DIY do-it-yourself hovercraft. Do-it-yourself radio-controlled hovercraft

The prototype of the presented amphibious vehicle was an air-cushion vehicle (AVP) called "Aerojeep", the publication of which was in the magazine. Like the previous machine, the new machine is single-engine, single-rotor with distributed air flow. This model is also a triple, with the location of the pilot and passengers in a T-shaped pattern: the pilot is in front in the middle, and the passengers are on the sides, behind. Although nothing prevents the fourth passenger from sitting behind the driver, the length of the seat and the power of the propeller installation are quite enough.

The new machine, in addition to improved technical characteristics, has a number of design features and even innovations that increase its reliability in operation and survivability - after all, an amphibian is a waterfowl. And I call it a “bird” because it moves through the air both above the water and above the ground.

Structurally, the new machine consists of four main parts: a fiberglass body, an air spring, a flexible fence (skirt) and a propeller unit.

Leading a story about a new car, you will inevitably have to repeat yourself - after all, the designs are in many ways similar.

Amphibious hull identical to the prototype both in size and design - fiberglass, double, three-dimensional, consists of inner and outer shells. It is also worth noting here that the holes in the inner shell in the new apparatus are now located not at the upper edge of the sides, but approximately in the middle between it and the bottom edge, which ensures faster and more stable creation of an air cushion. The holes themselves are no longer oblong, but round, with a diameter of 90 mm. There are about 40 of them and they are evenly spaced along the sides and in front.

Each shell was glued in its matrix (used from the previous design) from two or three layers of fiberglass (and the bottom - from four layers) on a polyester binder. Of course, these resins are inferior to vinyl-ester and epoxy resins in terms of adhesion, filtration level, shrinkage, and the release of harmful substances upon drying, but they have an undeniable price advantage - they are much cheaper, which is important. For those who intend to use such resins, let me remind you that the room where the work is carried out must have good ventilation and a temperature of at least + 22 ° C.

1 - segment (set of 60 pieces); 2 - balloon; 3 - mooring duck (3 pcs.); 4 - wind visor; 5 - handrail (2 pcs.); 6 – mesh protection of the propeller; 7 - outer part of the annular channel; 8 – rudder (2 pcs.); 9 – steering control lever; 10 - a hatch in the tunnel for access to the fuel tank and battery; 11 – pilot's seat; 12 – passenger sofa; 13 - engine casing; 14 - paddle (2 pcs.); 15 - silencer; 16 - filler (polystyrene); 17 - the inner part of the annular channel; 18 - lantern navigation light; 19 - propeller; 20 – propeller bushing; 21 - drive toothed belt; 22 - knot for fastening the cylinder to the body; 23 – attachment point of the segment to the body; 24 - engine on a motor mount; 25 - inner shell of the body; 26 - filler (polystyrene); 27 - outer shell of the body; 28 - dividing panel of the injected air flow

The matrices were made in advance according to the master model from the same glass mats on the same polyester resin, only the thickness of their walls was larger and amounted to 7-8 mm (for the casing shells - about 4 mm). Before baking the elements, all roughness and scratches were carefully removed from the working surface of the matrix, and it was covered three times with wax diluted in turpentine and polished. After that, a thin layer (up to 0.5 mm) of red gelcoat (colored varnish) was applied to the surface with a sprayer (or roller).

After it dried, the process of gluing the shell began using the following technology. First, using a roller, the wax surface of the matrix and one side of the stackomat (with smaller pores) are smeared with resin, and then the mat is placed on the matrix and rolled until the air is completely removed from under the layer (if necessary, a small slot can be made in the mat). The subsequent layers of glass mats are laid in the same way to the required thickness (3-4 mm), with the installation, where necessary, of embedded parts (metal and wood). Excessive flaps along the edges were cut off when gluing "wet".

a - outer shell;

b - inner shell;

1 - ski (tree);

2 - sub-slab (wood)

After separately manufacturing the outer and inner shells, they were joined, fastened with clamps and self-tapping screws, and then glued along the perimeter with strips of the same glass mat 40–50 mm wide, smeared with polyester resin, from which the shells were made. After attaching the shells to the edge with petal rivets, a vertical side strip of a 2-mm duralumin strip with a width of at least 35 mm was attached around the perimeter.

Additionally, with pieces of fiberglass impregnated with resin, carefully glue all corners and places where fasteners are screwed in. The outer shell is coated on top with a gel coat - a polyester resin with acrylic additives and wax that add shine and water resistance.

