What your airboat is worth, priced from real listings
Updated September 28, 2026. Comparables from the Patriot lot in Vidor, Texas.
Your airboat is worth what boats like it are selling for right now, adjusted for engine hours, engine history, hull and poly condition, the drive and prop, and whether the trailer goes with it. No blue book covers most airboats, so airboat value comes from comparable boats. On Patriot’s lot in September 2026, 17- to 20-foot airboats were listed from $38,000 to $125,000.
The worksheet below turns your comparables into a range. Patriot’s free evaluation turns that range into a number, in writing.
How do you work out what your airboat is worth?
Find three to five boats that match yours on hull size, engine class and age, then adjust for the differences. Match the hull first, since an 18×8 and a 20×8 sell to different buyers. Then match the engine, because a fuel-injected marine V8 and an old carbureted big block price like different boats.
- Write down your spec: year, builder, hull length and beam, engine, hours, drive, prop, poly, options and trailer.
- Pull asking prices for comparable boats. Patriot’s used lot and sold board are a starting set, and so are recent classified ads.
- Adjust for what differs: hours, engine rebuilds, bottom wear, trailer.
- Remember that asking prices are not sale prices.
- Get Patriot’s free written evaluation to turn the range into a number.
Add prices
Asking prices, not sale prices. The big number is the median after your adjustment.
Send it to PatriotThe worksheet needs JavaScript. Without it: list your comparable asking prices, take the middle one, and adjust it for your boat’s hours and condition.
Is there a blue book for airboats?
No blue book covers most airboats. J.D. Power’s boat guide, formerly NADA Guides, carries pages for a few production airboat makes and model years, but most airboats are custom builds with engines, drives and rigging that no guide tracks. Owners on airboat forums have said the same for years: there is no Kelley or NADA number to look up.
That is why airboat value comes from comparable listings and an evaluation by someone who builds and sells them. Patriot carries the largest used airboat inventory in the USA and sold 20 used boats in August 2026, so its lot is a live set of comparables.
| Hull on Patriot’s lot | Boats | Listed range, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 20×8 | 8 | $44,000 to $125,000 |
| 20×9 | 1 | $89,999 |
| 18×8 | 7 | $38,000 to $110,000 |
| 17×8 | 1 | $79,995 |
Available and recently sold boats on Patriot’s lot. Sold boats show the listing price, not the final sale price. See the current boats on used airboats for sale.
What moves airboat value?
The engine moves airboat value more than the model year does. On Patriot’s lot, a 2008 Diamondback with an engine new in 2023 was listed at $79,999, while a 2002 Diamondback 20×8 was listed at $44,000. Hull condition, the drive, the prop and the trailer come next.
| Factor | What a buyer checks |
|---|---|
| Engine type | Modern fuel-injected marine V8, older big block, or aircraft engine |
| Engine hours and history | Hours on the meter, rebuild dates, service records |
| Hull and poly | Welds, bottom wear, loose rivets or fasteners |
| Drive and prop | Gearbox or belt condition; prop blades for nicks and cracks |
| Rigging and cage | Stainless hardware, seat stands, cage and engine mounts |
| Trailer | Included or not, and road-ready |
| Paperwork | Titles for boat, motor and trailer where each applies |
Replacement parts set the stakes. In September 2026 a new Stinger Superwide gearbox was listed at $4,000 and a complete carbon-fiber airboat prop at $2,350 to $3,840, so a worn drive or a cracked prop comes straight off the value.
One thing that does not move Patriot’s number: an aircraft engine. Patriot confirms that an aircraft engine by itself does not raise or lower its offer; condition and hours do. Patriot also repowers airboats of any make on the engines it installs.
How many hours is a lot on an airboat engine?
No published figure sets a lifespan for airboat engines, so hours only mean something next to service records and a compression or leak-down test. What the lot shows is how much hours cost: two 2024 Patriot 20x8s with the same engine package were listed $20,000 apart, $120,000 at 30 hours and $100,000 at 450 hours.
What does a leak-down test tell you?
