Growing up, I had a fascination with hovercraft because they were neither plane nor boat/automobile. Skimming just above surfaces, they mixed the two concepts into an illusion which also had practical benefits: Efficient, speedy transport on water, ice or land.

After building some small working examples, a friend and I ordered the plans out of the back of Popular Science magazine and started a project that would move from basement to garage to bigger garage to lake. Before graduating high school we were able to zoom around on parking lots and grass fields. Once I learned how to weld and use a lathe and milling machine, we were able to upgrade the whole powertrain and venture out onto nearby Owasco lake in Central New York.

Specs:
*Weight: 300 pounds empty
*Lift System: 4 hp lawn tractor engine with 24" 4 bladed lift fan and duct inflated bag skirt.
*Thrust Sytem, Mark I: 48" 2 bladed propeller powered by a 6 HP snowblower engine.
*Thrust Sytem, Mark II: Same propeller, 28 HP 2-stroke twin 390cc Rotax Ski-Doo engine.
*Control: Throttles for both systems, and stick controlled rudders behind propeller.
*Legal: Was officially registered as a boat in New York State. Hull number: NY1828GU


Everyone asks what happened to it.