It should be noted that using the same technology (the outer and inner shells were made using it), smaller elements were also pasted out: the inner and outer shells of the diffuser, the rudders, the engine cover, the wind deflector, the tunnel and the driver's seat. A 12.5-liter gas tank (industrial from Italy) is inserted inside the case, into the console, before fastening the lower and upper parts of the cases.

inner shell shell with air outlets to create an air cushion; above the holes - a row of cable clips for hooking the ends of the scarf of the skirt segment; two wooden skis glued to the bottom

For those who are just starting to work with fiberglass, I recommend starting the manufacture of a boat with these small elements. The total mass of the fiberglass hull, together with skis and an aluminum alloy strip, diffuser and rudders, is from 80 to 95 kg.

The space between the shells serves as an air duct along the perimeter of the apparatus from the stern on both sides to the bow. The upper and lower parts of this space are filled with building foam, which provides an optimal cross-section of the air channels and additional buoyancy (and, accordingly, survivability) of the apparatus. Pieces of foam plastic were glued together with the same polyester binder, and strips of fiberglass, also impregnated with resin, were glued to the shells. Further, the air comes out of the air channels through evenly spaced holes with a diameter of 90 mm in the outer shell, "rests" against the skirt segments and creates an air cushion under the apparatus.

A pair of longitudinal skis made of wooden bars are glued to the bottom of the outer shell of the hull to protect against damage from the outside, and in the aft part of the cockpit (that is, from the inside) there is an under-engine wooden plate.

Balloon. The new hovercraft model has almost twice the displacement (350 - 370 kg) than the previous one. This was achieved by installing an inflatable balloon between the body and segments of the flexible fence (skirt). The balloon is glued out of PVC material Uіpurіap, manufactured in Finland with a density of 750 g/m 2 , according to the shape of the body in plan. The material has been tested on large industrial hovercraft such as Khius, Pegasus, Mars. To increase survivability, the cylinder can consist of several compartments (in this case, three, each with its own filling valve). The compartments, in turn, can be divided in half lengthwise by longitudinal partitions (but this version of their execution is still only in the project). With this design, a broken compartment (or even two) will allow you to continue moving along the route, and even more so to get to the coast for repairs. For economical cutting of the material, the cylinder is divided into four sections: bow, two stern. Each section, in turn, is glued together from two parts (halves) of the shell: the lower and upper ones - their patterns are mirrored. In this version of the cylinder, the compartments and sections do not match.

a - outer shell; b - inner shell;
1 - nasal section; 2 - side section (2 pcs.); 3 - aft section; 4 - partition (3 pcs.); 5 - valves (3 pcs.); 6 - lyktros; 7 - apron

On the top of the cylinder, “lyktros” is glued - a strip of Vinyplan 6545 “Arktik” material folded in half, with a braided nylon cord embedded along the fold, impregnated with “900I” glue. "Liktros" is applied to the side rail, and with the help of plastic bolts the cylinder is attached to an aluminum strip fixed on the body. The same strip (only without the enclosed cord) is glued to the balloon and from the bottom-front (“at half past seven”), the so-called “apron” - to which the upper parts of the segments (tongues) of the flexible fence are tied. Later, a rubber bumper was glued to the front of the cylinder.

Soft elastic guard"Aerojeep" (skirt) consists of separate, but identical elements - segments, cut and sewn from dense lightweight fabric or film material. It is desirable that the fabric is water-repellent, does not harden in the cold and does not let air through.

Again, I used Vinyplan 4126 material, only with a lower density (240 g / m 2), but domestic percale-type fabric is quite suitable.

The segments are slightly smaller than on the "balloonless" model. The pattern of the segment is simple, and you can either sew it yourself, even manually, or weld it with high-frequency currents (FA).

The segments are tied with the tongue of the lid to the lippase of the balloon (two at one end, while the knots are inside under the skirt) around the entire perimeter of the Aeroamphibian. The two lower corners of the segment, with the help of nylon construction clamps, are freely suspended from a steel cable with a diameter of 2–2.5 mm, wrapping around the lower part of the inner shell of the housing. In total, up to 60 segments are placed in the skirt. A steel cable with a diameter of 2.5 mm is attached to the body by means of clips, which in turn are attracted to the inner shell with petal rivets.

1 - scarf (material "Viniplan 4126"); 2 - tongue (material "Viniplan 4126"); 3 - pad (fabric "Arctic")

Such fastening of the skirt segments does not significantly exceed the time required to replace a failed element of a flexible fence, compared to the previous design, when each was fastened separately. But as practice has shown, the skirt turns out to be efficient even if up to 10% of the segments fail and their frequent replacement is not required.

1 - outer shell of the body; 2 - inner shell of the body; 3 - overlay (fiberglass) 4 - bar (duralumin, strip 30x2); 5 - self-tapping screw; 6 - cylinder lyktros; 7 - plastic bolt; 8 - balloon; 9 - cylinder apron; 10 - segment; 11 - lacing; 12 - clip; 13-collar (plastic); 14-cable d2.5; 15-string rivet; 16-grommet

The propeller installation consists of an engine, a six-bladed propeller (fan) and a transmission.

