An
airboat, also known as a
fanboat, is a flat-bottomed vessel (
jon boat) propelled in a forward direction by an aircraft-type
propeller and powered by either an aircraft or automotive engine. Airboats are a very popular means of transportation in the Florida
Everglades, parts of the
Indian River Lagoon, the
Kissimmee and
St. Johns Rivers, as well as Louisiana Bayous, where they are used for fishing, bowfishing, hunting, and
ecotourism, and in other marshy and/or shallow areas where a standard inboard or outboard engine with a submerged propeller would be impractical.