Hov Pod Hovercrafts-Better Than Sex?
Author: Stewart Alexander
Hov Pod Hovercraft is a new three seater leisure hovercraft
made especially for marine usage.
Unlike PWC (personal watercraft) owners, Hov Pod Hovercraft users do not wait for the
tide to rise. Nope!
They simply jump into their personal hovercraft and before you know it they are off and away over mud, sand, shingle, grass, ice, in fact any kind of flat surface you can imagine.
Bystanders have bared witness to Hov Pod Hovercrafts hovering over objects such as car tyres! Can you imagine that? Hov Pod Hovercraft has proven time and time again how it can hover at
heights of up to 8.5 inches.
This part of the Hov Pod Hovercraft technology is particularly useful for inshore rescues, especially when mud or ice pose a hazard.
Hov Pod Hovercraft Ownership - Reality or Dream?
You maybe thinking... "So what's new? And quite rightly so, being as hovercrafts have been around for quite some time. However; having said that, the latest news is that leisure
hovercraft ownership has become an actual reality for many Hov Pod Hovercraft enthusiasts. In fact, gone are the days when people used to imagine hovercraft as huge, loud commercial
vessels or something for crazy enthusiasts that spent all their time and money putting home made kits together.
I'm sure you know the home made hovercraft kits I'm talking about.
Hov Pod Hovercraft Engine Design
Hov Pod Hovercraft designers have used the conventional lift engine which uses (one single engine) to generate tremendous air lift.
This one Hov Pod Hovercraft engine is capable of hurtling a Hov Pod Hovercraft forwards, sideways and into 180 and 360 degree turns. The icing on the cake are the hair raising top speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.
This One Engine Design is Responsible for Easier handling i.e.. driving Reduced noise outputs And easy maintenance Hov Pod Hovercraft Design Challenges
When it came to performance on water, previous small hovercraft designs produced a few obstacles. Development teams faced challenges known as "Ploughing in"... i.e.. When the hovercraft's nose dipped into the water, it caused the craft to suddenly stop. This sometimes lead to craft and passengers parting company!
Further challenges which the Hov Pod Hovercraft team had to
solve were:
Floatation Restarting on water
It took the Hov Pod Hovercraft development team 7 years to design and develop a safe personal leisure hovercraft for marine usage. As a result, the Hov Pod Hovercraft can be safely used in
salt water conditions and makes light work of the term "Getting over the hump."
"Getting over the hump." is a term used to describe the problems some small hovercraft experience in:
Generating enough power to start while on water Forward movement on a cushion of air Hov Pod Hovercraft Payload
Depending on the Hov Pod Hovercraft engine size... on water payload starts at:
550 pounds (250 kilos) or 725 pounds (330 kilos).
A Hov Pod Hovercraft personal leisure hovercraft is designed to carry up to three adults, or one adult and three small children.
Hov Pod Hovercraft Handling
Handling a Hov Pod Hovercraft is a breeze! Your natural instincts will be challenged, which adds all to the excitement of a Hov Pod Hovercraft adventure!
For example. With your new found hobby, you'll find yourself using sandbars, navigating mud flats, doing graceful loops, flying over any kind of flat surface, sliding and even gliding into breath stopping 180 degree turns or 360 degree spins.
Hov Pod Hovercraft Commercial Applications
Not only great as a personal leisure hovercraft for having the most amazing fun, the Hov Pod Hovercraft has proven itself to be a proven winner as a commercial application. Here are but a few commercial uses for:
Rescue organizations:
mud-flat rescues
sand dune rescues
swamp rescues
flood rescues
shallow river rescues
iced over lake rescues
and areas of submerged rocks or coral
About the author:
Stewart Alexander is the author and webmaster of: Hov Pod Adventures.
Visit Hov Pod Hovercraft Request Form for more information about
Hov Pod Personal Hovercrafts.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Fast Go Karts - Cheap Excitement!
Author: Sally Johnson
Are you ready to discover a thrilling recreational activity? Racing or off road go karts could be the ultimate in excitement!