Engine- RMZ-500 (similar to Rotax 503) from the Taiga snowmobile. Produced by Russian Mechanics OJSC under license from the Austrian company Rotax. The motor is two-stroke, with a petal inlet valve and forced air cooling. It has established itself as a reliable, powerful enough (about 50 hp) and not heavy (about 37 kg), and most importantly, a relatively inexpensive unit. Fuel - AI-92 gasoline mixed with oil for two-stroke engines (for example, domestic MGD-14M). Average fuel consumption - 9 - 10 l / h. The engine was mounted in the aft part of the apparatus, on a motor mount attached to the bottom of the hull (or rather, to a wooden engine plate). Motorama has become higher. This is done for the convenience of cleaning the aft part of the cockpit from snow and ice, which get there through the sides and accumulate there, and freeze when stopped.

1 - output shaft of the engine; 2 - leading toothed pulley (32 teeth); 3 - toothed belt; 4 - driven toothed pulley; 5 - nut M20 for mounting the axis; 6 - remote bushings (3 pcs.); 7 - bearing (2 pcs.); 8 - axis; 9 - screw bushing; 10 - rear strut support; 11 - front over-engine support; 12 - front strut support-bipedal (not shown in the drawing, see photo); 13 - outer cheek; 14 - inner cheek

Propeller - six-bladed, fixed pitch, 900 mm in diameter. (There was an attempt to install two five-bladed coaxial screws, but it was unsuccessful). The screw sleeve is duralumin, cast. The blades are fiberglass, coated with a gel coat. The axis of the screw hub was lengthened, although the old 6304 bearings remained on it. The axle was mounted on a rack above the engine and fixed here with two spacers: two-beam - in front and three-beam - at the back. In front of the propeller there is a mesh fence grille, and behind - air rudder feathers.

The transmission of torque (rotation) from the engine output shaft to the propeller hub is carried out through a toothed belt with a gear ratio of 1: 2.25 (the drive pulley has 32 teeth, and the driven pulley has 72).

The air flow from the screw is distributed by a partition in the annular channel into two unequal parts (approximately 1:3). A smaller part of it goes under the bottom of the hull to create an air cushion, and a large part goes to the formation of propulsion (traction) for movement. A few words about the features of driving an amphibian, specifically - about the beginning of the movement. When the engine is idling, the machine remains stationary. With an increase in the number of its revolutions, the amphibian first rises above the supporting surface, and then begins to move forward at revolutions from 3200 - 3500 per minute. At this moment, it is important, especially when starting from the ground, that the pilot first raise the rear of the apparatus: then the aft segments will not catch on anything, and the front ones will slide over bumps and obstacles.

1 - base (steel sheet s6, 2 pcs.); 2 - portal rack (steel sheet s4.2 pcs.); 3 - jumper (steel sheet s10, 2 pcs.)

The control of the "Aerojeep" (changing the direction of movement) is carried out by aerodynamic rudders, pivotally fixed behind the annular channel. The steering is deflected by means of a two-arm lever (motorcycle-type steering wheel) through an Italian Bowden cable going to one of the planes of the aerodynamic steering wheel. The other plane is connected to the first rigid link. On the left handle of the lever is fixed a carburetor throttle control lever or a “trigger” from the Taiga snowmobile.

1 - steering wheel; 2 - Bowden cable; 3 - knot for attaching the braid to the body (2 pcs.); 4 - Bowden braid of the cable; 5 - steering panel; 6 - lever; 7 - thrust (rocking chair is conditionally not shown); 8 - bearing (4 pcs.)

Braking is carried out by "throttle release". In this case, the air cushion disappears and the apparatus rests on the water with its body (or skis on snow or ground) and stops due to friction.

Electrical equipment and appliances. The device is equipped with a rechargeable battery, a tachometer with an hour meter, a voltmeter, an engine head temperature indicator, halogen headlights, a button and a check for turning off the ignition on the steering wheel, etc. The engine is started by an electric starter. Installation of any other devices is possible.

The amphibious boat was named "Rybak-360". It passed sea trials on the Volga: in 2010, at a rally of the Velkhod company in the village of Emmaus near Tver, in Nizhny Novgorod. At the request of the Moscow Sports Committee, he participated in demonstration performances at a celebration dedicated to the Navy Day in Moscow on the Rowing Canal.

