Nitro air-boat rc

3D Printed Nitro Airboat — Fun, Loud, Questionable, and Somehow Functional

This boat was designed from scratch by me with one very reasonable goal: make a fast 3D printed boat powered by a nitro engine.

Naturally, reality had other plans.

The original version was built around an OS .61 nitro engine, mounted as an airboat setup, so the engine pushes air instead of driving a propeller in the water. It works, it makes noise, it looks ridiculous in the best possible way, and it is a genuinely fun project. Is it extremely fast? No. Is it perfectly optimized? Also no. Is it a good idea? That depends entirely on your definition of “good.”

I made a full YouTube video showing the build process, the painting, the testing, and the beautiful moment where optimism met physics.

YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c26_-3BvKA

Important Warning Before You Print This

Please do not just download the files, hit print, and hope the 3D printing gods take care of the rest.

This is an experimental project. I am sharing the Fusion 360 file so you can inspect the design, modify it, understand the structure, and adapt it to your own setup. Some parts may need changes depending on your motor, electronics, hardware, print settings, and general tolerance for chaos.

It does work, but it is not a polished consumer product. Think of it more like a loud floating prototype with commitment issues.

Print it only if you know what you are doing, or if you are willing to learn before turning several kilograms of filament into a bathtub decoration.

What You’ll Need

You will need the usual RC hardware:

Servo or servos, depending on your setup
RC receiver
Batteries
Nitro engine, or an electric motor if you want to adapt the design
Aluminum tubes
A lot of filament
Paint, lacquer, or another sealing method
Patience
A sense of humor
Possibly forgiveness from your neighbors

The aluminum tube diameter I used is around 1.6, but the Fusion 360 file includes different options and the design can be modified depending on what you have available.

Printing Recommendations

You can print this in PLA. Yes, PLA. Before anyone faints, the important part is sealing it properly.

The boat needs to be painted or coated to make it water-resistant. A few coats of paint, lacquer, or a similar finish should work well. I recommend at least two or three coats.

Suggested print settings:

Use variable layer height if possible, because otherwise this thing may take approximately one geological era to print
Low infill, around 5%, should be fine for many parts
Use at least 2 or 3 walls
I printed mine with 2 walls to save weight, but honestly, more strength is probably worth it
Do not obsess too much over weight; durability matters more here

Again, check the files carefully before printing. Some parts are large, some parts may need adjustments, and some decisions were made under the influence of enthusiasm.

Files and Future Versions

I will also leave a GitHub link here because the idea is to keep improving the project and uploading future versions.

GitHub: bultodepapas/Airboat-3dprinted

The next version should have an internal motor setup and will hopefully be much more 3D-printing-friendly. This first version is more of a proof of concept, an experiment, and a mildly dramatic warning label disguised as a boat.

Final Notes

If you have a nitro engine lying around and want to build something loud, weird, and entertaining, this might be for you.

If you are expecting a perfectly optimized, super fast, beginner-proof racing boat, this is not that. Not yet.

If you need another file format, a specific part, or have questions about the design, feel free to ask. I’ll gladly help or send the file in the format you need.

Just please, for the love of filament, open the Fusion 360 file before printing everything blindly.

Design by bultodepapas on MakerWorld (license: BY-SA).