Hovercraft

[oceanblue123]

But not the one mentioning accidents? I was not rude.
I want to be able to ask questions without veiled threats or assumptions being made, I am a novice to sailing, that does not give reason for assumption. I don't laugh at people who have never practiced martial arts, lots come and waste lessons and they can't do the basics or people who can not cook well and struggle with rice.


Nevillecat, I am not sure what they are for, from what I read they are just for lake crossings, they look like a wave would take them out very easily. They don't fly high enough to avoid trees or high waves.

[NevilleCat]

No.
Small trees and small waves.
Similar to any small hovercraft.

except for the small trees part.

[Dymaxion]

To get an excellent idea of how well intentioned hovercrafting can go bad, search for the Brit car show Top Gear episode called something like Hovervan, episode 4. They travel a river/canal system in Stratford-on-Avon. Side-splittingly funny.

I know someone with a small 2 seater open hovercraft, bought to access his island cottage due to a seasonal ferry and winter ice. Noise was deafening, he was soaked by the spray blast in the water, then coated thickly with beach sand and grit. It's been rotting on it's trailer for the past 10 years....

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by oceanblue123

MartinR, can I ask why airboats are not used more? Why do companies not make them with a v hull and very long? Would be quite fast surely? I do understand the concept that on airboats the hull is flat but couldn't long and sleek could work too?

Airboats, like hovercraft are a niche vehicle.
By making an airboat with a long narrow deep V hull, you’ve just removed its ability to operate in shallow vegetation filled waters.

Not to mention that the use of an air propellor to drive a water craft is extremely inefficient.

[AKA-None]

What an interesting conversation

[BenBowSirocco]

Im very surprised. You come to am international cruising forum looking for weekend warrior power boating advice asking questions about: hovercraft... And then are surprised and offended that your getting some mild teasing.

But then, perhaps more miraculously, cruising forum comes through as always and has first hand experience and practical advice. This place is awesome.

Hello Jon Doe Marina.
-Hi, Im wondering if I can rent a slip.
Sure we have some available. What size boat do you have?
-8 meters.
Sail or Power?
Its a hovercraft.

**Please do this, it would make their year.


You belong here:
https://www.hoverclubofamerica.org/

[oceanblue123]

Dymaxion, I just watched it, looks fun.

Can I ask, did your friend not use it just because he didn't like the spray etc? I would still consider one as a tender, rather than a dinghy if I had the space on a boat, that might be still a bad idea, I would mean a small racing one too as I would not get a very big boat. I assume using one as a tender would be fine?

Before I were to get one I would have a go by renting one at a track.

Sailmonkey, ok I assumed that was the case. Shame I suppose.

BenBoSirocco I really had no idea though, I just knew that hovercraft were used as transport here in England so I assumed they were indeed oceangoing.
I did not take it as teasing but I have had many people make assumptions about me, anyways I do very much appreciate advice and help, thanks to those giving me advice.

I think I will go with a boat, I am looking at the Beneteau First boats and possibly a power boat depending on what I can get fora good price and that will be reliable.
Looking at Catamarans too but I am still researching as I want to get the best boat for novice.

I don't get it though, I know someone who told me that he knew a guy who lived in a hovercraft in England so there is at least one person that has done it and possibly continues to do so.

I had a look at that club, they have a lot of photos and one with a hovervan too, some of the ones shown are nice, I am not near them though.

[BenBowSirocco]

The first thing to do is the USCG sailing and safety courses. There are three or something.

Next join a local sailing club for at least one year. If you don’t use the clubs free boats at least once a month, you may consider the fact that boating doesn’t fit well into your current lifestyle.

There a millions of excellent and expensive boats rotting away in marinas, some used twice a year, some not even once. An unused boat that sits most of the year, will not be reliable when you do finally use it, which is dangerous for everyone.

It is my opinion that there is excellent value in smaller trailer sailor boats as a first boat. To own a boat happily you must enjoy maintaining it or have resources enough to choose to pay someone else to maintain it as part of its ownership.

Trailer sailors if maintained properly teach good habits. The forward thinking and planning required to have everything you need, the setting up and inspection at the ramp, the proper washing/rinsing, cleaning and unpacking at the end of the day are all habits of successful boaters.

[oceanblue123]

I will most likely do some sailing courses at some point, buying a boat is not something I will do soon as I am also working but I would do courses for sure as I would otherwise be too scared that I would damage it etc and I would want instruction on use of the nav equipment.

I would most likely not use it once a year, I would have motivation to use it more, especially how expensive they are, would not be something I would want to waste.

Maintenance does not seem very expensive if I coat it myself and do the teak deck, is this the case?

Why are people spending money for teak decks? If I go to ebay I can get teak planks that I could cut down to size yet I read that it costs 20,000 for someone to do it for me. That just seems weird.

The thing is I don't own a trailer or a 4x4 or similar to tow it, I doubt I would mind the maintenance but the Beneteaus, some of them had MDF which is a concern and I would be tempted to give it a coating.

[Tillsbury]

Yes, you can buy teak planks, mill them down, and install them. I’ve done it (in small areas). The prices of 20,000 (which is cheap) will become obvious when you find out how long it takes to do properly, multiplied by a sensible labour rate.

[oceanblue123]

Can I ask how difficult it was for you and if you work on wood by trade? Did you use carbide tools as I read that is what is needed? I feel confident to do it though the I would not want to spend lots of planks and find it too difficult.

I am leaning to a used catamaran as they for some reason don't have wood but I like the less chance of capsizing of a monohull and the monohulls are cheaper than catamarans.

[Tillsbury]

Not difficult at all. I used a table saw to cut the plank into three strips 41mm thick, then a planer to run them down to an exact 40mm and smooth. Same thing in the opposite plane (in this instance to get three strips from each section). Then a router with guide set to take a 2mm notch out of each side, leaving about 1mm of wood behind. This left me with planks 36mm wide plus a 2mm spacer each side, and I ended up with nine lengths for each one plank of teak originally purchased. Dry fitted each part and used thickened epoxy to fix them down (after roughing up the back surface and wetting with plain epoxy on the wood and the surface). Next morning caulk with Bostik Simson caulking, and about three days later use a Stanley blade to remove the excess, sand the whole area down to 180grit and apply Semco sealer. You can’t see the difference between the new area and the existing 15-year-old teak, which surprised me a little but made me very happy.

I didn’t use carbide blades, just the tools I have in the garage for general diy.

Total cost about US$100 per square metre — obviously most of this is the teak, choosing good quality quarter grain planks.

[AndyEss]

Teak decks on a hovercraft would deaden the sound

[skenn_ie]

Originally Posted by Sailmonkey

A hovercraft isn’t a jet ski, it’s more like a helicopter. I can’t imagine any marina being pleased with that sort of vessel blasting their other tenants with wind and spray. I can’t say I’d be pleased with one sharing a finger pier with me.

As far as painting the engine.....who the hell knows. Is the engine air-cooled? Then paint is a bad idea. If it’s just some other engine, liquid cooled, then paint away.

You could use an electric outboard to get in and out of the marina ! A lot of wind, a substantial amount of spray. Park it on the hard somewhere where there aren't many people or boats.

[David M]

Borrow, charter, pay for a ride or steal one before purchasing one. Get to know what they are really like.