Technical data "Aeroamphibian":

Overall dimensions, mm:
length……………………………………………………………………..3950
width…………………………………………………………………..2400
height…………………………………………………………………….1380
Engine power, hp……………………………………………….52
Weight, kg……………………………………………………………………….150
Load capacity, kg………………………………………………….370
Fuel reserve, l……………………………………………………………….12
Fuel consumption, l/h………………………………………………..9 - 10
Overcome obstacles:
rise, hail………………………………………………………………….20
wave, m………………………………………………………………………0.5
Cruise speed, km/h:
by water………………………………………………………………………….50
on the ground………………………………………………………………………54
on ice………………………………………………………………………….60

M. YAGUBOV Honorary Inventor of Moscow

We owe the final design, as well as the informal name of our craft, to a colleague from the Vedomosti newspaper. Seeing one of the test "take-offs" in the parking lot of the publisher, she exclaimed: "Yes, this is Baba Yaga's stupa!" Such a comparison made us incredibly happy: after all, we were just looking for a way to equip our hovercraft with a steering wheel and a brake, and the way was found by itself - we gave the pilot a broom!

It looks like one of the dumbest crafts we've ever made. But, if you think about it, it is a very spectacular physical experiment: it turns out that a weak air flow from a manual blower designed to sweep weightless withered leaves from the paths can lift a person above the ground and easily move him in space. Despite the very impressive appearance, building such a boat is as easy as shelling pears: with strict observance of the instructions, it will require only a couple of hours of dust-free work.

With the help of a rope and a marker, draw a circle with a diameter of 120 cm on a plywood sheet and cut out the bottom with a jigsaw. Immediately make a second circle of the same kind.

Align the two circles and drill a 100mm hole through them with a hole saw. Keep the wooden disks removed from the crown, one of them will serve as the central "button" of the air cushion.

Lay the shower screen on the table, put the bottom on top and fix the polyethylene with a furniture stapler. Cut off the excess polyethylene, stepping back a couple of centimeters from the staples.

Tape the edge of the skirt with reinforced tape in two rows with a 50% overlap. This will make the skirt tight and prevent air loss.

Mark the central part of the skirt: there will be a “button” in the middle, and around it there are six holes with a diameter of 5 cm. Cut out the holes with a craft knife.

Carefully glue the central part of the skirt, including the holes, with reinforced tape. Apply tapes with 50% overlap, apply two layers of tape. Re-cut the holes with a craft knife and fasten the central “button” with self-tapping screws. The skirt is ready.

Turn the bottom over and screw the second plywood circle to it. 12mm plywood is easy to work with, but not stiff enough to withstand the required loads without warping. Two layers of such plywood will fit just right. Put on the edges of the circle thermal insulation for plumbing pipes and secure it with a stapler. It will serve as a decorative bumper.

Use cuffs and elbows for 100mm vent ducts to connect the blower to the skirt. Secure the engine with brackets and zip ties.

Helicopter and puck

Contrary to popular belief, the boat does not rely on a 10-centimeter layer of compressed air at all, otherwise it would already be a helicopter. An air cushion is something like an air mattress. The polyethylene film, which is covered with the bottom of the apparatus, is filled with air, stretched and turns into a kind of rubber ring.

The film adheres very tightly to the road surface, forming a wide contact patch (almost over the entire area of ​​the bottom) with a hole in the center. Pressurized air comes out of this hole. A very thin layer of air is formed over the entire contact area between the film and the road, over which the device easily slides in any direction. Thanks to the inflatable skirt, even a small amount of air is enough for a good glide, so our stupa is much more like an air hockey puck than a helicopter.

wind upskirt

We usually do not print exact drawings in the "master class" section and strongly recommend that readers involve creative imagination in the process, experimenting with the design as much as possible. But this is not the case. Several attempts to slightly deviate from the popular recipe cost the editors a couple of days of extra work. Do not repeat our mistakes - follow the instructions clearly.

The boat should be round, like a flying saucer. A ship resting on the thinnest layer of air needs an ideal balance: with the slightest weight loss, all the air will come out from the underloaded side, and the heavier side will fall to the ground with all its weight. The symmetrical round shape of the bottom will help the pilot to easily find balance by slightly changing the position of the body.

To make the bottom, take 12 mm plywood, use a rope and a marker to draw a circle with a diameter of 120 cm and cut out the part with an electric jigsaw. The skirt is made from a polyethylene shower curtain. The choice of a curtain is perhaps the most crucial stage at which the fate of a future craft is decided. Polyethylene should be as thick as possible, but strictly homogeneous and in no case reinforced with fabric or decorative tapes. Oilcloth, tarpaulin and other airtight fabrics are not suitable for building a hovercraft.

In pursuit of the durability of the skirt, we made our first mistake: the poorly stretched oilcloth tablecloth could not snug tightly against the road and form a wide contact patch. The area of ​​a small "speck" was not enough to make a heavy car slide.

Leaving an allowance to let in more air under a tight skirt is not an option. When inflated, such a pillow forms folds that will release air and prevent the formation of a uniform film. But polyethylene tightly pressed to the bottom, stretching when air is injected, forms an ideally smooth bubble that tightly fits any bumps in the road.