A leak-down test pressurizes each cylinder and measures how much air escapes. Air heard at the exhaust or intake points to valves; air in the crankcase points to rings. Airboat forum buyers have long advised a leak-down test on any used motor before money changes hands, and a clean result backs up the hours on the meter.
Should you trade in, consign or take a cash offer?
Consign when you want the most for the boat and can wait; trade in when you are buying your next one; take a cash offer when you want it done. Consignment is what Patriot does most. Consigned boats average one to three months, and clean hulls with popular engine packages have sold the week they listed.
| Route | How it works at Patriot | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Consignment | You keep ownership. Patriot inspects, photographs and lists the boat, handles buyers and paperwork, and water tests it first. | One to three months on average; no timeline is guaranteed |
| Trade-in | The agreed value goes toward a new Patriot build or a used boat on the lot, in one transaction. | Same day as the purchase |
| Cash offer | For clean, running boats that fit Patriot’s inventory. Send year, hull size, engine package, hours and photos. | As fast as the paperwork |
| Private sale | You field the calls, the test runs and the paperwork yourself. | Depends on you |
What is my airboat worth on trade-in?
A trade-in value is agreed against the boat you are buying, so get it in writing before you sign. In Texas the trade helps twice: boat sales tax is figured on the price minus your trade-in allowance, per the Texas Comptroller. Put the value toward a new Patriot build or a boat already on the lot, or start with selling or consigning your airboat.
Do you need an airboat appraisal for financing?
Buyers financing a used airboat often need a documented value, because no guide lists most airboats. Patriot’s free evaluation is written, so you have a value on paper. Ask your lender or insurer ahead of time what form of valuation they accept, since some may ask for a marine surveyor’s report.
Buying from Patriot’s lot takes this off your plate: Patriot offers financing on its boats, and a $5,000 deposit holds a boat while the paperwork moves.
What is a used Patriot airboat worth?
Six Patriot-built airboats from the 2023 to 2025 model years were listed at $100,000 to $125,000 on Patriot’s lot in September 2026. New Patriot builds run about $80,000 to $160,000 or more, depending on hull, engine and rigging. Engine hours set most of the gap between used Patriots of the same year.
Timing matters too. Google Trends data for Texas shows searches for airboats for sale peak in September, and Patriot’s buyers include agencies, work crews, tour operators and hunters who call the day a boat lists.
Airboat value FAQ
Is an appraisal necessary to know what my airboat is worth?
Not always. Comparable listings give you a working range, and the worksheet on this page turns them into a median. A written evaluation matters when you sell, trade, finance or insure the boat, because it puts one number on paper. Patriot’s evaluation is free and comes in writing.
Is there a book that tells me the value of my boat?
For most boats, J.D. Power’s boat guide, formerly NADA Guides, is the standard. It lists only a few airboat makes and model years, and custom airboats are not in it at all. For those, value comes from comparable listings of the same hull size, engine class and age, plus an evaluation.
Does an aircraft engine change what Patriot will offer?
No. Patriot confirms that an aircraft engine by itself does not raise or lower its offer on a used airboat. The engine’s condition, hours and records are what count, the same as for an automotive V8. Patriot also repowers airboats of any make if you would rather switch engines before selling.
How long does it take to sell an airboat through Patriot?
Consigned airboats average one to three months at Patriot, and clean hulls with popular engine packages have sold the same week they listed. No timeline is guaranteed, because price, condition and season decide it. Patriot sold 20 used airboats in August 2026.
Does Patriot take airboats from other builders?
Yes. Patriot buys, trades for and consigns Diamondback, AirRanger, Panther and other makes, not just Patriot hulls. Every consigned or traded boat is inspected and water tested before it lists. Bring the titles for the boat, motor and trailer where each applies.
Get your airboat’s value in writing
Send the year, hull size, engine package, hours and a few photos. Patriot will tell you what the boat is worth and which route gets you the most for it. 810 Edgewood St, Vidor, Texas, ten minutes off I-10 east of Beaumont.