The thrill of skidding sharply around a blind corner in your go kart is an experience that is hard to surpass. Racing down the track in one of your speedy go karts, maneuvering around curves
and slower gokart drivers, is fun at its best. Pressing down hard on the accelerator as you pass by slower drivers is about as adrenaline-pumping as it gets. And with gokarting for every
level anyone can experience the fun and heart-pounding excitement of go karting.
The smell of the dirt track and the distinct aroma of the gas and oil burning in the gocart engine is enough to excite any enthusiast, even when watching from the stands. If you have ever
watched an Indy Car or Formula One race in person or on TV you know how exciting it can be. But imagine climbing into one of those off road or racing gokarts yourself. Starting out slow,
taking out to the track, the anticipation is almost unbearable. But then, once on the track, you press the accelerator on your gocart to the floor, feeling an immediate thrust forward, and your adrenaline pumping just as fast. What a thrill. Go karts cannot be beat.
Gokarts are how you can experience the thrill of Formula One racing without the danger. At least with the beginner go karts. And you can find those just about anywhere, at family amusement parks, fun centers and other recreational areas where you live. And if you are really serious, it is a good way to get started toward a career in professional racing. Once you master driving go karts it is time to take the next step into the arena of professional racing. But if you are not quite so brave remaining in a go kart can still be exciting.
Go karts are geared toward beginners in either off road or paved track racing. Beginner gokarts are easy to drive and control. And if you do lose control there are usually not serious consequences to deal with afterward. No, it is just plain fun racing go karts. Go karting is a simplified version of Indy Car or Formula One racing. But like anything else there are different levels that you can become involved in.
From total beginners to professional go kart racing. From the least experienced drivers to ones that are training to become professional drivers. You can choose your own competition. No need to get involved over your head. The main objective is to have fun. And once you get into your own go kart, no matter what level you are competing in, the fun just never ends.
Once you get addicted to go karting there is no limit as to what you can do. You can purchase a brand new gokart ready for racing, or you can buy inexpensive kits and build your own go
carts. Installing rack and pinion steering to changing tires will become easy over time. Or how about the installation of a brand new engine designed for improving the speed of go karts? Maybe you will be after a brand new frame that will be the envy of all around. Perhaps you will want to get into electric gokarts instead of gas powered go karts. The way gas prices are climbing these days that might be a good idea.
But the bottom line is this: speed is where the excitement comes in. And these go karts can reach speeds up to 90 MPH or more. That is fast. But once again, there is no need to start getting nervous just yet. There are opportunities for thrills at every level. You do not need to go 80 MPH to experience a thrilling ride. So if you have ever thought about getting involved with go karts it is never too late and you are never too old. Go out and experience the thrill of go karting now.
About the author:
Sally Johnson is an amateur when it comes to go karts. But that doesn't stop her from having fun. She enjoys racing or going off road. Please visit her go karts site for more information about
go karts and go kart parts.
Are you ready to discover a thrilling recreational activity? Racing or off road go karts could be the ultimate in excitement!
The thrill of skidding sharply around a blind corner in your go kart is an experience that is hard to surpass. Racing down the track in one of your speedy go karts, maneuvering around curves
and slower gokart drivers, is fun at its best. Pressing down hard on the accelerator as you pass by slower drivers is about as adrenaline-pumping as it gets. And with gokarting for every
level anyone can experience the fun and heart-pounding excitement of go karting.
The smell of the dirt track and the distinct aroma of the gas and oil burning in the gocart engine is enough to excite any enthusiast, even when watching from the stands. If you have ever
watched an Indy Car or Formula One race in person or on TV you know how exciting it can be. But imagine climbing into one of those off road or racing gokarts yourself. Starting out slow,
taking out to the track, the anticipation is almost unbearable. But then, once on the track, you press the accelerator on your gocart to the floor, feeling an immediate thrust forward, and your adrenaline pumping just as fast. What a thrill. Go karts cannot be beat.
