Patriot Airboats / Vidor, Texas
Custom Patriots for duck leases, gator lines, hog nights, bowfishing tournaments and the fish nobody else can reach.
Crosses open marsh, flooded grass and mud flats before shooting light, with room for the party, the dog and the decoys. Hunt private leases and open marsh: many refuges and WMAs limit airboats.
Night runs, a heavy animal and a deck that has to stay clear. Rigged with lights that reach the bank and rails to work against.
Hogs and nutria tear up marsh, levees and rice ground. A Patriot runs the water, mud and grass between them, day or night. Check your state's rules on hunting from a boat.
Patriot builds the whole rig: shooting deck, rails, light bars and the generator to run them. A Patriot crew won the 2026 Arkie World Bowfishing Tournament.
Backwater, flats and marsh that hold fish and stop other boats. Room to cast and move, storage for coolers and tackle. Charter captains run them too.
Airboats run open water, slush and ice. Nothing special gets added: the Patriot that hunts your marsh in the fall runs the ice in the winter.
Duck season is short. A Patriot rigged for the blind also runs gator lines, bowfishing nights, hog hunts and fishing trips, so it earns its keep all year.
Typical Texas and Louisiana seasons, with ice fishing up north. Dates change every year and by state, so check with your state's wildlife agency.
Once your turn in line has come, it takes 17 days to build an airboat.Lay it out in the 3D builderAirboat enginesWarranty
3D airboat builder
Pick the paint, seats, engine and prop, then drive your boat through the marsh. Run a duck hunt with a dog that brings the birds back, bowfish at night or race other captains online. When it looks right, send the build to the shop.
July 2026 / Bowfishing
Chad, Ben, Blake and Deuce ran their Patriot across the shallows and brought in enough fish to win the 2026 Arkie World Bowfishing Tournament.
Read the storyThe welds are tight and perfect. You can tell a lot of hard work went into it.
Capt. Ruben Garza Jr. Fishing charters
Fantastic craftsmanship and attention to detail. The boat truly feels like you are getting the absolute best in the game.
Nathan Trahan Patriot owner
Patriot Airboats are in a league of their own. The quality in every aspect is unmatched.
Peyton Starr Ordered a second Patriot
Patriot builds hunting and fishing airboats from 16 to 26 feet. A shorter hull is lighter and easier in skinny water and tight marsh. A longer one carries a bigger party, a dog and more gear. Tell the shop how many people you run and what you haul.
Airboat sizes explainedA new custom Patriot runs about $80,000 to $160,000 and up. The layout drives the price: a bowfishing deck, a light rail and seating for a big party each add to the quote. Used Patriots on the lot cost less.
Read the price guideMost airboat hunting in Texas and Louisiana happens on private leases and open marsh. Many national wildlife refuges and state wildlife management areas limit or ban airboats, so check the rules for the water you plan to hunt.
It depends on the water. A mud boat pushes through shallow mud and flooded timber and costs less. An airboat runs on top of open water, flooded grass, mud flats, ice and dry ground, with nothing under the hull to snag, and covers more ground in open marsh. Patriot builds airboats only.
Yes. Patriot builds the whole rig: the raised shooting deck and rails, LED light bars, the generator mount and fish boxes. A Patriot crew won the 2026 Arkie World Bowfishing Tournament.
See bowfishing buildsYes. A Patriot gets hunters across the marsh, mud and grass where hogs and nutria do their damage, with raised seating and light bars for night hunts. Check your state's rules on hunting from a boat first.
Yes. Airboats run on open water, slush and ice, and nothing special gets added for ice. The Patriot you run in the marsh in the fall runs the ice in the winter.
Once your turn in line has come, it takes 17 days to build an airboat. Every boat then gets a check sheet and a water test under load before it leaves the shop.
Yes. New Patriot owners get a discount on operator training, typically 20 percent. Courses run 2 to 5 days at the Vidor shop or on your own water.
Airboat trainingStill deciding? Call the shop at 409-422-0006, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm Central.
01
02
03
New custom Patriots run about $80,000 to $160,000 and up, depending on the hull and how it's rigged. Used Patriots on the lot cost less.
3D airboat builderUsed airboats for salePhoto galleryMedia coverage