Scotch is the head of everything

Making a skirt is easy. It is necessary to spread the polyethylene on the workbench, cover the top with a round plywood blank with a pre-drilled hole for air supply and carefully fix the skirt with a furniture stapler. Even the simplest mechanical (not electric) stapler with 8mm staples will cope with the task.

Reinforced tape is a very important element of the skirt. It strengthens it where necessary, while maintaining the elasticity of other areas. Pay special attention to the reinforcement of the polyethylene under the central "button" and in the area of ​​the air holes. Apply adhesive tape with a 50% overlap and in two layers. The polyethylene must be clean, otherwise the tape may peel off.

Insufficient amplification in the central part caused a funny accident. The skirt was torn in the "button" area, and our pillow turned from a "donut" into a semicircular bubble. The pilot, eyes wide with surprise, rose a good half a meter above the ground and after a couple of moments collapsed down - the skirt finally burst and let out all the air. It was this incident that led us to the erroneous idea to use oilcloth instead of a shower curtain.

Another misconception that befell us in the process of building a boat was the belief that there is never too much power. We got hold of a large Hitachi RB65EF backpack blower with an engine capacity of 65 cc. This beast machine has one great advantage: it comes with a corrugated hose, which makes it very easy to connect the fan to the skirt. But the power of 2.9 kW is a clear overkill. The plastic skirt must be given exactly the amount of air that will be enough to lift the car 5-10 cm above the ground. If you overdo it with gas, the polyethylene will not withstand the pressure and will tear. This is exactly what happened with our first car. So rest assured that if you have any kind of blower at your disposal, it will be suitable for the project.

Full speed ahead!

Typically, hovercraft have at least two propellers: one main propeller that tells the car forward movement, and one fan that blows air under the skirt. How will our "flying saucer" move forward, and can we get by with one blower?

This question tormented us exactly until the first successful tests. It turned out that the skirt glides over the surface so well that even the slightest change in balance is enough for the device to go in one direction or another by itself. For this reason, you need to install a chair on the car only on the move in order to properly balance the car, and only then screw the legs to the bottom.

We tried the second blower as a propulsion engine, but the result was not impressive: the narrow nozzle gives a fast flow, but the volume of air passing through it is not enough to create the least noticeable jet thrust. What you really need when driving is a brake. This role is ideal for Baba Yaga's broom.

Called a ship - climb into the water

Unfortunately, our editorial office, and with it the workshop, are located in the stone jungle, far from even the most modest reservoirs. Therefore, we could not launch our apparatus into the water. But theoretically everything should work! If building a boat becomes your holiday entertainment on a hot summer day, test it for seaworthiness and share with us a story about your successes. Of course, you need to take the boat to the water from a gentle coast on a cruising throttle, with a fully inflated skirt. There is no way to allow sinking - immersion in water means the inevitable death of the blower from water hammer.

Hovercraft allows you to move on water and on land. In this article we will look at how to make it yourself.

Hovercraft - what is it

One of the ways to combine a car and a boat was a hovercraft, which has good cross-country ability and high speed of movement on water due to the fact that its body does not sink under water, but, as it were, slides over its surface.

This method allows you to move economically and quickly, since the sliding friction force and the resistance force of water masses are, as they say, two big differences.

But, unfortunately, despite all the advantages of a hovercraft, its scope on the ground is limited - it can not move on any surface, but only on a fairly soft one, such as sand or soil. Asphalt and hard rocks with sharp stones and industrial waste will simply tear up the bottom of the vessel, rendering the air cushion unusable, and it is thanks to it that the SVP moves.

Therefore, hovercrafts are used mainly where you need to swim a lot and drive a little, otherwise amphibious vehicles with wheels are used. SVPs are not widely used today, but in some countries rescuers work on them, for example, in Canada, and there is also evidence that they are in service with NATO.

Buy a hovercraft or make your own?

Hovercrafts are quite expensive, for example, an average model costs about 700 thousand rubles, while the same scooter "scooter" can be bought 10 times cheaper. But of course, by paying money, you get factory quality, and you can be sure that the ship will not fall apart right under you, although there have been such cases, but still the probability here is lower than for a home-made one.

In addition, manufacturers mainly sell "professional" hovercraft for fishermen, hunters, and all kinds of services. Amateur boats are extremely rare, and mostly they are handmade products, due, again, to their low popularity among the people.
Why hovercrafts haven't won more love

Main reasons:

• High price and expensive service. The fact is that the parts and functional units of the SVP wear out very quickly and require replacement, and the purchase and installation also cost a lot of money. Therefore, only a rich person can afford it, but even for him it is very inconvenient to take a broken ship to a repair shop every time, since there are only a few such workshops, and they are mainly located only in large cities. Therefore, as a toy, it is more profitable to buy, for example, an ATV or a jet ski.
• Because of the screws, they are very noisy, so you can only ride with headphones.
• You can not swim and ride against the wind, because the speed is greatly reduced.
  Amateur hovercraft have been and remain only a way of displaying their design abilities for those who can maintain and repair them themselves.

