Hovercrafts

[Ian W.]

i missed that episode . is there anywhere that i can download it online, or is it supposed to air again anytime soon?

as for propellers, i've heard if you look in the right hobby shops, you can find propellers made for model airplanes. not the tiny electrical ones, but the huge gas powered ones. i've seen one site with a 24" prop from a hobby shop (i think). it's www.xinventions.com. not a bad site, some pretty cool stuff .

for skirt material, me and orie were thinking tarp type material. there is an army surplus store nearby, but i'm not sure what they have.

[MrB]

In HS my tech class built a couple of Hover Crafts. All were electric powered. We used the old ELECTROLUX vacuum cleaner motors. We mounted two motors piggy back on a plywood board that was glued (calked maybe) to an inner tube, from a HUGE tire.

It could hold 2-3 people and with a couple of extension cords you could glide down the entire hallway.

From what I’ve read in the past few years and scene while teaching I would model a hovercraft after the commercial models.

One motor in the back with a bug prop. From what I read it seems like the more blades on the prop the more air that is pushed, and the less air that can leak back through the prop, actually they are more like fan blades to a turbine engine.

As for a skirt, I agree with those that suggest using a heavy duty tarp. The ideas is to create a cushion of air beneath the vehicle, and that when the air leaks out under the skirt it does so in an even and balanced fashion. Balancing the hovercraft is critical, and building a skirt that only allows minimal air "leakage" is the main goal.

I saw a Web site a few years ago about a kid, probably 15, who built a hover craft with 2 engines. One was a leaf blower that provided lift, the other was a 5 HP Briggs and Stratton Engine attached to a 2 blade prop. HE said he could lift about 120 lbs and move at about 20 MPH.

It looked just like a junkyard war project :-)

Please make sure some Adults are around. You guys aren't building a toy, remember it is a vehicle, whether it is legal or not, it is still dangerous.

Good Luck and have fun. Just be careful, remember SAFTEY FIRST.

[Ian W.]

yeah, that kid who built the hovercraft is the one who has www.xinventions.com, and there's a bunch of pics on the site. i think we want to build something like that, only a little bigger and more powerful. we're not exactly sure though.

also, is it possible to power a shop vac with say, a car battery and a volt converter? i have a really cool idea, but it wouldn't work with extension cords.

[oreocookeee]

ive been to xinventions.com and its one of my favorite sites but they fail to explain the technical aspects of building a hovercraft. although i dont mind experimenting with different ideas, i would feel a lot more confortable knowing that my plans actually have a chance of working. and as for the junkyard wars episode, i cant remember who won, but it was pretty close untill one of the driver leaned to far to the side while turning and crashed the side of the hovercraft into the ground. since the hovercraft was fairly light, it stopped on impact bu the driver was a little less fortunate, being thrown into the mud. but one of the team's hovercraft was basicall a jet engine mounted on a foam platform. they used only on propeller that was mounted inside a stripped down turbine engine and diverted half the air to lift the craft. the idea may be similar but i am hoping that our craft will be a little more than a floating platform.

[team222badbrad]

Just simply visit www.hovercraft.com for plans

[DaBruteForceGuy]

ORIE:

i am worried about making them mmyself because if they are not perfectly symmetrical, they could cause the whole craft to vibrate and consequently fall apart.

Orie, i m afraid that anything that you build yourself will consequently FALL APART!! !!

[oreocookeee]

hey steve, being pessimistic is my job! I think i do a good enough job of criticizing my own work, so i dont need any help from you!

[Adam Y.]

come on stop worrying about a piece of plywood falling apart if the guys on tv managed to make a hovercraft that worked with a pieces of styrofoam and an gas engine and it worked

the idea may be similar but i am hoping that our craft will be a little more than a floating platform.

too much lift and your hovercraft will be unstable and fall too little it isnt going anywhere btw a hovercraft is nothing more than a floating platform

[Ian W.]

well, more than a floating platform as in, a floating platform with a cool shape and a nice big engine on the back to move it around

[oreocookeee]

what i meant was a floating platform with seats, and a nice dashboard

[Melancholy]

Once while some members of my team were taking apart a computer so they could play with the magnets, we made a G.I.Joe sized hovercraft. We used the computer's fan, a 9V battery, a platic bag, and some duct tape.