Make a Hovercraft
Want a fun project to do at home for yourself or your kids? Building a hovercraft is easy and cheap, and the end product provides hours of fun! Read the instructions below for a great guide on building one for yourself.
Contents
Steps
Building the Board
- Cut a circle from a piece of plywood. Purchase a strong square of plywood and cut a circle ~36-48" in diameter. You will probably need to use a jigsaw to cut the circle from the plywood, but you can use another method if you are more comfortable with one.
- Sand the edges when you are done to avoid painful splinters.
- Cut another circle. You will need a smaller circle of plywood, roughly 6”-1’ in diameter. This will be used later.
- Cut a hole from the main circle. About halfway between the center and the edge, trace the end of the leaf-blower onto the larger circle. Cut out the traced circle using the jigsaw (you will probably need to drill a hole first, in order to use the jigsaw). Remove the leaf-blower when you are done checking for fit.
- Check for a good fit by putting your leaf-blower in the hole. If it doesn't fit well, you can seal it later using duct tape.
Building the Air Cushion
- Cut out your plastic cushion. Cut the plastic sheeting in a circle, about 1’ wider than the main circle. Wrap the excess plastic over the edge of the circle and staple it down using a staple gun, about every 4”.
- If you want, use duct tape to tape down the extra plastic and seal any gaps at the edge.
- The side covered in plastic is the underside of the hovercraft.
- Strengthen the plastic. Turn the board over so that the plastic side is facing up. Take duct tape and use it to completely cover the roughly 1" sq area at the center of the circle. It should be at least a little larger than the small circle you cut out in step 2 of the previous section.
- For example, if you just a 6” diameter circle, reinforce a 1” sq. area of plastic.
- Attach the smaller circle to the larger one. Use wood screws to attach the smaller circle to the larger circle, at the exact center on the underside of the hovercraft. These screws should be no longer than the depth of both circles. Use roughly 5 screws to get a tight fit.
- Cut holes in the plastic. At least 2" from the edge of the smaller circle but still in the reinforced area, cut 6 holes in the plastic. This will let the air escape, creating the cushion on which the hovercraft floats. These holes should be ~1” wide.
Finishing Your Hovercraft
- Insert your leaf-blower. Flip the board right side up and place the end of the leaf-blower in the appropriate hole.
- Tape the leaf-blower into place. Use duct tape to seal the hole tight and attach the blower firmly to the board.
- Turn on the leaf-blower and enjoy riding around! You may have to lift the hovercraft up off the ground a bit at first, to help the initial airflow fill the cushion.
Things You’ll Need
- Plywood
- Thick plastic sheeting (like a shower curtain liner)
- Wood screws
- Duct tape
- Jigsaw
- Staple gun
- Leaf-blower or a Shop-Vac
- Box cutter (utility knife)
Tips
- After doing the initial cutting, you can paint the board if you want to.
Warnings
- A hovercraft won't get you to the emergency room very fast: practice safety when making your hovercraft.
- It is incredibly difficult and expensive to build a hovercraft that actually “floats”. Your hovercraft floats on a cushion of air.
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