Hov Pod Review
How does the Hov Pod compare to other small race pedigree Hovercraft?
The Hov Pod Hovercraft was designed to address problems with durability and safety that concerned founder Peter Ward when he wanted to buy a hovercraft. Peter’s background was as marine engineer and product designer. As ships engineer, he traveled the world on board many of the largest cruise ships, and with responsibility for thousands of passengers, was not the sort of engineer used to compromise.
Peter saw great potential for leisure and commercial hovercraft but after studying the market, concluded that many hovercraft lacked durability and had serious safety issues.
The evolution of the small hovercraft
Homemade hovercraft appeared soon after the introduction of the hovercraft in 1957; hovercraft appealed to engineers and hobbyists. Clubs were formed and race meetings held. To win a race, hovercraft had to be very lightweight, so thin glass fibre hulls were developed. High powered, low weight engines work well for hovercraft - more powerful engines are heavier, so designers need to always consider weight aspects in the design stage. Certainly, race meetings helped to refine the design of small hovercraft, but Peter was concerned with safety aspects that had been compromised in pursuit of speed.
The race pedigree hovercraft tended to suffer the following problems:
The Hov Pod Hovercraft was designed to address problems with durability and safety that concerned founder Peter Ward when he wanted to buy a hovercraft. Peter’s background was as marine engineer and product designer. As ships engineer, he traveled the world on board many of the largest cruise ships, and with responsibility for thousands of passengers, was not the sort of engineer used to compromise.
Peter saw great potential for leisure and commercial hovercraft but after studying the market, concluded that many hovercraft lacked durability and had serious safety issues.
The evolution of the small hovercraft
Homemade hovercraft appeared soon after the introduction of the hovercraft in 1957; hovercraft appealed to engineers and hobbyists. Clubs were formed and race meetings held. To win a race, hovercraft had to be very lightweight, so thin glass fibre hulls were developed. High powered, low weight engines work well for hovercraft - more powerful engines are heavier, so designers need to always consider weight aspects in the design stage. Certainly, race meetings helped to refine the design of small hovercraft, but Peter was concerned with safety aspects that had been compromised in pursuit of speed.
The race pedigree hovercraft tended to suffer the following problems:
- Very thin glass fibre hulls, they look great, but lack durability and are difficult to repair.
- Many race hovercraft have extremely hot exhaust systems wrapped around the outside of the duct to allow as much air as possible to pass through the duct.
- Peter observed fuel tanks sited close to batteries - one spark could ignite petrol fumes and create havoc.
- Many hovercraft have a tendency to plow into water, stopping the craft abruptly, throwing the driver and passengers over the handlebars.
- Many smaller hovercraft lacked on-water start payload - hovercraft generally carry 50% more weight when starting on land, and some suppliers were economic with on-water payload details, preferring to quote on-land payload (Tip - never ask how many seats a hovercraft has, this marks you out as a novice, check on-water payload)
- Hovercraft lacked proper fan guarding to front and rear - one kit builder in NZ was recently decapitated, one Australian kit builder lost a few fingers. The reason some suppliers leave off essential fans guards is to allow more air to pass through the duct for better performance, so you need to decide whether speed to win races is more important than safety to you, your passengers and any bystanders. By leaving off the rear fan guard, some suppliers can select cheaper lighter lawn mower engines to make their craft more price competitive to win more business at the expense of suppliers who fit a rear guard and more expensive larger engines.
- Some suppliers up-rate or modify engines to get more power output, but doing so invalidates the engine supplier’s warranty.
- Safety is of paramount importance, particularly for leisure use in the marine environment. The same safety requirements expected of suppliers of boats and personal watercraft should apply to leisure hovercraft, to ensure their safe use within the marine environment.
- The Hov Pod is made from very buoyant, extremely durable High Density Polyethylene HDPE is far stronger than GRP and far easier to repair should it ever suffer a problem - see the drop test video at http://hovercraft-durability.blogspot.co.uk
- The Hov Pod exhaust system is positioned out of harm’s way.
- The Hov Pod tanks are separated away from the battery, IP65 and IP66 electrical connectors are used, water proof wiring boxes protect wiring from salt water spray, and this is positioned beneath an engine cover to protect it from salt water spray.
- The Hov Pod is fitted with segmented anti-plow skirts, made from polyurethane coated anti -rip nylon weave 375 gsm - these are heavier and more expensive than the UV sensitive neoprene coated nylon skirts fitted on race pedigree hovercraft that last a month or two.
- The Hov Pod can lift either 275 Kgs / 607 pounds, 325 Kgs / 718 pounds or 450 Kgs / 995 pounds on water, or 412 Kgs / 910 pounds, 488 Kgs / 1078 pounds or 675 kgs / 1492 pounds on land, depending on the engine selected.
- The Hov Pod has front and rear fan guards fitted as standard.
- The Hov Pod is offered with either Rotax 582 65HP engine, or Weber 120HP Turbo 4-stroke engine - both engines are unmodified and ship with full engine supplier’s warranty.
- The Hov Pod is CAD/CNC designed and robotic-ally engineered, many parts are made from marine grade stainless steel.
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