Copper will solder well (though it will take some heat!). But unless you use a very light and flimsy gauge it will be very heavy.

Brass will solder well - don't know the size of prop you want - may be a bit expensive. You can bend thin sheet round a former to make any diameter shroud.

Aluminium tube should do, if you can get an off-cut the size you want. Don't play around with aluminium soldering, which is a specialist job - but small pop rivets will work perfectly...

We don't know the size you are interested in, so it's hard to advise on materials. But if your boats are static models, card or thin plastic sheet will be fine. A slice from a plastic squash bottle may fit the bill?

Thanks for the comments, Ive used the glues, they work, but dont afford much movement. Soldering is my attempt, materials seem to be aluminium, copper or brass tubes.

Hello, CPO:

I agree with Joe727. I’d use a high quality two-part epoxy for sure & maybe some sort of small fasteners, too, if there’s room for them.

When I was about eight years old my father had a real air boat named “Banshee”. She was painted bright red & was an absolute blast to ride in, although I remember being more than slightly terrified on a few occasions. Dad modified her four-cylinder airplane engine to the point that she’d easily get close to 60 knots. Dad only opened her up that much in summer in late afternoon or early evening when there wasn’t much wind. Believe me, calm air or not, at 55 to 60 knots when the boat virtually goes airborne it’s white-knuckle terrifying, especially when sitting in a “bar stool” high above the water!

Good Morning Chief Petty Officer. Glad to hear of some enquiry about air boats. I built a few of these in the mid to late 1960s and they were great fun. I powered them with engines like the Cox Babe Bee up to a Frog 150R diesel. All were free running of course and it was either a keep fit excercise to try and catch them before they hit the bank across the lake or in most cases there was always a good person ready to perform the "save"..

Due to political correctness and the environment. the I.C powered versions are consigned to history . Them days we didnt have shrouds over the airscrews.

Best method of securing a shroud is to use ZAP Z-Poxy Resin. it is durable, water resistant and can be bought from good model shops and is a two pack. One bottle contains the resin and the other the hardner. its a 50/50 mix and you can purchase a range of them with various setting times.

😎Boaty

Hello,
Airboats are not something I have real experience with, but your one comment got my attention: SuperGlue, or CA, an abbreviation, as it is commonly referred to.

It does not withstand constant exposure to water. it is not waterproof. Now there is likely to be a storm of comments against this, but this is based upon experience over 20 years.

CA is great and I do use it for some applications on my boats. However if it's below the waterline make certain to adequately sealed or properly painted over it.

This is a good rule for most glues that sit below the water, with the exception of truely waterproof glues like epoxy.

Good luck with your projects. Cheers Joe