# Why have Hovercrafts not taken off yet **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609 "2002-09-09T04:57:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Buck\_The\_Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Buck\_The\_Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_The_Diver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/21 "2002-09-09T14:34:06Z")
Hovercraft are also incredibly noisy. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/22 "2002-09-09T15:36:05Z")
[Hovercraft Club of America](http://www.hoverclubofamerica.org). There are many people out there building personal hovercraft out of things in their garage. The problems that people haven’t yet mentioned: They require a lot of power, since you have to both keep the skirt inflated and provide propulsion power. All those moving parts and the constant wear and tear on the skirt means a maintenance nightmare, therefore prohibitively expensive. That’s why the last of the two SR.N4’s, the _Princess Margaret_ and _Princess Anne_ were taken out of service; they simply couldn’t keep up on the maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/23 "2002-09-09T15:58:03Z")
[Picture of the Hong Kong hovercraft](http://www.interlog.com/~wwhite/hongkong.html#Harbour%20Cruise) (2nd down on the right). They are indeed very, very noisy, and they bounce like hell on the water, even when the sea is calm. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/24 "2002-09-09T16:42:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*The big problem is that the tend to become full of eels. The problem is so acute that Hungarian phrasebooks usually carry a useful phrase about the problem that you can use at the tobacconist’s. \*\* Thank you. I had no interest in this thread, but I had to scroll through the entire thing just to be sure sommeone pointed this out, otherwise, I would have. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/25 "2002-09-09T17:07:49Z")
When using Hungarian Pharse Books, please be sure to check local cultural norms, lest confusion amongst the locals cause you to be carted off… ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/26 "2002-09-09T17:17:45Z")
Ironically, one of the advantages that Clarke mentioned was that a Hovercraft would be exceedingly smooth in ocean storms due to the fact that it would be unaffected by waves. I guess he never actually rode one. By roads, I meant the actualy bitumen, all the street signs etc will still have to be up but you dont have to constantly clean, resurface and maintain the roads. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609/27 "2002-09-09T19:21:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Ironically, one of the advantages that Clarke mentioned was that a Hovercraft would be exceedingly smooth in ocean storms due to the fact that it would be unaffected by waves. ??? If this statement is true, Clarke must not know anything about marine engineering. Any ocean-going vessel is affected by waves, an air-cushion vehicle more so. When a big enough wave hits the front skirt, it blows all the air out and you lose that much bouyancy. If you’re moving forward fast enough, the hard structure gets submerged and you have a real problem on your hands. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-hovercrafts-not-taken-off-yet/127609.md?page=1)