand, but check the HP because some of their larger engines are made
by someone else, overseas. Kawasaki is known as a good one, but they are also a
premium. I have been told that Onan and Kohler are good but they are a little
heavier than others. Tecumseh might be a good engine for lawn mowers, but they
are also known as the loudest and cheapest built engines available.
That depends on the type and size of the engine. If it is a smaller
type, then it might be attached to the engine and you can fill the tank up at
the engine. While this is the easiest and cheapest alternative, it also
mean you might have to stand on something while in the boat to refill your tank.
Remember that the engine is going to be 5-6 feet in the air and the tank is
generally on top of the engine. If you have a larger engine, then you will
be pulling the gas from an external tank. My boat uses a typical 6 gallon
plastic boat tank and uses a Puralator low poundage fuel pump (1-4 lbs available
at O'Reilly auto parts) and a Puralator low poundage regulator. The
regulator is necessary because the fuel pump is not adjustable. Too little
and you starve the engine and too much and you flood it. It is also nice
to be able to tweak the mixture with the regulator. Keep in mind the
location of the fuel tank. Gas is fairly heavy, so try to center the
weight or balance it with something else in the boat.
On a typical bowfishing rig, there is an outboard, fan motor, and maybe a
generator. Can you use one battery or two? One will work and two is
great for the added reassurance that if one fails the other will get the
outboard started. One would save weight since batteries are typically
quite heavy. One other note, check the fan motor and outboard for their
charging amps and be conscious that if you have both the fan and outboard
running at the same time, that it could cause damage to the battery because of
over charging. In my boat I run one battery because of the weight and try
not to run the outboard at the same time as the fan. I also have a
generator that can charge the battery if needed, but between the fan and
outboard, the battery stays at maximum level most of the time.
To answer a question with another question, why? Why keep the heavy trolling motor and the one or two heavy batteries in the boat when the fan will do everything the trolling motor will do. If the fan will not do it, then why did you get such a small HP engine? I can see if the boat is going to be using for daytime fishing (rod & reel) but a true bowfishing rig would have no need for one after the fan was added.
