The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions with weather canopy
AirRider hovercraft showing hybrid skirt
AirRider hovercraft seats one to five passengers
AirRider hovercraft under construction
AirRider hovercraft with designers
AirRider hovercraft showing hybrid hull design
AirRider hovercraft underway
AirRider hovercraft with skirt deflated
AirRider hovercraft with skirt deflated
AirRider hovercraft has floatation foam to allow it to sit on the water for long periods of time
The AirRider hovercraft uses a one-liter petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft can seat up to five passengers
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft's weather canopy
Front view of the AirRider hovercraft
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
Front view of the AirRider hovercraft
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements erected
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements erected
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements rolled back
The AirRider hovercraft's interior
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft has less drag in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft uses variable pitch propellers
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft can reach speeds of 36 mph (58 km/h)
The composite skirt provides a smoother ride with less snagging and wear
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice to shore
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft's hybrid skirt produces less spray than conventional versions
The AirRider hovercraft uses Urethane/PVC construction
The AirRider hovercraft's engine/propeller assembly
The AirRider hovercraft detail
The AirRider hovercraft's engine/propeller assembly
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft being loaded on a trailer
The AirRider hovercraft starting up in icy conditions
The AirRider hovercraft traveling on snow
The AirRider hovercraft with very cold passengers
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions with weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft carries one to five passengers
The AirRider hovercraft has three rudders
The AirRider hovercraft's propellors have variable pitch
The AirRider hovercraft showing rudders
The AirRider hovercraft interior
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine with propeller
The AirRider hovercraft expels water quickly on startup
The AirRider hovercraft with loop/segment sections in different colors
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft can float for long periods
The AirRider hovercraft's composite propeller blades
AirRider hovercraft showing hybrid skirt
AirRider hovercraft seats one to five passengers
AirRider hovercraft under construction
AirRider hovercraft with designers
AirRider hovercraft showing hybrid hull design
AirRider hovercraft underway
AirRider hovercraft with skirt deflated
AirRider hovercraft with skirt deflated
AirRider hovercraft has floatation foam to allow it to sit on the water for long periods of time
The AirRider hovercraft uses a one-liter petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft can seat up to five passengers
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft's weather canopy
Front view of the AirRider hovercraft
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
Front view of the AirRider hovercraft
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements erected
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements erected
AirRider hovercraft with weather canopy with canvas elements rolled back
The AirRider hovercraft's interior
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft has less drag in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft uses variable pitch propellers
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions
The AirRider hovercraft can reach speeds of 36 mph (58 km/h)
The composite skirt provides a smoother ride with less snagging and wear
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over ice to shore
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft traveling over open water and ice
The AirRider hovercraft's hybrid skirt produces less spray than conventional versions
The AirRider hovercraft uses Urethane/PVC construction
The AirRider hovercraft's engine/propeller assembly
The AirRider hovercraft detail
The AirRider hovercraft's engine/propeller assembly
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft's controls allow operation while sitting or standing
The AirRider hovercraft being loaded on a trailer
The AirRider hovercraft starting up in icy conditions
The AirRider hovercraft traveling on snow
The AirRider hovercraft with very cold passengers
The AirRider hovercraft in snow conditions with weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft carries one to five passengers
The AirRider hovercraft has three rudders
The AirRider hovercraft's propellors have variable pitch
The AirRider hovercraft showing rudders
The AirRider hovercraft interior
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft on ice
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft loaded for transport
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft weather canopy
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine with propeller
The AirRider hovercraft expels water quickly on startup
The AirRider hovercraft with loop/segment sections in different colors
The AirRider hovercraft's CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine
The AirRider hovercraft's controls
The AirRider hovercraft can float for long periods
The AirRider hovercraft's composite propeller blades
View gallery - 158 images
Even though hovercraft have been around for over half a century, they still have an air of the future about them. They’re used in everything from sports to oil exploration, yet they still leave a lot to be desired in terms of ride and stability. Hoverworks of Parry Sound, Ontario hopes to improve matters with its AirRider hovercraft, which uses a hybrid hull and skirt design that combines the best of conventional hovercraft technologies.
The AirRider hovercraft is intended to overcome some of the weaknesses of the two most common hovercraft designs. The air cushion of a hovercraft is produced by a flexible rubber or plastic skirt that hangs down from the hull. The skirt needs to be rigid enough to hold in the air, yet flexible enough to allow the craft to negotiate uneven terrain, waves and low obstacles. This makes the choice of skirts a bit of a compromise, with the two main alternatives exhibiting distinct strengths and weaknesses.
The first is the loop skirt, which, as the name implies, encircles the hull of the craft. The compressor lift fan blows air under the hull where the loop captures it, forming a cushion and lifting the craft. It’s an efficient arrangement. The loop skirt is very good at creating and maintaining the air cushion, but on water it makes for a very bumpy ride with lots of spray and drag.
