Hovercraft question

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Yellowshaker
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Hovercraft question

Post by Yellowshaker »

Guys, years back I wanted to build a hovercraft. I had found sites back then that sold them but something always came up and never got one. Does anyone know where to get one these days? Appreciate the input.
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Pak36
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Re: Hovercraft question

Post by Pak36 »

For those that prefer scale....most of the Rc hovercraft suppliers seem to have gone out of business.

http://shop.modelhovercraft.co.uk/index ... ry&path=59

still seems to exist.

Trouble with Rc hovercraft is finding somewhere to actually use them. Most don;t work well on grass as the skirt gets lifted too far from the ground for a scale model to work...so you run on concrete or water. The point of the thing is they can do both....so you want somewhere that has both together. And a gentle slope to link them.

All the ponds/boating lakes I know have a step....not a slope.
Yellowshaker
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Re: Hovercraft question

Post by Yellowshaker »

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I thought about trying to make one. Biggest problem fort me is the skirt.
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wibblywobbly
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Re: Hovercraft question

Post by wibblywobbly »

I made a large one once, but decided to spend as little money as I could as I didn't have a clue what I was doing. or whether it would work.

I bought a pack of thick expanded polystyrene insulation panels, glued a couple together, and then built a superstructure out of styrene sheets. I bought four large cheap ducted fans and made holes for them, and hot glued them in each corner. The skirt was a travesty of engineering, glue and folded ripstop nylon. Two rudders were made and mounted behind the fans, with a servo.

I installed two Nimh batteries, and two cheap esc's.

I was quite astonished that it would lift not only itself but I could stick a heavy Tiger on it and sail all the way down the lounge. Only snag, well two, was that the batteries lasted about 5 minutes, and the Tiger had to be placed dead central to stop the contraption from becoming lopsided.

Good fun though!
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tomhugill
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Re: Hovercraft question

Post by tomhugill »

Rip stop nylon and uhu por glue is what you need to make a skirt.
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tomhugill
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Re: Hovercraft question

Post by tomhugill »

Son of a gun-ner wrote:
tomhugill wrote:Rip stop nylon and uhu por glue is what you need to make a skirt.
Sorry, the thought of latex skirts must have stopped me thinking clearly. . . . :{

Tom, would wax cotton canvas work as well?
I have a feeling it might be on the heavy size and you want something as smooth and low drag as possible
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