airboats | The Filson Journal

Law Enforcement on Airboats: Patrol, Pursuit, and Rescue

The widespread use of airboats is nothing new for the Florida Everglades. But their 20th century applications have grown beyond pleasure boaters seeking access to these remote areas, subsistence fishermen or hunters, and commercial tour operators. The airboat in the 21st century has become a widespread tool of law enforcement to combat illegal activity, ranging from drug smuggling, illegal dumping, animal cruelty, and illegal border crossings.

3 Min

Field Notes

Airboats: Remote Access Watercraft

Airboats—known also colloquially as swamp boats or bayou boats—are a relatively straightforward design for a watercraft, yet have been employed for a wide variety of transportation uses on rivers, marshlands, and other shallow water areas worldwide. Said design is based on a flat-bottom hull, most commonly made of wood, aluminum, or fiberglass, and propelled by a propeller mounted on the stern of the vessel. Such a configuration avoids the need to have a submerged propeller on an outboard engine.

3 Min