Frequently Asked Questions about our buying a Hovercraft
Engine Type
Not all leisure craft use the same Engine type. The Flying Fish uses highly reliable
4 stroke Briggs and Stratton engines that are economical to run, quiet with an electric
starter and require no pre-mixed petrol.
They are located under an engine cover system that offers excellent protection from
the elements and yet only takes around 15 seconds to remove.
These engines have run for hundreds of hours in endurance events and long treks
lasting weeks on vast European and Russian rivers. These craft regularly take part
in and win races and championships.
The engines are also running just as B&S designed them, so they are not stressed
in any way and will purr away endlessly. They have a maximum top rev count of approximately
3800rpm meaning they’re quiet as well. Should you need anything for the motor, there
are dealers all round the world stocking all the parts you may need.
One engine or two?
Many hovercraft use two engines, one for thrust, one for lift.
Flying Fish have one engine for lift and thrust; the reason being that it is easier
and far safer to coordinate one set of controls, more reliable and easier to service
one engine, plus you get less noise from one engine.
We deliberately designed the Flying Fish without a gearbox assembly, this allows
us to site the engine much lower in the craft, providing lower center of gravity,
reducing the tendency to roll and providing much greater ease of control. We also
place the engine low down to ensure less airflow disturbance to the fan; clear airflow
results in greater efficiency.
Stopping on land or Water?
Stopping on land: Hovercraft should be considered as land-based vehicles as well
as water-based. With our hovercraft, stopping on a small rock won’t result in a
holed floor since, for greater safety and strength, we add aluminium runners to
prevent damage to the underside.
Stopping on water: This is no problem for the Flying Fish.
It floats very well and with the correct payload goes over “humps” with no trouble
at all . This is a very easy craft to drive with no unexpected tricks to take a
novice by surprise
Buoyancy
Many hovercraft have poor buoyancy characteristics and can actually sink if swamped,
whereas the Flying Fish has full buoyancy located in the plenum chamber. Not only
will the Flying Fish stop quite happily on water but it has also been tested and
certified by the French MSA for use throughout the EEC for flooded buoyancy approval.
Buying a professionally designed and manufactured craft helps to overcome regulatory
restrictions, where they apply.
The Skirt
Occasionally, a hovercraft skirt may get damaged and it's important to to know how
to repair or replace it.
The Flying Fish has 70 segments so, should the skirt be damaged, rather than having
to replace the whole skirt at great expense, you just replace the damaged segment.
Naturally you will wish to go exploring with your hovercraft, but need to get home
safely, so having a few spare skirt segments handy is a good idea. It only takes
minutes for a person to change each segment - far easier than trying to recover
a hovercraft with a damaged one-piece skirt!
Flying Fish use a Hypalon/Nylon material for excellent wear, UV and saltwater protection.
In tests, the Flying Fish has proved it's ‘get you home’ capability with 25% of
the skirt missing. The careful design of the skirts also means that in normal use
the skirt generates virtually no spray and the driver and passenger can stay virtually
dry.
Ploughing In
"Ploughing in" is a term to describe a problem where a hovercraft suddenly decelerates
due to the nose of the craft dipping into the water, usually at speed when running
downwind. Some hovercraft manufacturers claim to have a craft that does not do this,
by design.
The Flying Fish has 70 segments so, should the skirt be damaged, rather than having
to replace the whole skirt at great expense, you just replace the damaged segment.
This is nonsense! It is the holy grail of hovercrafting, all and any craft can plough
in, it’s just the nature of their construction. Having said that, a very slow and/or
heavy craft may prove to be very resistant to it..!
Our Flying Fish will plough in if too much speed is used unwisely, but the craft
gives you plenty of warning to allow you to bring it under control. Also, due to
the shallow planning surface, the a Flying Fish plough is very gentle. This is an
easily driven, responsive craft with superb performance and handling.
Transporting
Unlike many other manufacturers, the Flying Fish comes with a trailer in the package
price. We consider that most people need to transport the craft, so making the trailer
an optional extra seems silly.
Ours is a simple 'A frame' trailer. To load up, you simply lift the front of the
craft (which is quite light), slide the trailer under and bring the craft down onto
it, very easy!