Sail-World.com : Hov Pod Hover Tender
The Hov Pod’s unique hull design utilises High Density Polyethylene – this material has been used in the past in the construction of F1 crash barriers and artificial joints. HDPE is very light, very strong and impact resistant, and extremely buoyant so makes an ideal material for hovercraft construction.
The Hov Pod design resulted by accident – company founder Peter Ward suffered a nasty paraglide landing, so not wanting to give up flying but consequently scarred of heights, he looked for alternative ways to fly, a little closer to the ground. Hov Pods fly 8 inches above the ground, indeed any flat surface at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. People get a real buzz driving at that speed particularly on land to water transitions – you expect a bump but feel so comfortable. Upon returning to land, you hear your passengers gasp as they expect you to slow up at the water’s edge – but Hov Pods just keep on flying.
As you have no wheels or brakes for that matter, floating on a cushion of air enables a completely different yet extremely comfortable ride. For example, a quick flick of the steering handle, and you can effect a 180 turn, or 360/720 spin – almost as if you were driving some anti-gravitational futuristic craft, back from the future.
These versatile craft handle water, sand, mud, ice, snow, any flat surface; driver and passengers get literally ........... blown away.
Hov Pods are designed for marine leisure, so there are many safety features included as standard. The sheer versatility of the craft make them ideal for all manner of applications, such as tenders, rescue craft, allowing exploration to places other craft and people cannot reach, such as winter ice-bound island homes, shallow rivers, or deserted islands surrounded by coral-reefs. With no propeller to disturb marine life, they are also eco-friendly – you can fly over eggs without breaking any, and when hovering, they weigh less than a seagull standing on one leg.
Hov Pods seat three adults, weigh 310 Kilos, measure 12 feet by 6, and can be fitted with lifting points to store on deck. Further information available at http://www.hovpod.com
by Mike Glanville
6:21 PM Wed 6 Aug 2008 GMT
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