Gokarts are how you can experience the thrill of Formula One racing without the danger. At least with the beginner go karts. And you can find those just about anywhere, at family amusement parks, fun centers and other recreational areas where you live. And if you are really serious, it is a good way to get started toward a career in professional racing. Once you master driving go karts it is time to take the next step into the arena of professional racing. But if you are not quite so brave remaining in a go kart can still be exciting.
Go karts are geared toward beginners in either off road or paved track racing. Beginner gokarts are easy to drive and control. And if you do lose control there are usually not serious consequences to deal with afterward. No, it is just plain fun racing go karts. Go karting is a simplified version of Indy Car or Formula One racing. But like anything else there are different levels that you can become involved in.
From total beginners to professional go kart racing. From the least experienced drivers to ones that are training to become professional drivers. You can choose your own competition. No need to get involved over your head. The main objective is to have fun. And once you get into your own go kart, no matter what level you are competing in, the fun just never ends.
Once you get addicted to go karting there is no limit as to what you can do. You can purchase a brand new gokart ready for racing, or you can buy inexpensive kits and build your own go
carts. Installing rack and pinion steering to changing tires will become easy over time. Or how about the installation of a brand new engine designed for improving the speed of go karts? Maybe you will be after a brand new frame that will be the envy of all around. Perhaps you will want to get into electric gokarts instead of gas powered go karts. The way gas prices are climbing these days that might be a good idea.
But the bottom line is this: speed is where the excitement comes in. And these go karts can reach speeds up to 90 MPH or more. That is fast. But once again, there is no need to start getting nervous just yet. There are opportunities for thrills at every level. You do not need to go 80 MPH to experience a thrilling ride. So if you have ever thought about getting involved with go karts it is never too late and you are never too old. Go out and experience the thrill of go karting now.
About the author:
Sally Johnson is an amateur when it comes to go karts. But that doesn't stop her from having fun. She enjoys racing or going off road. Please visit her go karts site for more information about
go karts and go kart parts.
Go Karts Are Fun, But Are They Safe?
Author: J Larry Alan
Go karts are thrilling, but are they dangerous? By taking a few safety precautions you can eliminate just about all of the dangers.
Go karts are fast, exciting and easy to handle, and there are tracks all over the country catering to every age range from kids to teens to adults. Gokarts are generally easy to drive, easy to control and are how you can experience the excitement of Formula One racing without as much of the danger.
Go-karts are just beginning to come into their own and are geared toward beginners in either off road or paved track go kart racing. They are built to withstand years of use and abuse and are terrific when it comes to performance, styling and low maintenance.
There are many types of vehicles that are built for fun. These include ATVs, dirt bikes, scooters, mopeds, mini bikes and go karts. If you are looking to find some excitement with 4 wheels then you have to discard the dirt bike, scooter, moped and mini bike. And the all terrain vehicles are typically made for traveling off road. That leaves the go kart. If you want to go racing like the big boys, with a mighty gasoline powered engine and relative safety, go karts are what you will want to be racing.
Whether you just want some cheap racing fun or would like to someday become a professional race car driver, the go-kart is a great way to begin. Many NASCAR drivers today got their start by racing go karts when they were as young as five years old.
Carts have been around for a lot of years, but have increased in popularity only recently. Back in the olden days, carts were only available at the neighborhood Family Fun Center or Amusement Park. And these gokarts only had two speeds, slow and slower. But were they safe? Let's just say it wasn't easy to get hurt traveling at just 5 mph.
But even at the slower speeds they were still loads of fun. Imagine the thrill you can experience now with the faster speeds and the bigger and better track selections. Great go-cart tracks have been sprouting up all over. But have the increased karting speeds made the go carts unsafe?
They used to be so terribly slow that no helmets were even required. But with the speeds attained today helmets are required at tracks everywhere, even the kiddie's tracks. But
don't let that scare you, they are still extremely safe and there is never any need to go faster than your own comfort dictates.
You can control, for the most part, the amount of danger you experience in a go kart. Your decisions, from the go kart you buy, to the safety equipment you use, to your level of caution
expressed on the track, determine how safe you will be. The faster you go the more chance of sustaining a substantial injury. So taking every safety precaution is always a smart idea.