The alternative is a segmented skirt where the loop is broken up into pockets that line up to form the skirt. Each of these segments is either fed air individually or from the air cushion. These segments can collapse individually while maintaining the cushion, which makes for an easier ride with less spray and drag, but the rear segments tend to snag and tear, and the craft isn’t very stable.
According to Hoverworks, AirRider hovercrafts split the difference between the two skirts by means of a loop/segment hybrid design. The sides and stern are covered by a loop skirt and the bow has a segmented skirt. This cuts down on the spray and buffeting as the segmented bow yields to oncoming waves, while the loop provides more stability and less of a tendency to snag. Hoverworks says that the design also makes the AirRider much better than either conventional design at negotiating stony stream beds or river rapids.
The AirRider hovercraft with loop/segment sections in different colors
Intended for commercial, industrial, search and rescue, and personal use, the AirRider line of hovercrafts come in three configurations carrying one to five passengers. The hull is also a hybrid. Like many larger inflatable boats, the AirRider is a semi-rigid Inflatable made up of a five-chambered Urethane/PVC hull with solid bulkheads. Floatation foam is installed under the hull to allow the AirRider to float with the motor off for long periods of time. In combination with a special valve, the flotation foam also allows any water inside the skirt to be quickly dispelled when starting up.
Weighing from 290 to 350 kilograms (640-770 lb), the AirRider hovercrafts are powered by a 40 bhp (29.8 kW) one-liter CH1000 Kohler Command Pro V-twin 4-stroke petrol engine. On the 5-passenger model, there’s an additional 0.6-litre 20 bhp (14.9) engine to power the lifting fan. The propeller is a composite with variable forward and reverse pitch, that can quickly shift from forward to reverse to full stop. Top speed is 31 to 36 mph (50 to 58 km/h) depending on the model.
The video below shows the AirRider hovercraft in action.
David Szondy is a playwright, author and journalist based in Seattle, Washington. A retired field archaeologist and university lecturer, he has a background in the history of science, technology, and medicine with a particular emphasis on aerospace, military, and cybernetic subjects. In addition, he is the author of four award-winning plays, a novel, reviews, and a plethora of scholarly works ranging from industrial archaeology to law. David has worked as a feature writer for many international magazines and has been a feature writer for New Atlas since 2011.
7 comments
Willis Linn
Now this is a rich man's toy. I wish these were rentable at raystown dam
yinfu99
Im not sure why hovercraft even have back fans like an air boat. I mean a built in base fan with vector thrust should be plenty to push ans steer it while keeping the cushion up as well. I would think it would improve aerodynamics not having that big fan on the back, not even mentioning the weight issue.
leafygreen
@yinfu99 - MASS, I think is the basic reason for the retention of the 'thrust-fan'. Hovercraft are still heavy, difficult to stop moving and difficult to steer because of all that mass essentially 'skating' in thin air. I don't really see that 'vector thrust' could be sufficient on its own to replace the 'counter-steering' needed to prevent too much oversteer and actually send the hovercraft in the right direction. But I could be wrong... If I think of your 'vector thrust' as a Jetski nozzle, then one at each 'corner' might be a way to go... The rears would be larger, to provide the main thrust and steering, with the fronts giving an assist (and maybe they could be turned front-facing, to help stop..?) Interesting idea...
jorgelansi
At last! Someone has relized of the convenience of the inflatable hover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP9D73mqILg.
these are 2002 hand made prototypes in Neuquen Argentina
MacG
This craft is connected with a Hoverworks craft from New Zealand. I know the thrust system well and you have complete control over the lift and direction of travel. Including reverse. - It can be moved around in its own length and if you chose it can be "control" balanced to act like a train on tracks. You don't have to slide side ways and can do U turn in its own length. This is the most advanced system in the hovercraft world and is streets ahead. Try it to believe it. I Did and was astounded. If I can ever afford it I would buy one. Note: I don't own one-- and have nothing to do with the company, but it was the most exciting fun thing I have ever tried out.
Well done Air Rider -- your way ahead.
Myrtonos
Here's a thought, could a hovercraft run on compressed air? If so, you wouldn't need a fan or propeller, just a jet.
PeterM
Similar hovercraft with hybrid hull -
http://www.airslide.eu/en/toyota/5505.html
I don't really see that 'vector thrust' could be sufficient on its own to replace the 'counter-steering' needed to prevent too much oversteer and actually send the hovercraft in the right direction.
But I could be wrong...
If I think of your 'vector thrust' as a Jetski nozzle, then one at each 'corner' might be a way to go... The rears would be larger, to provide the main thrust and steering, with the fronts giving an assist (and maybe they could be turned front-facing, to help stop..?)
Interesting idea...