Hovercrafts: Classic or Dud?

(categorised in vehicles Felecity!)

Classic, Its a great shame there's no longer a cross channel hovercraft. Even though it was the mode of my worst sea voyage ever, the whole experience is kind of magical. They were the future of sea transport in the 60s, along with hydrofoils, also amazing.

Dude, I love all those creepy old stories about proto-Gothic flotation.

Total Classic

http://www.naval-technology.com/contractor_images/marine_electronic/hovercraft.jpg

I was going to say something cheeky, but now I'm not.

Great thread Jel.

Total classic by the way - I mean, come on, HOVERCRAFT! (= singular and plural a la sheep no?)

I took the Dover-Calais hovercraft in 1993 and it's odd to think that only a decade ago, pre-Eurostar, it was still the fastest way across the Channel (that would have been the reason my parents chose it, because my mum never stopped moaning about the discomfort).

What Ed said, really. The hovercraft has a wonderful period atmosphere now, genuine charm. And British Transport Films encapsulated the forgotten 1969 (think Family Dogg's "Way of Life") with their hovercraft films, so how can I say a word against them?

Hovercraft == moderately classic.

"My hovercraft is full of eels." == classic enough to suit a purist.

Hovercraft!Eels!Pythonists everywhere having a little chuckle to themselves!Classic!

As for actual hovercrafts,totally classic.Have you ever tried out a personal or single-seat one?They are the most screwed-up thing to drive(or pilot-I'm not sure what the correct term is!),you have to steer into any turn a long time before you actually reach your preferred turning area.You have to throttle up on turns to give the extra airflow needed to change direction,and there are no brakes!Just forget normal driving instinct and learn a whole new technique,the ultimate test of nerve is to go flat out from land to water for the first time!Even more fun is getting back out of the water without digging the nose in and flipping over,much to the amusement of any spectators.I had a brief chance to risk my neck on one of these things and it was mental!It was a home-made effort,the owner got the plans from a website,bought a ready made fibreglass hull,and fabricated the rest himself.For what it cost him in time and cash,he got a pretty impressive toy!Totally addictive and guarrateed to get you either arrested or admitted to casualty before long!I would build one tomorrow if I could spare the cash,plenty of good beaches and marshes in Essex waiting to be played on.

Bear in mind that if you were really good at controlling your machine and the plod did turn up while you were blasting around on the beach,how would they catch you?Just hit the water and do the off!

Wicked m8!

I want one.

Can I just tell you that since this thread has started, I have gotten 11 emails regarding purchasing a "toy HOVERCRAFT" (capitalization theirs)? It's been nonstop. I think someone here must be behind it.

I too got one of those. WTF.

I got none, but I suspect tmillar@cormcarst.nert recieved his fair share.

...invented by one Christopher Cockerell, I seem to remember from my science book - I think they're great. I lived in Cleethorpes in the '70s & we had a couple giving rides on the beach. My fondest memory is a trip around the humber estuary in 1968 (I was 3 but still remember it). The weirdest thing is that there is a surname Havercroft - a perfect spoonerisnm...

Oh yeah...I had a toy SRN7 (matallic maroon).

I think that maybe I went on the Dover-Calais one when I was 5? And I definitely had a Matchbox, but am relatively sure it's locked away somewhere inaccessible or sold or something.

Now, what part of America would benefit most from one of these? Seattle already is full up with ferries and monorail. But what about the UP of Michigan? The delta around New Orleans? The Florida Keys (can you imagine the Puffy/Jay-Z video)?

My best mate got a Saturday detention at school (the worst thing they could give him short of suspension) for asking how to say "hovercraft" in Latin. I think it shows a solid understanding of semantic formation, persoanlly, but the teacher disagreed.

Totally classic in every way.

i want commander shaw's hover chair