diy hovercraft

slackerbob · 4th November 2003, 04:46 AM

yeah, i need help. The science club at my high school is building a hovercraft. Being the president, and not knowing anything about this kind of stuff i was wondering if any of y'all had ever built one of these. what we really need help with is the skirt. since this is science club, there aren't a whole lot of girls in there, and i'm pretty sure none of us knows how to sew a hovercraft skirt.

any and all help is appreciated

wintermute · 4th November 2003, 09:06 AM

Just did a google search on model hovercraft, and this site seemed kinda relevant

http://www.flightlines.com/hovercrafts/buildhover.htm

Regards,

Tony.

Solid Snake · 17th November 2003, 12:13 AM

I made one with my friends for the fun of it. I used a 5" computer fan, 1" styrofoam insulation and a trash bag for the skirt. Trash bags need less power to inflate than fabrics and they cover uneven ground better.

slackerbob · 17th November 2003, 01:11 AM

the problem with most of the designs found on the internet is that they're kinda small. our thing is gonna be 4' by 8' holding up a person, and I don't know if trash bags would stand up to the pressure. i was thinking maybe Tyvek would work.

thanks anyways

Solid Snake · 17th November 2003, 08:43 AM

Also remember, the more surface area underneath the hovercraft, the more lift you will achieve.

slackerbob · 18th November 2003, 01:32 AM

so the bigger we build our base, the less we have to worry about not getting off the ground?

hmm, that might help a lot. i'll keep it in mind as i direct my pals.

thanks

Bakmeel · 18th November 2003, 08:38 AM

At my University, the student union for Physics built their own 2 person hovercraft in 2001. If make contact with construccie@isaacnewton.utwente.nl, I'm sure you can get some info from them.

This is the machine

LaserLine · 18th November 2003, 09:14 PM

I made a simple hovercraft that you can find on my forums and if you post a message there i can show you all the pros and cons of my methods... the thing cost less the $100 using basic things that can be found anywhere... picutres are on the forums here http://www.icubenetwork.com/forum/index.php?c=2

cirvin · 21st November 2003, 09:36 PM

You could buy a cheep water raft from wal mart, ones that have the 2 cells. inflate the outer ring thingy, and cut out the bottom, then just plumb the air blwer into the cavity. this way, all the air going from th blowr gos under and out ovr thet raf, getting less friction for less power.

slackerbob · 22nd November 2003, 01:43 AM

As of right now we have a 3' diameter fan the we got from a greenhouse. We also have 3 sheets of .5" plywood.

ya, a rubber raft would be cheap and easy. just cut out the bottom and glue it or something to the plywood?

maybe we could get som tyvek and cover the raft with that. might make it a little tougher for going over stuff.

any other suggestions?

4th November 2003, 04:46 AM	#1
slackerbob diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Harvey Mudd College; Claremont, CA	diy hovercraft yeah, i need help. The science club at my high school is building a hovercraft. Being the president, and not knowing anything about this kind of stuff i was wondering if any of y'all had ever built one of these. what we really need help with is the skirt. since this is science club, there aren't a whole lot of girls in there, and i'm pretty sure none of us knows how to sew a hovercraft skirt. any and all help is appreciated

4th November 2003, 09:06 AM	#2
wintermute just another diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sydney Blog Entries: 22	google!! Just did a google search on model hovercraft, and this site seemed kinda relevant http://www.flightlines.com/hovercrafts/buildhover.htm Regards, Tony. __________________ Any intelligence I may appear to have is purely artificial Some of my photos

18th November 2003, 08:38 AM	#7
Bakmeel diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Netherlands	At my University, the student union for Physics built their own 2 person hovercraft in 2001. If make contact with construccie@isaacnewton.utwente.nl, I'm sure you can get some info from them. This is the machine __________________ More Power Igor! More Power!

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17th November 2003, 12:13 AM	#3
Solid Snake diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2003	I made one with my friends for the fun of it. I used a 5" computer fan, 1" styrofoam insulation and a trash bag for the skirt. Trash bags need less power to inflate than fabrics and they cover uneven ground better.

17th November 2003, 01:11 AM	#4
slackerbob diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Harvey Mudd College; Claremont, CA	the problem with most of the designs found on the internet is that they're kinda small. our thing is gonna be 4' by 8' holding up a person, and I don't know if trash bags would stand up to the pressure. i was thinking maybe Tyvek would work. thanks anyways

17th November 2003, 08:43 AM	#5
Solid Snake diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2003	Also remember, the more surface area underneath the hovercraft, the more lift you will achieve.

18th November 2003, 01:32 AM	#6
slackerbob diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Harvey Mudd College; Claremont, CA	so the bigger we build our base, the less we have to worry about not getting off the ground? hmm, that might help a lot. i'll keep it in mind as i direct my pals. thanks

18th November 2003, 09:14 PM	#8
LaserLine diyAudio Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA	I made a simple hovercraft that you can find on my forums and if you post a message there i can show you all the pros and cons of my methods... the thing cost less the $100 using basic things that can be found anywhere... picutres are on the forums here http://www.icubenetwork.com/forum/index.php?c=2

21st November 2003, 09:36 PM	#9
cirvin diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Geneva, NY	You could buy a cheep water raft from wal mart, ones that have the 2 cells. inflate the outer ring thingy, and cut out the bottom, then just plumb the air blwer into the cavity. this way, all the air going from th blowr gos under and out ovr thet raf, getting less friction for less power.

22nd November 2003, 01:43 AM	#10
slackerbob diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Harvey Mudd College; Claremont, CA	As of right now we have a 3' diameter fan the we got from a greenhouse. We also have 3 sheets of .5" plywood. ya, a rubber raft would be cheap and easy. just cut out the bottom and glue it or something to the plywood? maybe we could get som tyvek and cover the raft with that. might make it a little tougher for going over stuff. any other suggestions?

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