Carting is generally very safe if you follow a few simple rules. One important thing to remember is that they are not toys. Don't treat them like a toy, treat them like a vehicle. As far as safety rules go, number one is "always wear a helmet." In the event of a crash it can spare you from a serious head injury. Also, never forget to fasten your safety harness. This will prevent you from being tossed out during a roll. Never race at speeds that you don't feel comfortable with. If speed is not your thing you should remain in the lesser levels of racing groups.
If you decide to race, even in a kid's competition, you should be wearing a fire safety suit, racing shoes and protective gloves. The shoes and gloves should also be fire retardant. There is not much gas in a gocart, but if it should happen to catch on fire the fire-safe equipment you use could save you a lot of pain and discomfort.
Gocarts today all have roll bars that rise above the driver's head. In the event that you lose control, causing your go kart to flip over, the roll bars and safety harness can keep you from
harm's way. You may think that it could not happen to you because you are such a great driver, but the other racers on the track may not be so great. This is the reason why a gokart has
side bars that will protect you in the event that another racer loses control and rams your kart.
With all of these precautions how can anyone get injured? It's possible, but the chances of experiencing a serious injury are severely limited by simply following a few safety rules. Go
karts are just about as safe as you want to make them.
About the author:
J Larry Alan loves driving cheap go karts. Nothing is better than a little fast go kart action.
For more information about go karts please visit J's site about go karts.
Author: J Larry Alan
Go karts are thrilling, but are they dangerous? By taking a few safety precautions you can eliminate just about all of the dangers.
Go karts are fast, exciting and easy to handle, and there are tracks all over the country catering to every age range from kids to teens to adults. Gokarts are generally easy to drive, easy to control and are how you can experience the excitement of Formula One racing without as much of the danger.
Go-karts are just beginning to come into their own and are geared toward beginners in either off road or paved track go kart racing. They are built to withstand years of use and abuse and are terrific when it comes to performance, styling and low maintenance.
There are many types of vehicles that are built for fun. These include ATVs, dirt bikes, scooters, mopeds, mini bikes and go karts. If you are looking to find some excitement with 4 wheels then you have to discard the dirt bike, scooter, moped and mini bike. And the all terrain vehicles are typically made for traveling off road. That leaves the go kart. If you want to go racing like the big boys, with a mighty gasoline powered engine and relative safety, go karts are what you will want to be racing.
Whether you just want some cheap racing fun or would like to someday become a professional race car driver, the go-kart is a great way to begin. Many NASCAR drivers today got their start by racing go karts when they were as young as five years old.
Carts have been around for a lot of years, but have increased in popularity only recently. Back in the olden days, carts were only available at the neighborhood Family Fun Center or Amusement Park. And these gokarts only had two speeds, slow and slower. But were they safe? Let's just say it wasn't easy to get hurt traveling at just 5 mph.
But even at the slower speeds they were still loads of fun. Imagine the thrill you can experience now with the faster speeds and the bigger and better track selections. Great go-cart tracks have been sprouting up all over. But have the increased karting speeds made the go carts unsafe?
They used to be so terribly slow that no helmets were even required. But with the speeds attained today helmets are required at tracks everywhere, even the kiddie's tracks. But
don't let that scare you, they are still extremely safe and there is never any need to go faster than your own comfort dictates.
You can control, for the most part, the amount of danger you experience in a go kart. Your decisions, from the go kart you buy, to the safety equipment you use, to your level of caution
expressed on the track, determine how safe you will be. The faster you go the more chance of sustaining a substantial injury. So taking every safety precaution is always a smart idea.
Carting is generally very safe if you follow a few simple rules. One important thing to remember is that they are not toys. Don't treat them like a toy, treat them like a vehicle. As far as safety rules go, number one is "always wear a helmet." In the event of a crash it can spare you from a serious head injury. Also, never forget to fasten your safety harness. This will prevent you from being tossed out during a roll. Never race at speeds that you don't feel comfortable with. If speed is not your thing you should remain in the lesser levels of racing groups.
