Capacity of an Airboat

by Travis Strammer

Submitted : Fall 2012

The goal of this project is to determine the loading capacity of an air boat. Using Archimedes principle, Total mass of boat = (density of water) x (volume of water displaced) I was able to find the graph of the height under water (h) vs. the mass of the boat (M). I was able to use the graph to figure out that with the boat having 2,000 lbs on it including the hull that the water line would be 4.5 inches. Also using the graph, it allowed me to find what I feel would be the maximum weight for the boat to have on it and still operate safely. The number that I would recommend to boaters would be 1,200 lbs.

The second question asked me to find the surface area of the boat with the given dimensions and to determine the mass of the hull itself and where its waterline would be. Using the simple algebra and a integral and arc length I was able to determine that the surface area of the boat is 132.46ft². Using the surface area and choosing the thickness of the boat to be 3/8 inches I was able to find the volume of the boat. The volume I found is 4.14ft³ using the density of aluminum (169 lb/ft³) I multiplied giving me 699.55 lbs as the mass of the hull. Going back to the graph in the first question I was able to find that the empty hulls water line is as 1.5 inches.

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