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Hovercraft Buyers Guide
We hear many sad stories from people who have purchased hovercraft from
other suppliers, only to discover the hard way, what works well, and what
doesn’t. We have created this simple guide to advise customers what to
consider because, cheaper craft are often sold at greater cost!
Small hovercraft can be classified as race craft, kit-build or leisure.
- Race craft focus on speed
- Self-build focus on low cost
- Leisure craft focus on safety and reliability
Buyers should consider: Cost versus Performance, Safety and
Reliability.
Race Craft:
For Race craft, speed is the key objective, so weight is reduced wherever
possible. For example, to reduce weight, craft have very thin GRP, so safety
can be compromised. Race craft are often designed for land rather than use
on sea. Thin GRP is needed for racing but not in leisure use as any impact
causes expensive damage. Safety features such as the fan cage may restrict
airflow, so safety is often compromised by speed. So the Hov Pod is designed
for safety rather than speed.
Self-build
Self-build folk favour the low cost approach; this often can affect quality,
safety and performance. People spend considerable hours building hovercraft,
(200 to 400 hours) only to experience major disappointment on the first
outing. The Hov Pod has taken years of development to eliminate the pitfalls
associated with hovercraft design and manufacture. That said, some people
love a challenge, and are happy to spend hundreds of hours creating their
own craft. But at what cost? Too much work and not enough play can make Jack
a dull boy!
Leisure Hovercraft
The third type of craft appeals to people who just want to have fun. Leisure
hovercraft demand safety, reliability, and ease of use. The Hov Pod may not
be the fastest craft in town, but we do like our customers to have fun in
safety. We don’t scrimp on quality either. Check out the build quality and
many benefits such as stainless steel fittings to combat salt-water use, or
the high spec electrical components, for trouble free operation. Not all
leisure craft are the same. Some manufacturers sell new hovercraft with
second-hand engines, purchased from a local salvage yard. Or craft that dig
the nose into water and stop suddenly with dire consequences. Craft that do
not contain enough buoyancy and sink! Craft that don’t restart on water (a
paddle could be useful) One-piece skirts that cost megabucks to repair.
Hulls that crack and let in water, craft you can’t steer without throwing
your weight violently into the corners!
Engine type
The Hov Pod uses highly reliable high power-to-weight Rotax engines proven
by many years use in the snowmobile and microlight industries. They are
located under a uniquely designed engine cover system that offers excellent
protection from the elements yet is very quick and easy to remove (approx 15
seconds). The Hov Pod engines have been put through their paces for hundreds
of hours in very harsh marine conditions in climates such as Africa, The
Caribbean, and the Middle East. The engines are fitted with Rotax intake
silencer and exhaust mufflers to give excellent noise reduction. When
choosing an engine we picked the Rotax engine for its great pedigree and
power-to-weight performance but also because the only other options were
‘used’ automobile engines or small commercial engines that need to be
re-tuned and upgraded to generate sufficient power and therefore are prone
to long term failure and overstressing of components.
One engine or two?
Many hovercraft use two engines, one for thrust, one for lift. Hov Pods have
only one engine for lift and thrust; reason being that it is easier and far
safer to coordinate one set of controls, easier to service one engine, plus
you get less noise from one engine. Thrust engines are often placed in front
of the driver - yuck! All those fumes and noise coming at you, and the first
wave that hits you may swamp the engine, causing lift failure. We
deliberately designed the Hov Pod without a gearbox assembly, this allows us
to site the engine much lower in the craft, providing lower centre of
gravity, reducing the tendency to roll (we have even seen other craft
literally roll over in a simple low speed turn), and providing much greater
ease of control. We also place the engine low down to ensure no airflow
disturbance to the fan; clear airflow results in greater efficiency. Of
course we only use new engines, whereas many new hovercraft have been sold
with reconditioned engines.
Stopping on land.
Hovercraft should be considered as land-based vehicles as well as
water-based; stopping on a small rock shouldn’t cause the floor to crack,
since cracks let-in water. Most hovercraft have a single skin or thin and
weak double skin floor, whereas the Hov Pod has a thick double skin floor,
between which runs a stiff marine grade buoyancy layer for greater safety
and strength. We add Kevlar (as used in bullet proof applications) and
aluminium runners and impact sheets to protect the craft from the inevitable
knocks that occasionally occur.
Stopping on water?
During demonstrations, a number of customers have panicked when we stop the
Hov Pod on water, because other manufacturers have told them to avoid doing
this! Many hovercraft have a problem with starting on water, and you will
sometimes hear the expression "getting over the hump", that describes the
problem in getting back up onto the cushion of air to start moving again.
The Hov Pod is designed to lift a payload of 250 kilos (HP52) or 310 Kilos
(HP65) on water starts. Other craft also have a very severe tendency to spin
and throw occupants when stopped quickly on water; the Hov Pod has been
designed to quickly yet safely and smoothly stop in a controlled straight
line.
Buoyancy.
Many hovercraft have poor buoyancy characteristics and can actually sink if
swamped, whereas the Hov Pod has full buoyancy sandwiched between a rigid,
double skin floor. Not only will the Hov Pod stop quite happily on water but
it has also been independently tested for flooded buoyancy approval. Buying
a professional designed and manufactured craft helps to overcome regulatory
restrictions, where they apply.