DIY manufacturing process

Making a good hovercraft is not easy, but if you think about it, then most likely you have either the ability or the desire, but please note that if you do not have a technical background, forget about this idea, because your hovercraft will crash on the first test drive.

So, you should start with a drawing. Design your SVP. How do you want to see it? Rounded like the Soviet MI-28 helicopter or angular like the American Alligator? Should it be streamlined like a Ferrari, or Zaporozhets-shaped? When you answer these questions for yourself, start creating a drawing.

How to catch more fish?

1. Cool activator. Attracts fish in cold and warm water with the help of pheromones included in the composition and stimulates their appetite. It's a pity that Rosprirodnadzor wants to ban its sale.
2. More sensitive gear. Read the relevant manuals for the particular type of tackle on the pages of my website.
3. Lures based pheromones.

The figure shows a sketch of the SVP, which is in service with the Canadian Rescue Service.

Vessel Specifications

An average homemade SVP can reach a fairly high speed - which one - depends on the mass of passengers and the boat itself, as well as on engine power, but in any case, with the same engine parameters and weight, an ordinary boat will be several times slower.

Regarding the carrying capacity, we can say that the single-seat hovercraft model proposed here is able to withstand a driver weighing 100-120 kg.

You will have to get used to the control, since it differs significantly from a conventional boat, firstly, because there are completely different speeds, and secondly, fundamentally different ways of moving.

The faster the SVP moves, the more it skids on turns, so you need to lean a little to the side. By the way, if you get used to it, then you can “drift” well on a hovercraft.

Necessary materials

All you need is plywood, styrofoam and a special kit from Universal Hovercraft, designed specifically for self-taught engineers, containing everything you need.

Insulation, screws, air cushion fabric, epoxy, glue, and more are all included in the kit, which you can order from their official website for $500, plus it comes with multiple blueprint options.

Case manufacturing

The bottom is made of foam, 5-7 cm thick, for one person, if you want to make a vessel for two or more passengers, then attach another sheet of the same from below. Next, two holes need to be made in the bottom: one for air flow, and the second for inflating the pillow. You can use a jigsaw.

Next, you need to isolate the lower part of the case from water - fiberglass is ideal for this. Apply it to the foam and treat with epoxy. But bumps and air bubbles can form on the surface, to prevent this, cover the fiberglass with plastic wrap, and cover with a blanket. Put another layer of film on top, and tape it to the floor. To blow air out from under the resulting "sandwich", use a conventional vacuum cleaner. The bottom of the hull will be ready in 2.5-3 hours.

The upper part of the body can be made arbitrary, but we should not forget about aerodynamics. Making a pillow is easy. It is only necessary to correctly fix it, and synchronize it with the bottom - that is, to make sure that the air flow from the engine passes through the hole into the pillow without losing efficiency.

Make a pipe for the motor from styrofoam, do not miscalculate the dimensions so that the screw enters it, but the gap between its edges and the inside of the pipe was not very large, as this will reduce traction. The next step is to install the holder for the motor. In fact, this is just a stool with three legs that are attached to the bottom, and an engine is placed on top of it.

Engine

There are two options - a ready-made engine from Yu.Kh. or homemade. You can take it from a chainsaw or a washing machine - the power they give is enough for an amateur SVP. If you want something more, you should look at the motor from the scooter.

The unsatisfactory state of the road network and the almost complete absence of road infrastructure on most regional routes makes it necessary to look for vehicles that operate on other physical principles. One such means is a hovercraft capable of moving people and goods in off-road conditions.

Hovercraft, bearing the sonorous technical term "hovercraft", differs from traditional models of boats and cars not only in the ability to move on any surface (pond, field, swamp, etc.), but also in the ability to develop a decent speed. The only requirement for such a "road" is that it should be more or less even and relatively soft.

However, the use of an air cushion by an all-terrain vehicle requires quite serious energy costs, which in turn entails a significant increase in fuel consumption. The functioning of hovercraft (HVAC) is based on a combination of the following physical principles:

• Low specific pressure of SVP on the surface of soil or water.
• High movement speed.

This factor has a fairly simple and logical explanation. The area of ​​contact surfaces (bottom of the apparatus and, for example, soil) corresponds to or exceeds the area of ​​the SVP. Technically speaking, the vehicle dynamically generates the necessary amount of support rod.

