Building with Craft Foamboard

[Andy CParticipant @andyc56856]

Hi Paul

Good looking craft. I did a version of a hovercraft from a free plan designed by Mr Guest. My skirt was made from an old kite I had in the shed and was sewn together by a high street dry cleaners who does mending too.

Worked pretty well, but needed a better motor. It was made from styrene sheet.

Hope yours works out.

Andy

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hi Andy

I am also having a problem with motors as the majority of mine are in the 500>700 range but the cans are quite heavy and whilst they are superb for model boats they are adding excessive weight to the hovercraft.

So now I am playing with some hot buggy motors that my son used to put in his cars, they are lighter, spin faster and hopefully will solve the problem.

Waiting now, with soldering lorn on standby for the RipStop to arrive.

Paul

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Hello Captain Bob

Cant find the Blackpool to Rhyl service but did find these postcards showing a service from Rhyl to Wallasey

 

Perhaps the service extended to Blackpool and Wallasey became a refuelling point.

The machine is a Vickers A3

 

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 18/04/2013 07:38:35

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, Paul

So it was 1960 after all!

I could be mistaken about the Blackpool destination, but Wallesey doesn't ring Abell either!

All the best, Paul

Bob

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul. You are just going to have to go brushless. It is not difficult, just need a brushless ESC. Cheap on fleabay. Very light.. ideal for foam hovercraft…

J Perkins website has a good selection and also ducted fans.. fans small enought o fit in SRN1 ducts for propulsion.24" would be a good size for an SRN1, indeed

AND ducted fan..fans.. and adaptors to fit on motors however the largest is a 3mm shaft size

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Darn – all this talk of hovercrafts is tempting me to get my Griffon out of the loft and start fiddling with brushless motors and the like.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

I saw this and thought of you!

A hovercraft that is right up your street.

Paul

Brushless are a little to advanced for me, I'll stick with clockwork and elastic bands

Edited By Paul T on 18/04/2013 13:57:55

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul. You know me too well.

So many things to choose from and so little time to build.

Trevor. I will expect to see it week after next then eh??

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

After the Lotus, yachts, rescue boat and repairs to rig supply vessel !

Will be a bit longer than that.

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley & Trevor

What you could do with for model recovery from the middle of the lake is a …..hoverboard…..easy enough to build with a petrol leaf blower and a small piece of plywood.

So much more fun than an SRN1

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 18/04/2013 19:27:19

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ah, not so sure about that one!!!

The only issue I could see is that i/c engines are not allowed on the pond, blast…

But another idea with merit!

Ashley

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ashley, if the "only issue" is no i/c, surely it is achievable by someone of your abilities !

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Trevor, I dont know if you saw it, but Andy the croc had a brushless motor he paid about £90 for, looked like a small starter motor.. rated at 5Kw he said!!

the wires out of it were surely 5mm in diameter… that would power a hoverboard no issues!!!

Ashley too many projects on the go similarly

[Trevor HollowayParticipant @trevorholloway99134]

Ah but that is lined up for a jet drive, now if you had four and ducted fans pointed down …………………

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Does the IC rule apply to models rather than full size rescue equipment?

If you could use a dinghy with an outboard then you should be able to use your hoverboard.

Paul too many petrol engines in my shed

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

You could always build one of these

[chris webb 1Participant @chriswebb1]

you could always try these hovercraft, maybe you could sell them to Kim Jong-un looks like he could do with a few more.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Chris, careful, you might end up on a hit list!! (but know what you m,ean)

Paul. You have too much time on your hands..

A visit to the Hovercraft museum on the solent (Lee I think) is well worth a visit when they have an open day. Craft there you would not believe, and how big is an SRN4?? Humungeous!!

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, the Hovercraft Museum at Lee On Solent is a very worthwhile visit. Some amazing stuff there.

**LINK**

I visited it a couple of years ago.

Colin

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

You're right time does weigh heavy….but on the positive side the RipStop has arrived and hopefully Jane will be able to sew the panels together later today.

After your comments I have revisited the calcs for the thrust tube buttress support and changed the design to make it more aerodynamic.

Chris

Your're not suggesting that the little despot is lying about his military capabilities?

Paul

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

I'll be interested to hear how easy you find it to steer the thing. The smaller one-man-carrying ones seem to skid for an inordinate amount of time before they accelerate in the new direction. I would also go straight for the enhanced power/weight of brushless motors.
I remember having a Jetex Mobo hovercraft as a kid. It was powered by just one 0.049 glowplug motor with a 5" x 3" 3-blade aircraft prop. Such forward thrust as there was was bled off the vertical lift duct and sent out of the back via two ducts a la SRN1. We never tried it on water and, not having a radio, it found even the slightest slope and shot off in that direction irrespective of what you'd done to set the rudders. Good fun chasing it, mind you.

As for the maniac who heads North Korea, I have him down as a slightly different sort of pot………
DM

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Jane has sewn the skirt together for me and done a super job, now all I have to do is find a way to fix RipStop nylon to timber and foamboard.

Dave: Its a big thing to steer and I am not sure that the rudders will be up to the job but we will see what happens. I don't want to go to the expense of brushless as the hovercraft was only intended to test the foamboard theory and I will be happy if it simply hovers and spins around.

Re the maniac….Sing to the tune I'm a little teapot..

I'm a little despot short and stout…

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Paul. I have a feeling that there is nothing more sophisticated than double sided tape used on a lot of craft?? The skirts are prone to damage and need to be able to be replaced easily.

Rudders, venetian blind arrangement, lots of fins.

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hover museum open weekend 18/19 may. UNFORTUNATELY we are due to be going camping to visit the tank museum at Bovington that week end. Blast. All these thing coincide.

Paul..anywhere with the computer fan thing yet?

Ashley

Edited By ashley needham on 21/04/2013 18:48:32

[Paul TParticipant @pault84577]

Ashley

I will try double sided tape or perhaps velcro, still not found a set of fan blades.

I had a little trouble this afternoon, I was out in the deer park and I accidently shot myself in the foot.

Paul

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