FAN BOAT

Also called an airboat, a fan boat looks similar to a hovercraft but does not have the air cushion beneath it. Instead they will have a rigid, flat bottom hull design that is usually aluminum. Airboats are most often used in swamp and marsh areas where a propeller engine would not be practical due to shallow waters and numerous hazards that would get caught in the props. With a very shallow draft and a powerful fan engine, the fan boat is able to skin across the surface of shallow areas.