Skirts!
Occasionally, hovercraft skirts may get damaged so you need to know how to
replace a skirt, and how difficult the job will be. The Hov Pod has 65
different segments, (for damage limitation) so rather than having to replace
the whole skirt if damaged, at great cost, you just replace the damaged
segment. Naturally you will wish to go exploring with your hovercraft, but
need to get home safely, so having a few spare skirt segments handy is a
good idea, only takes a minute to change each segment; far easier than
trying to recover a hovercraft with a damaged one-piece skirt. Hov Pods use
a Hypalon/Nylon material (as used on all RIB’s) for excellent wear, UV and
salt-water protection. The Hov pod in tests has operated with up to 25% of
the skirts missing. The careful design of the skirts also means that in
normal use the Hov Pod generates virtually no spray and the drive and
passenger can stay virtually dry.
Withstand accidents
Hov Pods are designed to withstand accidents when they occur, protected by
an aluminium plus rubber bumper strip to minimise damage to the craft.
Vehicles not fitted with bumper bars suffer far greater damage during
impact, reason why autos have them fitted as standard. Very few hovercraft
have such protection, despite the fact that cracked GRP damage can be
difficult and quite costly to repair. We also fit aluminium and Kevlar
impact sheets, and aluminium runners on the underside of the Hov Pod for
durability whilst coming to rest on firm ground. The design approach to
incorporate a thick and rigid double skin hull and extensive impact
protection is important because we have seen other craft where the hull has
literally fallen apart after hitting a wave.
"Ploughing in"
is a term to describe a problem where a hovercraft suddenly stops, due to
the nose of the craft dipping into water - as anyone knows, sudden stopping
or deceleration will cause passengers and driver to part company with a
vehicle, so we have designed the Hov Pod to overcome this problem. The Hov
Pod has never ploughed in, though we continue to hear of incidents where
other hovercraft have suffered this problem, sometimes with quite serious
consequences.
Transporting the Hov Pod.
The Hov Pod can be supplied with a fully galvanised custom designed trailer
made by an approved trailer manufacturer. For safety this trailer is
designed for single person operation. Many cheaper trailers are available
but require either two three or four people to back breakingly lift the
craft off and on the trailer. The Hov Pod trailer utilises 4 rubber coated
rollers (to protect the hull and stop that annoying banging when trailering)
and a simple winch mechanism to gently unload or reload the Hov Pod in about
a minute.
Good safety design
is no accident; extensive development has gone into designing the Hov Pod.
Safety is a very important aspect of design for the leisure market, and our
designers have considered many factors not found on other craft. For
example, we fit a front and rear guard to the fan assembly - who in their
right mind wouldn’t? (Actually, the majority of hovercraft manufacturers
don’t) Consider sealed batteries and ventilated fuel tanks for example. Or
ease of use, the Hov Pod only needs fingertip control, no need to shift your
weight to turn corners! Again the Hov Pod has gone through a full
governmental certification.
Other considerations:
Check craft quality, is the craft constructed of GRP, has GRP chop strand
mat been used or as in the construction of the Hov Pod, quadraxial mat? A
whack with a mallet shouldn’t offend. GRP when new nearly always looks great
but if not made by experts in a controlled environment it will soon suffer
from many hidden problems. Ask to see an older model to check the quality of
the GRP, which can crack and delaminate after 6 months. An immaculate
looking craft on day one can, after 6 months, can look very forlorn. GRP
repairs are costly. Does the craft have a really solid bumper protection
system? Can you give the impact areas on the side and bottom of the craft
good hard whacks with a mallet? Can you sit on the side quite happily
without breaking it?
Ease of use:
On Water - can the craft be used in the conditions you intend to use? On
water, sit on the side, climb in, climb out, will it topple over? Does it
plough in? Will it float? What weight can it lift in on water-starts? Has
any government provided safety certification? Do an emergency stop; can you
keep control? Does the craft travel in a straight line? Do you have to throw
your weight when cornering? Many craft will not turn unless you move your
weight to the side of the craft? Is driving instinctive to use, with
handlebars and throttle, or are complex joysticks and elevator controls
needed to use the craft?
Design and Product quality
We have deliberately focused on product quality, and to understand our
marketing approach, you should read the Design Philosophy Document.
Stretching the dollar, pound or euro is important for everyone, but so too
is value for money, no one wants to spend thousands on a vehicle that is
unsafe or difficult to repair.
Hov Pods are extremely easy to drive, similar to a motorcycle, and fantastic
fun. In demonstrations, we can usually hand over the controls to a person
after 15 minutes tuition. Hov Pods were specifically designed for marine
leisure and commercial use, and have many features that you will not find on
other hovercraft. Hov Pods are designed to be easy to use, easy to service,
safe to operate, reliable, durable and fun. We hope you will soon arrange a
demo so that we can show you the superior features of the Hov Pod so that
you can see for yourself, why it remains probably the best leisure
hovercraft available anywhere in the world today.
Find out more about Hov Pod PRC Hovercraft
Need a demo?
Contact
Hov Pod now for addition informations
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