Page "Airboat" Paragraph 16

A story in Ducks Unlimited magazine in 1987 mentioned Young and Jensen and dated the building of the first boat in 1950.

Refuge records, however, show the first boat came into use in 1943, with several photos of running air boats dated 1947.

Prior to the introduction of the airboat, refuge biologists had to either walk through shallow water and deep, sticky mud or push unpowered flat-bottom boats with long poles.

Staff had experimented with a boat called the " Mud Queen ," which had small paddle wheels on either side that pushed the boat.

They built their first airboat nicknamed " Alligator I " from a flat-bottom boat pushed along by an aircraft engine purchased for $ 99. 50.

Young reported that he called the first airboat an " air-thrust boat.

" Once word got out about the boat, Leo Young built and sold boats all over the world.