How to build a hovercraft
 

The hovercraft I’m going to teach you how to make can hover over land, water and lots of other surfaces on a cushion of air. This type of hovercraft uses a gas powered leaf blower for lift and a weed-whacker engine for propulsion. The leaf blower blows into something called a skirt on the bottom of the hover craft. The skirt contains the air cushion; it is made out of a long strip of material. There are holes in the bottom of the skirt that let air escape, which lifts the hovercraft. This hover can reach speeds up to 25mph. This hovercraft can hover over just about anything under 6” in height.

Here is a list of all the parts needed for this hovercraft:

4ft. x 8ft. sheet of ¼ in. shop grade plywood,
4ft. x 2ft. sheet of ¼ in. shop grade plywood,
Gas powered leaf blower,
Gas powered weed-whacker engine,
22” propeller
Seat (like one used at the beach or a bleacher seat type thing),
Metal bracket
2 Small hinges (for ruders)
½” diameter steel stock, 1ft length (machined to specifications),
½”barring,
2, ½” bore shaft collar,
¼’’bolt with lock washers,
31ft. of 1in. x 2in. fir of pine wood:
1. 3 pieces 27in. long
2. 4 pieces 9in. long
3. 4pices 25in. long
4. 1piece 6.5in. long
4ft. of 2in. x 4in. fir or pine wood:
1. 4 pieces 11.34in. long
Spool of ½” wide metal striping (to secure engines down),
Fabric skirt, 17” x 19ft. 4” long of waterproof nylon
Metal stripping (to hold skirt to hovercraft)
Nylon string (for skirt and control rudders)
Seem sealer
Chicken wire
 Wood glue
All purpose caulking
Assorted screws/nails

  Now for the instructions, first you cut the wood into the right size. Once that is done you take 4 of those pieces and make a box then screw the box onto the hovercraft over a hole made in the center. Then screw the chair on to the box. After that you take the leaf blower and stick the end of it in a hole you make in the side of the box. Then seal it with the caulking all the way around the box and the hole.
 Now you attach the skirt. The skirt should be made in a loop. Then cut the corners and fold over one inch of the skirt over top of one 20ft. piece of nylon string. Make sure the cord does not stretch. Sew a seam using strong nylon thread. Then attach the skirt to the bottom of the hovercraft using the metal striping.
 Now take the pieces of pine wood cut into pieces and make the frame for the propeller. Then make the engine holder from some of the pieces of plywood. Then mount these on the back of the craft, behind the chair. Then take the propeller and attach it to the steel stock. Then take the weed-whacker engine and mount it on the craft. Then connect the propeller to the engine. Then take the rudders and attach them and then take the nylon string and attach it to the rudders so you can turn. Then add the accelerator (the thing that controls the speed) and attach it. Then your hovercraft is comlete
 
 

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