Hovercraft Experiment

[kach22i]

What's the most expensive thing you have messed with and almost totally destroyed - besides your Porsche?

What's the most expensive experiment you have funded yourself?

My hovercraft was worth somewhere between $2,500 and $5,000. I had a mishap with it, took it's value down to "not operable", not a good thing.

I've been rebuilding it, and like the Bionic Man it will be better than before - I hope.

Last nights test inflation went pretty well (see photo).

I've lived with a finger skirt for 15 years, converting it to an experimental bag skirt of my own design- hope this works out. What was I thinking?

I'm taking it off the milk crates tonight, replacing the clothes pins with proper clips, sealing down the hatches and doing a test hover.

Wish me luck.

The old days, when things were newer and worked right.

[Jamie79SC]

In all my years, I've NEVER wrecked a hovercraft...

[masraum]

Very cool, when do I get a ride!?!

[Neilk]

So tell us what happened to make it inoperable.

[masraum]

reminds me of the last James Bond film.

[RickM]

What happened to the original skirt?

[kach22i]

1. I've never wrecked the hovercraft, some things just got in my way though.

2. Long story on what made it inoperable, one lower side kind of came off. Had hit rock sticking up out of the water (about six inches), hard to see rocks that size going 40 mph down a river with constant spray in your face. Years later the full affects became known to me a a rude way.

3. National hovercraft rally in the south of Ohio next weekend (fathers day). Show up many people give rides for free or for fund raising. If you are in Michigan send me a PM and we will hook up.

4. James Bond rode/flew a similar model to mine - an updated version with dedicated lift fan - built from the same old molds.

5. The original skirts are not in bad shape, only about 80 hours on them (mostly water).

6. My goal for the new skirt design was to avoid rocks and obsticals, and have a more stable cruising craft. The former finger skirt was more for racing and I just got bored with it.

7. The craft was tested tonight - worked great. Both my wife an I tried it - jumps up on it's cushion like never before, very exciting - brought smiles to our face. We did not fly it, just powered up while on the trailer - fun and promising just the same. I'll post pictures soon.

8. I have to get trailer plates, and install an exhaust guard before I can get down to and operate at the hoverally - been three years since I flew it. Long wait, lots of work too, but its fun.

[kach22i]

Here are the photos, blurry and small they are my record of history being made.



The official hover height for a stock Scat II is 6 inches. My experience with river rocks tells me its more like 3 inches. Things like ski/skid rails on the bottom take an inch out of the height, that's what a rock ripped off which lead to eventual hull failure.

My new hover height should be 12 inches, I guessing my top speed will be lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph because of increased frontal area and drag.

With the higher cushion height on such a small craft, lowering the operating speed is a good thing, would not want to flip over in a gust.

I won't be racing anymore, it's a crusier now.

[kach22i]

UPDATE:

I spent most of father's day weekend working on my hovercraft at the hoverally. The rear/stern skirt was not resolved when I left home and became a problem, even a bigger problem was the 100 degree weather which opened up all of my seams.

I had the hovercraft out on the water twice for short sprints, taxi tested some more on the land. The experiment is still in progress, not quite working as well as I hoped. I'm not giving up, having too much fun.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by procon
Should you change your mind on the Hypalon, a good friend recently became the sole distributor for NRS IN the Southeast.
Saw him a couple of weekends ago & can get you all the fix-ins for a good discount.

Thanks, I am just becoming interested in obtaing a permanent skirt material.

I've not taken off the old skirt yet because I'm still
perfecting it. However I estimate off the top of my
head that the 36" wide roll I've been using ate up 60
feet of material. If we were to use a more standard
60" wide roll of fabric (which I plan on using) it would drop down to 40 feet of material. I'm sure that I can get you a more accurate quantity requirement in the next month or
two.

Looking around hovercraft manufactures websites $11 a yard (18 oz vinyl coated nylon) x 13 yards = $143. Somehow I prepared myself to spend $400 to $500, nothing wrong with spending less that's for sure. There is another hovercraft source that uses 18 oz polyester, more colors avaliable (even purple) - don't have his prices yet but been told its more than the blue/black $11 stuff.

I'm researching the possiblity of using Hypalon coated fabric, have not found any hovercraft/SES (surface effect ships), ACV's /(Air Cushion Vehicles) which use it. I don't know what happens when you use something too heavy. I do know what happens when you use something too light - not good.


Hypalon Repair:
http://www.nrsweb.com/repair/hypalon_repair.asp


NRS!!!!

Thats one of my booksmarks........the one I was going to contact soon, Moscow, ID, right?

Procon, LubeMaster77............and others, if there is any performance data comparing hypalon to vinly coated nylon and polyester when applied to hovercraft (or other water craft) please e-mail to me at gkachadoorian@yahoo.com. I don't need a long "white paper" a simple chart if avaliable will do.

Cheers, George/kach22i.

Note: I have partial reports of 35 year old US Navy data which talks about the resonate frequency of "finger skirts", interesting stuff but I'm not an engineer.

I might just lay a wear patch along the bottom like these guys do:

http://www.pacifier.com/~hover/hover.html

The skirt is a "bag" and "drape" design, invented by engineer Barry Palmer. This design prevents snagging and keeps spray to a minimum. WCHi reinforces the running surface of these skirts, making the system the first slash, tear, and wear resistant skirt on the market. These skirts eliminate maintainence on a daily or weekly basis. Some year end patching may be required in high wear envrionments.