Leisure Hovercraft
People have been racing small hovercraft and making kits at home or school for many years now, and over the last ten years, great improvements have been made to improve on safety and performance to make leisure hovercraft ownership a viable alternative to personal water craft or boating.
To race hovercraft, you need a lightweight craft; hovercraft like helicopters are weight dependent. Though lightweight craft travel fast, they lack stability and durability, so any obstacles in your path - mind that tree! - can ruin your day.
Leisure hovercraft tend to be slower but far more durable than race models - any vessel design for on-water use, has to consider safety as a main objective. Salt water corrodes, so leisure hovercraft need marine grade stainless steel parts to last and stand up to the rigours of leisure user ownership.
To race hovercraft, you need a lightweight craft; hovercraft like helicopters are weight dependent. Though lightweight craft travel fast, they lack stability and durability, so any obstacles in your path - mind that tree! - can ruin your day.
Leisure hovercraft tend to be slower but far more durable than race models - any vessel design for on-water use, has to consider safety as a main objective. Salt water corrodes, so leisure hovercraft need marine grade stainless steel parts to last and stand up to the rigours of leisure user ownership.
All I want for Christmas is a hovercraft
When first invented 50 years ago, the first hovercraft looked like a flying saucer, and was difficult to steer and costly to operate. Hovercraft are now available for personal leisure use. As an alternative to say buying a boat or small plane, you can get the best of both worlds by flying at a cruising height of 9 inches across the mud and sand at low tide to glide across the water. The Hov Pod hovercraft has sufficient power to take 3 adults, and can be configured with 2 or 4 stroke engines. The Hov Pod can be used on any flat surface, be that water, mud, sand, ice, snow, grass - it really is a true all terrain vehicle.
Hovercraft designed for marine leisure use now make private
hovercraft ownership possible. Since their invention and introduction in the 1950's, people have marvelled at the ability of hovercraft to fly over any flat surface, flitting from water to land like a carefree dragonfly. With typical top speed of 40 mph, with no wheels or brakes to worry about, hover travel is extremely comfortable, and with frictionless grace, you can glide in gracious turns, or spin the craft into a tight 360 or 720. With no tide restrictions to worry about, you can travel over the mud or sand when it suits you, with no times limits on when you have to get back to base to access the slipway just fly up the beach and step out onto dry land.
Cruising or leisure hovercraft differ from racing hovercraft in their design approach. Hovercraft are weight dependent vehicles, so whereas a racing hovercraft will reach 75 mph, designers achieve such performance by keeping the weight of the craft to an absolute minimum - alas lightweight hovercraft are not very durable. Leisure hovercraft may not win many races, but cruising at 45 mph is plenty of fun - and leisure hovercraft should last for many years. The Hov Pod hovercraft hull is manufactured from HDPE - this material is extremely strong, yet very lightweight and offers excellent buoyancy.
Hovercraft designed for marine leisure use now make private
hovercraft ownership possible. Since their invention and introduction in the 1950's, people have marvelled at the ability of hovercraft to fly over any flat surface, flitting from water to land like a carefree dragonfly. With typical top speed of 40 mph, with no wheels or brakes to worry about, hover travel is extremely comfortable, and with frictionless grace, you can glide in gracious turns, or spin the craft into a tight 360 or 720. With no tide restrictions to worry about, you can travel over the mud or sand when it suits you, with no times limits on when you have to get back to base to access the slipway just fly up the beach and step out onto dry land.
