hovercraft!

[Avenger]

i found some plans for some r/c hovercraft and full size one too! http://www.hovercraft.com/homebd/list_plans3.shtml i think that i want to do the middle one the one that is yellow! i think that i will do it for my Sr. project next year! be cool! what do u guys think? BL motors? swing a huge prop! j/k!

[RCBoatingNewbie]

Funny you mention this- I saw a show on TLC the other night about hovercrafts.

I'm tempted to scratch build- they aren't especially complicated. My step son has a toy one, and he's had it on the lake- not very impressive. It doesn't sink, but it's way too slow.

I think you could get by with a 2 channel radio. On turning on the thing, use something like a double pole single throw switch to turn on the Rx and the "inflate" motor. Then, an esc for the forward drive fan, and a servo for rudder control of the fan.

To get fancy, do something like proportional increase of the "inflate" motor with forward thrust increase, using a microprocessor...

To coin something else I've seen, use one motor to provide the lift AND the forward thrust, channeling wind downward and rearward with a fixed fin in the air path. Then, a simple air-rudder control.

One thing from the show I saw, send air pressure into a tubular skirt, then with holes on the inside of the tube, pressurize the middle section.

Anyone have any ideas other than a bicycle inner-tube for a skirt?

Thanks,
Paul

[RalphA]

Take a look at the this site: www.model-hovercraft.com. I'm building the Griffon model so that my kids can play with it and let me have my hydros back!!

Its easy to build and quite cheap. Let me know how you get on.

Ralph

[Avenger]

i think that it would be cool to build one of the scale ones but i am by far an experienced model builder so i think that i might just build the yellow one off of the first site or the "finger trouble" off of the second, or maybe both!

[Rowan]

i love hovercrafts and have built at least 9 over the years. one of them is on the pics page at fastelectrics.com. they are stacks of fun especially with 05 power - one thing that is very important - but a wire grill over the front of the thrust duct and the lift duct. even though it is radio control, there are few more painful experiances than getting your finger in the prop blades at full speed.
blood and extreme pain - play it safe :-)

good luck,
Rowan

[AndyKunz]

Amen, Rowan. I have a friend (Carl) who is in a band (www.shadowgallery.com) who just about lost use of his index finger to a 6x3 spun by a modified 05. Took a LONG time for it to heal.

Andy

[T.S.Davis]

Avenger,

Hobby lobby has a ducted fan on sale for $49 or something. Seems it would fit into this scenario somewhere.

Terry

[AndyKunz]

DF's need forward movement to operate efficiently. They are in cavitation otherwise. A larger diameter lower pitch prop is more in order for a hovercraft.

Andy

[rcullins]

Does it really only cost their estimated $30-$100? Thats alot cheaper then most rc boats...