If you decide to race, even in a kid's competition, you should be wearing a fire safety suit, racing shoes and protective gloves. The shoes and gloves should also be fire retardant. There is not much gas in a gocart, but if it should happen to catch on fire the fire-safe equipment you use could save you a lot of pain and discomfort.
Gocarts today all have roll bars that rise above the driver's head. In the event that you lose control, causing your go kart to flip over, the roll bars and safety harness can keep you from
harm's way. You may think that it could not happen to you because you are such a great driver, but the other racers on the track may not be so great. This is the reason why a gokart has
side bars that will protect you in the event that another racer loses control and rams your kart.
With all of these precautions how can anyone get injured? It's possible, but the chances of experiencing a serious injury are severely limited by simply following a few safety rules. Go
karts are just about as safe as you want to make them.
About the author:
J Larry Alan loves driving cheap go karts. Nothing is better than a little fast go kart action.
For more information about go karts please visit J's site about go karts.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Parts of a Hydroplane
Hydroplanes are the boating equivelant of "open wheeled" race cars (eg. Formula 1, Formula Ford, etc), they have been designed purely for speed. That is the sole purpose of this boat design.
Also known as a "3 Point Hydroplane", the main characteristic of the hydroplane are the sponsons that are built lower than the main bulk of the boat. At speed, the boat will partly lift out of the water, leaving only the two sponsons and propeller (the 3 points) in contact with the water. This is how a hydroplane can have so much speed with relatively low horsepower, because there is less boat surface in contact with the water, causing drag.
The types of hydroplane design basically boil down to 2 types:1 - Conventional (rear seater)2 - Cabover (front seater)
The main differences are that a Conventional has the driver behind the motor and has a big round "shovel" nose, whereas a Cabover has the driver in front of the motor and a "pickle fork" front.
Conventional hydroplanes are older in design and generally slower than Cabovers. Although, a Conventional hydroplane with the right set-up can very much still battle against the newer, more efficient, Cabover designs.
TOP VIEW
Cabover on left, Conventional on right
1 :Engine
2 :Cockpit - Lending explanation to the terms "Cabover" & "Rear Seater"
3 :Gearbox
4 :Rudder - The rudders are offset to either side of the back of the boat so the rudder can control the steering in the "clean" water, out of the propeller wash. As for which side of the boat ?? There is no hard & fast rule.
5 :Propeller - On a Conventional hydro, the propeller is located under the back of the boat
FRONT VIEW
Cabover on left, Conventional on right
This illustration directly illustrates the concept of the boat lifting out of the water at speed, showing only the sponson tips in contact with the water.
Notice the older design on the right with the higher centre of gravity, therefore not allowing the boat to turn easily.
1 : Air Trap or Tunnel - This key to a hydroplane. The air is trapped by a sponson on either side and has to continue under the boat. This air pressure (when sufficient) will cause the boat to lift out of the water
2 : Sponsons
SIDE VIEW
Conventional above, Cabover below
1 : Skid Fin - Due to most of the boat being out of the water, a fin is added so the boat has something to "grip" the water with as it turns
2 : Cockpit
3 : Air Trap - These panels keep the air trapped in the tunnel until further towards the back of the boat. These can be extended or shortened to fine tune the boats handling
4 : Engine
5 : Gearbox
6 : Propeller Shaft
7 : Skeg
8 : Propeller
9 : Rudder
Hydroplanes are the boating equivelant of "open wheeled" race cars (eg. Formula 1, Formula Ford, etc), they have been designed purely for speed. That is the sole purpose of this boat design.
Also known as a "3 Point Hydroplane", the main characteristic of the hydroplane are the sponsons that are built lower than the main bulk of the boat. At speed, the boat will partly lift out of the water, leaving only the two sponsons and propeller (the 3 points) in contact with the water. This is how a hydroplane can have so much speed with relatively low horsepower, because there is less boat surface in contact with the water, causing drag.
