Airboat or hovercraft?
Ten reasons why to choose Arctic Airboats’ powerful airboat
If you want to operate in difficult conditions both on water and ice, with reasonable costs, your options come down to either an airboat or a hovercraft. When weighing these options and their abilities, be realistic. Critical and thorough evaluation of these two alternatives will lead you to choose an airboat. And here are ten reasons why that is:
1. Manoeuvrability is better in all conditions
An airboat is able to maintain its manoeuvrability in hard winds and on all surfaces because it is always attached to the surface it is operating on. Hovercraft, on the other hand, that hovers on a cushion of pressured air is vulnerable to strong winds and therefore may not always travel to desired direction.
2. Crossing obstacles is easier with an airboat
In demanding conditions, such as crossing frozen sea lanes or waterways among ice blocks there is always obstacles that may damage or even break weak vessel structures and thus stop it from moving. User experiences suggest that a hovercraft's weak spot is the skirt with pressurised air under the hull that makes the vessel hover. If the skirt is damaged and air leaks out, a hovercraft will loose its movability.
3. An airboat will always take you forward
The hull structure of our airboats makes them also a boat. A hovercraft depends on the air cushion to keep it operating in all conditions and is therefore especially vulnerable when driving on rough surfaces.
4. Simple solutions increase safety
Our airboats are designed in Finland but their motors and propellers are based on the product development of global leaders. When operating, simplicity does not only mean durable solutions and easy maintenance but also safe and long lasting solutions. This generates additional value especially when the aim is to keep maintenance costs low or the airboat is kept alert for rescue activities.
5. The hull material contributes to endurance
We use durable marine aluminium and tough polyethylene plastic in our airboats. When used correctly both of these materials tolerate hard use significantly better than fiberglass that can rarely stand hard and continuous blows caused by ice. The high-quality polyethylene plastic we use in our airboats is even more durable than aluminium when it comes to shock-sensitive hull parts of airboats.
6. Moving on water, ice and snow is easier with an airboat
In our airboats we have combined features from boats and sleds in a way that makes them fast and powerful in every condition. On open water they reach a speed of 25-30 kn even when loaded. In winter conditions our airboats reach speeds 50-100 km/h, depending on the surface. Good steering remains also on lower speeds.
7. Transporting our airboats is effortless
We have designed handy transportation trailers for our airboats. The focus has been on facilitating the unloading and loading of an airboat. All airboats can be driven directly off from the trailer and on the trailer. Trailers can be pulled with a normal sedan typed car or a SUV.
8. Travel comfort is important
All of our airboats have effective air suspension system. This eliminates shakes and bouncing when driving on rough surfaces on high speeds. This way the comfort of passengers or patients is not compromised even when operating in demanding conditions.
9. Finally – compare your solution to your need of transportation capacity
Arctic Airboats manufactures two different classes of airboats. The PE-class features an open steering desk and a hull made of polyethylene plastic. The PE-class airboats are designed to be easily transportable and therefore they suit well for example rescue departments, archipelago inhabitants or to get to a place where it is hard to get when water and ice conditions are tough. The PE-class airboats suit well also for transportation services in inner archipelago or near the coast. The range for these airboats for one tank of fuel is 4-8 hours, depending on conditions.
The PRO-class of our airboats is designed for demanding professional use in hard arctic conditions. Rescue-operations, personnel transportation in oilfield-areas, transportation to outer archipelago and patrolling can be a few examples of the purposes what a PRO-class airboat could be used. These vessels are built on a 3-part hull in which two polyethylene pontoons support the middle aluminium hull. These pontoons are welded to the aluminium hull and are controllable with air suspension. The PRO-class airboats feature a warm cabin for 5 persons and can also be extended to longer version to support more transportation capacity. Together with a large fuel tank the warm cabin provides these airboats with a range of up to 10 hours.
Both the PRO and the PE-class airboats are equipped with navigation systems according to customer’s needs. Many other features can also be customised to satisfy each customer separately.
10. Price, use and capacity go hand in hand
Arctic Airboats offers airboats in two classes. The price for standard PE-class airboats with open steering desk and capacity of 4 persons or 400-500kgs is just above 32.000 €, VAT excluded. PE-class airboats can also be manufactured as PE Long-versions with capacity of 6-8 persons. These longer versions cost around 37.000 € without VAT. The equipment is customisable according to customer’s wishes.
The prices for PRO-class large airboats start from 150.000 €, excluding VAT. The price varies according to intended purpose of use. For example when the airboat is going to serve in rescue operations usually a couple of seats will be removed in order to fit a stretcher. If the airboat is used in transportation additional seats can be installed giving the airboat a capacity up to 8 persons.
Only a test drive will ensure a correct solution!
Arctic Airboats’ vessels represent new design in their fields and have received interest from many. Our PRO-class airboat LSA 560 is operating its second year in harsh arctic conditions of the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia. Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS) has a long experience of rescue operations in winter conditions in the Swedish archipelago. The SSRS has placed an order for PRO-class rescue airboat to operate in their activities during winter. Also, the Finnish Border Guard has made a long-term lease to use our PRO-class airboat in order to gain experiences.
The new PE-class airboat is in use at Metsähallitus, a state enterprise that governs more than 12 million hectares of state-owned land and water areas. A PE-class airboat sold to Sweden has gathered lots of positive feedback from those who have test-driven it.
If you are considering a vessel that needs to be able to effectively operate on water, ice and snow, please contact us! We will present you our airboats and tell you more so that you would not make a final decision based on inadequate knowledge of options.
Arctic Airboats Oy
Klaus Asanti Henrik Paersch
040-546 9165 0400-431025