Hovercraft II

2014-01-04

After building our first remote control hovercraft (see Hovercraft I), we were ready to make a new and improved one. We salvaged all the electronics from the old hovercraft and built a new body.

Comparison

Indoor Test Run

The plan was to include several improvements. These included:

• First and foremost, using a new skirt design that fixed the problems in our first hovercraft, including:

  • preventing it from naturally turning to the right

  • making the craft more stable

  • preventing it from scooping up water

• Making the hovercraft slightly bigger to give it more surface area and make it more stable.

• Using a lighter weight foam and using less of it to reduce weight. This would increase speed and agility.

• Improving the styling of the craft.

• Adding an electronics bay to hold batteries and speed control units.

It was time to build an improved hovercraft with a ducted skirt inflation made of fabric. The calculations to cut out the skirt made it a bit tricky. This model is 59% larger in area than the first and made of lighter weight foam.

Building the Hovercraft:

Sewing the skirt

Trimming the skirt

Sewing the skirt

Air ducting

Fan mount

Rudder servo detail

Fitting the skirt

Testing the Hovercraft:

Changes:

re-attaching the skirt

adding protective plastic

larger hole in underside.

electronics bay

Testing a larger hole in underside.