The types of hydroplane design basically boil down to 2 types:1 - Conventional (rear seater)2 - Cabover (front seater)
The main differences are that a Conventional has the driver behind the motor and has a big round "shovel" nose, whereas a Cabover has the driver in front of the motor and a "pickle fork" front.
Conventional hydroplanes are older in design and generally slower than Cabovers. Although, a Conventional hydroplane with the right set-up can very much still battle against the newer, more efficient, Cabover designs.
TOP VIEW
Cabover on left, Conventional on right
1 :Engine
2 :Cockpit - Lending explanation to the terms "Cabover" & "Rear Seater"
3 :Gearbox
4 :Rudder - The rudders are offset to either side of the back of the boat so the rudder can control the steering in the "clean" water, out of the propeller wash. As for which side of the boat ?? There is no hard & fast rule.
5 :Propeller - On a Conventional hydro, the propeller is located under the back of the boat
FRONT VIEW
Cabover on left, Conventional on right
This illustration directly illustrates the concept of the boat lifting out of the water at speed, showing only the sponson tips in contact with the water.
Notice the older design on the right with the higher centre of gravity, therefore not allowing the boat to turn easily.
1 : Air Trap or Tunnel - This key to a hydroplane. The air is trapped by a sponson on either side and has to continue under the boat. This air pressure (when sufficient) will cause the boat to lift out of the water
2 : Sponsons
SIDE VIEW
Conventional above, Cabover below
1 : Skid Fin - Due to most of the boat being out of the water, a fin is added so the boat has something to "grip" the water with as it turns
2 : Cockpit
3 : Air Trap - These panels keep the air trapped in the tunnel until further towards the back of the boat. These can be extended or shortened to fine tune the boats handling
4 : Engine
5 : Gearbox
6 : Propeller Shaft
7 : Skeg
8 : Propeller
9 : Rudder
Sunday, February 05, 2006
What is A Hydroplane?
A hydroplane (or hydro, or thunderboat) is a very specific type of motorboat (motorboat: A boat propelled by an internal-combustion engine) used exclusively for racing.One of the most unique things about these boats is that they only use the water they're on for propulsion and steering (steering: The act of setting and holding a course) --when going full speed they are primarily held aloft by a principle of aerodynamics (aerodynamics: The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of gases (especially air) and their effects on bodies in the flow) known as "planing (planing: planing has several meanings:...[follow hyperlink for more...]) ", with only a tiny fraction of their hull (hull: The frame or body of ship) actually touching the water.
Build a Picklefork a 9 1/2' hydroplane
Source: http://www.glen-l.com/
I had been searching the internet for boat designs for i am planning to build one. I was thinking of a simple motorized outrigger for me to build.
While browsing for designs, i encountered the these Hydroplane design. I find it very interesting and i began to change my mind of what im gonna build this summer. This fast boat planes over the water using the 3 point hydroplane design. Check this out you mught find it intresting. This Hydroplane is designed by Glen L.
Built from plywood and has the following dimensions:
Length overall ------------ 9'-6"
Beam -------------------- 5'-3"
Hull depth ---------------- 14"
Average passengers ------ 1
Hull weight (approx.): ---- 90 lbs.
Hull type: Picklefork type three-point hydroplane developed for sheet plywood planking.
Power: Short shaft outboard motor to 80 lbs.
While browsing for designs, i encountered the these Hydroplane design. I find it very interesting and i began to change my mind of what im gonna build this summer. This fast boat planes over the water using the 3 point hydroplane design. Check this out you mught find it intresting. This Hydroplane is designed by Glen L.
Built from plywood and has the following dimensions:
Length overall ------------ 9'-6"
Beam -------------------- 5'-3"
Hull depth ---------------- 14"
Average passengers ------ 1
Hull weight (approx.): ---- 90 lbs.
Hull type: Picklefork type three-point hydroplane developed for sheet plywood planking.
Power: Short shaft outboard motor to 80 lbs.
You can see photos and list of materials on the links below.
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