Hoverspeed hovercraft set to be destroyed

I imagine that the speed advantage of the hovercraft would be less appealing today, post-Chunnel. My one experience was somewhere in the middle. It wasn't unpleasant just rather boring, and nothing like as good as the Boeing.
 
pvb said:
Dunno, no doubt you'll reveal your source of accurate figures, including how much we paid to develop hovercrafts.
Click to expand...

Concorde development cost: £1.134bn.
Concorde construction cost: £654m
Sales of aircraft and spares: £278m

Net cost to British and French taxpayers: £1.51bn (£107m per production aircraft).

http://www.concordesst.com/faq.html

Over to you for the equivalent figures for hovercraft. I note that the sunk-cost fallacy is also called the Concorde fallacy, not the SRN4 fallacy ...
 
I went on the Hovertravel hovercraft once from Portsmouth to Ryde in the summer of 1988 when I went to visit her builders (then called Hoverwork) and I remember thinking that it was rather noisy, and vibrating - if I had a choice, I would prefer a conventional ferry (or a fast cat now) - but I didn't have a choice then.
I think they were separate from Hovermarine (on the Itchen, almost under the bridge), which later became Vosper Hovermarine.
 
Well I liked it. We used to take it when we went to see family in France, and as a five year old I fpund it EPICALLY cool.
 
Possibly unique and restricted to the Solent, I have always been impressed with the super-professional way the Portsmouth-Ryde hovercraft are handled; in over 40 years of trundling around the solent I have never once had the slightest hassle from them, despite their craft being relatively difficult to handle at close quarters.

Compare that to the fast cats and even car ferries, whose guidance systems seem to have been made from recycled V-1 / Exocet parts judging by the way they come at one like a relentless terminator !

The hovercraft was a British invention, and it's the familiar old story - everyone else around the world makes better use of it.

BTW the Russians are very big on hovercraft too, particularly for troop transport at amphibeous landings in the same way as the Americans.

I worked with Flight Test Engineer Hugh Fowler, who being from the IOW started on hovercraft, then went to Westland helicopters, then on Harriers when I knew him, he commented " It'll have to be flymo's next as I've done everything else which hovers ".
 
Seajet said:
Possibly unique and restricted to the Solent, I have always been impressed with the super-professional way the Portsmouth-Ryde hovercraft are handled; in over 40 years of trundling around the solent I have never once had the slightest hassle from them, despite their craft being relatively difficult to handle at close quarters.
".
Click to expand...

I had one come directly at me. I leaving Portsmouth harbour in September and he was off the Southsea. He altered course and passed what felt like just a few yards astern. In reality I'm sure it was much further but I got to say, it didn't make me happy. I held my course and he did his stuff, so no complaints, but it was a bit unnerving. Felt like a snail crossing his motorway. Impressive bit of kit through.
 
Seajet said:
Possibly unique and restricted to the Solent, I have always been impressed with the super-professional way the Portsmouth-Ryde hovercraft are handled; in over 40 years of trundling around the solent I have never once had the slightest hassle from them, despite their craft being relatively difficult to handle at close quarters.
Click to expand...

Unless they are drunk of course....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29566304

S.
 
Scotty_Tradewind said:
Unless they are drunk of course....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29566304

S.
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware of that case and I hope the bloke gets the help he clearly needs; but it doesn't exactly relate to hovercraft does it, we can point to hundreds of wrecks probably caused by pissed up people, ' Craigantlet ' is an example I use but she's one of very many.

Could have been anything from Kon Tiki to Thunderbird 2, if Thor Herydal or Virgil Tracey are trollied on landing, you can't blame the type of craft involved !
 
Last edited:
Seajet said:
People who moan about the vibration and noise of the car carrying hovercraft concerned are forgetting it got them, their family and car across in a fraction of the time, with much less sick-inducing motion, of a conventional ferry.
Click to expand...

Ahem, not on a Bolougne trip I did. The vomit comet lived up to its name. About 75% of pax busy filling barf bags. Something about the massive judder each time it got swatted by a big wave.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Ahem, not on a Bolougne trip I did. The vomit comet lived up to its name. About 75% of pax busy filling barf bags. Something about the massive judder each time it got swatted by a big wave.
Click to expand...

I was on one of the fast cat ferries to France and it had to slow right down to walking pacefor the same reason.

Similar to the slamming many AWBS get up to in a moderate swell!
Do Arcona's slam Ken? :)

S.
 
Last edited:
Seajet said:
The hovercraft was a British invention, and it's the familiar old story - everyone else around the world makes better use of it.
Click to expand...

Indeed. It was invented in the Broads (the idea was not new (few of them are), but the execution had never previously been resolved). Paradoxically, hovercraft are now banned in the Broads. I assume this is because of the noise and impact on tranquility and wildlife of what is now effectively a national park, and perhaps the difficulty in close manoeuvring in a confined navigation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top