Hovercraft skirt????

[ARCHER7153]

How do you make a hove craft skirt?

[bloberts]

depends on which type of skirt (fingered or bag) and the terain it will be going over (water or rough ground etc) and materials but most importantly building experience or sewing experience

[hover dude]

bloberts is definately right on that. I would say that desiging the skirt is the hardest part of the hovercraft. i have mostly just used a straight pieces for a bag skirt and just glued it on. However on my 74mm fan build I designed the skirt on the computer, and had the computer make the skirt sections. What type of skirt/craft are you making?

[ARCHER7153]

Both

[liam2317]

I'm interested in the 'bag' style of skirt as well, finger skirts look too complex. Oh and what is the difference between a wall and a bag skirt?

(I think this forum could really do with a nice big sticky thread explaining the physics of hovercraft especially the skirts... if anyone is up to the task!)

Thanks!
Liam

[HoverTim]

A bag skirt is sealed and has no holes see attchment a wall skirt by wich you mean the eary skirts i presume is a simple flap of material that goes round the craft and is tied to the craft at the botem looks something lie this http://www.hovercraftmodels.com/Hover%2011.jpg is this waht you mean by a wall skirt

[ARCHER7153]

I'm interested in the 'bag' style of skirt as well, finger skirts look too complex. Oh and what is the difference between a wall and a bag skirt?

(I think this forum could really do with a nice big sticky thread explaining the physics of hovercraft especially the skirts... if anyone is up to the task!)

Thanks!
Liam


This should be a sticky

[Eric1180]

what would be best for a sandy back yard. where i live it is weird the ground is sandy. i don't live in the desert.

[HoverTim]

is the sand solid or more like a a beach lose and sharp

[davereap]

I am also looking for this sort of info.can someone take the time to explain the make up of the diferent types of skirt and provide some pics..please

there is a distict lack of info on the hovercraft in the whole section, and the info must be out there somewhere

[HoverTim]

Well there are 3 main types of hovercraft skirt some more complicated than others first off theres a bag skirt this is realtivly simple to make but does require some calulations a bag skirt is a sealed bag that goes round the parimiter of the craft depending on what type of lift fan you are using it may or may not have holes in to let the air under the craft see picture http://www.flickr.com/photos/19759955@N07/2518185766/in/set-72157604513602311/ this craft is a raceing stlye so i has a hole in the bottom the deck to allow air into the space under the craft while some of the lift air is ducted off in to the skirt so no holes are needed in the bag see link http://www.model-hovercraft.com/2000tdx/2000tdxskirtplan4.html

A bag and finger skirt in a very common skirt on many of the full size hovercraft bt thery are very time consuming to build it will work much the same way as a bag skirt but wit holes above certian fingers to allow airfow in to the fingers and raies the craft that much higher see linkhttp://www.model-hovercraft.com/srn6mk6/srn6mk6skirt.html

a farily simple skirt to make is the segemted skirt these are common on racing style craft but i have not seen many electrical powerd segmented skirts but i will explain them anyway in simple terms its lots of little skirts joined together to make one big skirt see link http://www.uclan.ac.uk/news/2006/web052.htm although it looks complicated the majority of the skirt is the same all the way round sort of like a pocket http://www.bufocraft.net/hovercraft_parts_skirts.htm at the back the segment is not open as it would scoop water as it went along with regards to designing skirts ther not a lot out there a certain book is very usefull and is avalible from http://hovercraftmodels.com/store/ it called Introduction to RC Hovercraft also a skirt calculator is avalible from
http://www.rc-hovercraft.com/rchovercraft/infoframes.html but as i have said before the best way o learn about modle hovercraft is to go to this link
http://www.model-hovercraft.com/2000tdx/2000tdx.html this is how i learned and i am on my fourh model now

I hopethis has been usefull any more questions plase ask but i am going to a modle show tomorrow and i wont be back un til Monday so i will answer any question when i get back