Regards

Hamza

"HI I am doing one of your hovercraft's and we are having trouble comming
up with finding a fiberglass resin which wont react with the foam. do you
have any sugestions??? also how do you bend the thrust duct, We have tried
numerous times and kep breaking it.
Thanks

Rich DeSimony
Niskayuna H.S
Technology dpt.
rdesimony@niskyschools.org"

I have been doing some research into hovercraft prior to building one and I came across some information that suggests that one particular problem for hovercraft operating at high speed is that the hovercraft literally flies too fast for the cushion of air supporting it. As im considering building a hovercraft with the sole aim of attempting a speed record any ideas or sugestions as to ways of preventing this will be most welcome. Any Ideas.

Has any one tried the chinese copies of the Honda 13hp engines?
They are a direct copy of the Honda but much cheaper.

I was hoping that builders of the the Discover hovercraft could publish their Hover's specifications, so everyone can see how their craft's performance stacks up. The more specs you have the better.
But even if only a few of these have been measured or known it would be good info for everyone.

Craft Dry Weight
Engine weight
Engine: Hp
Max Rpm with prop fitted
Prop Size+Pitch
Thrust Measurement: Can be measured with a Bathroom scale between front of craft and a solid object, Craft on level ground Or a pull scale could be used.
Engine speed when craft fully lifts on a smooth surface carrying say 60K -132lbs
Maximum weight craft can lift on Land
Hover Max Speed On LandI
Hover Max speed On Water
Any other info
Over to you Builders please post some figures.
Regards
Ozhover

I understand the air cushion principle for hovercraft operation, whether on land or on water. While the craft is operating over a water body, the skirt contains the air cushion in close proximity of the water surface and there seems to be no visible displacement of water. My physics studies say that one must have a resisting pressure to support this air cushion. Is it not true that this 'opposite force' that supports the air cussion from beneath comes from the flat displacement of sufficient water directly under the craft up to the edge of the skirt? Thus, though the hovercraft is not a boat, the 'ground effect' that supports the craft over water, is derived in the same manner as for boats even if the displacement is uniformly flat rather than 'hull shaped'?

I fly a paramotor and am going to build my own twin-engined hovercraft this year. I will use my 120cc Radne cart engined paramotor which provides about 45kgs of (propellored) thrust and a lawnmower engine for the lift with a ducted fan. The thrust side has powered a friend along a runway on a mountain bike at 78 mph so reckon it should be good for 20-25mph on a hovercraft! I was thinking of getting rid of the steering rudders and using a swivel seat where I would turn my whole body and the harness and paramotor together for changing direction. What do you think? Would a lawnmower (100cc) be sufficient if I drove it straight off the crank with a 16 inch, 5 bladed fan? Would stability be a problem with the direct steering method? Cheers, Steve

"I am a student who has been interested in building a hovercraft for quite some time. I just recently decided to take upon myself the task of building one as a project for my physics class gave me the opportunity to do so. I just recently received a copy of your plans through my educational instructor. I am contacting you with a few questions involving the design of a skirt. I have done much research in this specific dynamic of the hovercraft, but I have my own ideas about it. In order to expand my knowledge of these vehicles, I went to see how the design of a commercial craft was constructed. After careful analysis, I saw that the skirt was designed with several bags, each attached to a seperate air vent. More research confirmed that this skirt was simply called a bag skirt. My question has more to do with an alternate design of this, as I have my own theory concerning its design. Why couldn't a skirt that is designed more as one large bag also carry out the same function, as it would still push the air under the craft for lift. Would this not eliminate the chance for air to escape as a bag system has areas where air can freely escape outward. This skirt I am attempting to design would still attach normally as the only difference would be that these bags would be attached to one another instead of just freely touching. I've given this careful thought as I've attempted to find others with similar designs but I was unsuccessful. If you have any guidance concerning this, please inform me as it will be appreciated.

If anyone has suggestions for this student please let us know.
"Do you think a hovercraft made from a snow tube with the middle part filled with a shop vac blowing through a hole in the middle part down into the space under the tube would work? The inflated tube part would act as a skirt. How much horsepower is required to lift a 140lb person?"

For complete information about the engine required for the DiscoverHover One hovercraft, including where to find it and how to get it donated to your project by a local dealer, Click here.

This looks like a great project. I'll be working with my son (13) on his second craft. The first was the infamous 4'disk+leaf blower, which certainly had enough power to get lift off, but was limited by cord length. Now we're in pursuit of gas powered leaf blowers for a 4'x8' variant.

Will submit the form for plans, as he's too young to have a student ID. Meanwhile we'll have a go at this new project.

Cheers -- Tony