The excess pressure created in a special device separates the machine from the support to a height of 100-150 mm. It is this cushion of air that interrupts the mechanical contact of the surfaces and minimizes the resistance to the translational movement of the hovercraft in the horizontal plane.

Despite the ability to move quickly and, most importantly, economically, the scope of the hovercraft on the surface of the earth is significantly limited. Asphalt areas, hard rocks with the presence of industrial debris or hard stones are absolutely not suitable for it, since the risk of damage to the main element of the SVP - the bottom of the pillow, increases significantly.

Thus, the optimal hovercraft route can be considered one where you need to swim a lot and in some places drive a little. In some countries, such as Canada, hovercraft are used by rescuers. According to some reports, devices of this design are in service with the armies of some NATO member countries.

Why is there a desire to make a hovercraft with your own hands? There are several reasons:

That is why SVPs have not received wide distribution. Indeed, as an expensive toy, you can buy an ATV or snowmobile. Another option is to make a boat-car yourself.

When choosing a working scheme, it is necessary to determine the hull design that best meets the specified technical conditions. Note that do-it-yourself SVP with assembly drawings of home-made elements is quite realistic to create.

Ready-made drawings of homemade hovercraft abound in specialized resources. The analysis of practical tests shows that the most successful option that satisfies the conditions that arise when moving through water and soil are cushions formed by a chamber method.

When choosing a material for the main structural element of an air cushion vehicle - the hull, consider several important criteria. First, it is simplicity and ease of processing. Secondly, the small specific gravity of the material. It is this parameter that ensures that the SVP belongs to the “amphibian” category, that is, there is no risk of flooding in the event of an emergency stop of the vessel.

As a rule, 4 mm plywood is used to make the hull, and superstructures are made of foam. This significantly reduces the own weight of the structure. After pasting the outer surfaces with foam and subsequent painting, the model acquires the original features of the appearance of the original. Polymeric materials are used for cabin glazing, and the remaining elements are bent from wire.

The manufacture of the so-called skirt will require a dense waterproof fabric made of polymer fiber. After cutting, the parts are sewn together with a double tight seam, and gluing is done using waterproof glue. This provides not only a high degree of structural reliability, but also allows you to hide mounting joints from prying eyes.

The design of the power plant involves the presence of two engines: marching and forcing. They are equipped with brushless electric motors and two-bladed propellers. A special regulator carries out the process of managing them.

The supply voltage is supplied from two batteries, the total capacity of which is 3,000 milliamps per hour. At the maximum charge level, the SVP can be operated for 25-30 minutes.

Attention, only TODAY!

Hovercraft is a vehicle capable of moving both on water and on land. Such a vehicle is not at all difficult to do with your own hands.

This is a device where the functions of a car and a boat are combined. As a result, we got a hovercraft (HV), which has unique off-road characteristics, without loss of speed when moving through water due to the fact that the hull of the vessel does not move through the water, but above its surface. This made it possible to move through the water much faster, due to the fact that the friction force of the water masses does not provide any resistance.

Although the hovercraft has a number of advantages, its scope is not so widespread. The fact is that not on any surface this device can move without any problems. It needs soft sandy or soil soil, without the presence of stones and other obstacles. The presence of asphalt and other solid bases can cause damage to the bottom of the vessel, which creates an air cushion when moving. In this regard, "hovercraft" are used where you need to swim more and drive less. On the contrary, it is better to use the services of an amphibious vehicle with wheels. The ideal conditions for their use are impassable swampy places where, apart from a hovercraft (Hovercraft), no other vehicle can pass. Therefore, SVPs have not become so widespread, although rescuers of some countries, such as Canada, for example, use such transport. According to some reports, SVPs are in service with NATO countries.

How to purchase such a transport or how to make it yourself?

Hovercraft is an expensive type of transport, the average price of which reaches 700 thousand rubles. Transport type "scooter" is 10 times cheaper. But at the same time, one should take into account the fact that factory-made vehicles are always of better quality compared to homemade ones. And the reliability of the vehicle is higher. In addition, factory models are accompanied by factory warranties, which cannot be said about designs assembled in garages.

Factory models have always been focused on a highly professional direction, connected either with fishing, or with hunting, or with special services. As for homemade SVPs, they are extremely rare and there are reasons for this.

These reasons include:

• Pretty high cost, as well as expensive maintenance. The main elements of the apparatus wear out quickly, which requires their replacement. And each such repair will result in a pretty penny. Only a rich person will allow himself to buy such an apparatus, and even then he will think once again whether it is worth contacting him. The fact is that such workshops are as rare as the vehicle itself. Therefore, it is more profitable to purchase a jet ski or ATV to move on water.
• The working product creates a lot of noise, so you can only move around with headphones.
• When driving against the wind, the speed drops significantly and fuel consumption increases significantly. Therefore, homemade SVPs are more of a demonstration of their professional abilities. The vessel not only needs to be able to manage, but also be able to repair it, without significant costs.

Do-it-yourself SVP manufacturing process

Firstly, it is not so easy to assemble a good SVP at home. To do this, you need to have the ability, desire and professional skills. Technical education will not hurt either. If the latter condition is absent, then it is better to abandon the construction of the apparatus, otherwise you can crash on it at the first test.

All work begins with sketches, which are then transformed into working drawings. When creating sketches, it should be remembered that this apparatus should be as streamlined as possible so as not to create unnecessary resistance when moving. At this stage, one should take into account the factor that this is, in fact, an air vehicle, although it is very low to the surface of the earth. If all conditions are taken into account, then you can begin to develop drawings.

The figure shows a sketch of the SVP of the Canadian Rescue Service.

Technical data of the device

As a rule, all hovercraft are capable of a decent speed that no boat can reach. This is if we take into account that the boat and the SVP have the same mass and engine power.

At the same time, the proposed model of a single-seat hovercraft is designed for a pilot weighing from 100 to 120 kilograms.

As for the control of the vehicle, it is quite specific and, in comparison with the control of a conventional motor boat, does not fit in any way. The specificity is associated not only with the presence of high speed, but also with the method of movement.

The main nuance is related to the fact that on turns, especially at high speeds, the ship skids heavily. To minimize this factor, it is necessary to lean to the side when cornering. But these are short-term difficulties. Over time, the control technique is mastered and miracles of maneuverability can be shown on the SVP.

What materials are needed?

Basically, you will need plywood, foam plastic and a special design kit from Universal Hovercraft, which includes everything you need to assemble the vehicle yourself. The kit includes insulation, screws, air cushion fabric, special adhesive and more. This set can be ordered on the official website by paying 500 bucks for it. The kit also includes several options for drawings for assembling the SVP apparatus.

Since the drawings are already available, the shape of the vessel should be tied to the finished drawing. But if there is a technical education, then, most likely, a ship will be built that does not look like any of the options.

The bottom of the ship is made of foam plastic, 5-7 cm thick. If you need an apparatus for transporting more than one passenger, then another such foam sheet is attached from below. After that, two holes are made in the bottom: one is for air flow, and the second is for providing air to the pillow. Holes are cut with an electric jigsaw.

At the next stage, the lower part of the vehicle is sealed from moisture. To do this, fiberglass is taken and glued to the foam using epoxy glue. In this case, irregularities and air bubbles may form on the surface. To get rid of them, the surface is covered with polyethylene, and on top also with a blanket. Then, another layer of film is placed on the blanket, after which it is fixed to the base with adhesive tape. It is better to blow air out of this “sandwich” using a vacuum cleaner. After 2 or 3 hours, the epoxy will harden and the bottom will be ready for further work.

The top of the hull can have an arbitrary shape, but take into account the laws of aerodynamics. After that, proceed to attach the pillow. The most important thing is that air enters it without loss.

The pipe for the motor should be used from styrofoam. The main thing here is to guess with the dimensions: if the pipe is too large, then you will not get the thrust that is necessary to lift the SVP. Then you should pay attention to mounting the motor. The holder for the motor is a kind of stool, consisting of 3 legs attached to the bottom. On top of this “stool” the engine is installed.

What engine is needed?

There are two options: the first option is to use the engine from the company "Universal Hovercraft" or use any suitable engine. It can be a chainsaw engine, the power of which is quite enough for a home-made device. If you want to get a more powerful device, then you should take a more powerful engine.

It is advisable to use factory-made blades (those in the kit), as they require careful balancing and it is quite difficult to do this at home. If this is not done, then the unbalanced blades will break the entire engine.

How reliable can an SVP be?

As practice shows, factory hovercraft (SVP) have to be repaired about once every six months. But these problems are minor and do not require serious costs. Basically, the pillow and the air supply system fail. In fact, the likelihood that a homemade device will fall apart during operation is very small if the “hovercraft” is assembled correctly and correctly. For this to happen, you need to run into some obstacle at high speed. Despite this, the air cushion is still able to protect the device from serious damage.

Rescuers working on similar devices in Canada repair them quickly and competently. As for the pillow, it can really be repaired in an ordinary garage.

Such a model will be reliable if:

• The materials and parts used were of good quality.
• The machine has a new engine.
• All connections and fastenings are made reliably.
• The manufacturer has all the necessary skills.

If the SVP is made as a toy for a child, then in this case it is desirable that the data of a good designer be present. Although this is not an indicator for putting children behind the wheel of this vehicle. It's not a car or a boat. Managing SVP is not as easy as it seems.

Given this factor, you need to immediately begin to manufacture a two-seater version in order to control the actions of the one who will drive.