Hovercraft Hobby
SunRider Progress
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Front view with new Onan 14hp lift engine and no more faded yellow paint.

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This is the thrust duct and engine cowling. As you can see it is very aerodynamic. Since I have chosen to use a Honda GX620 V-twin engine, I have to redesign the engine cowling.
I bought the engine from a company that had it up for auction on eBay. The "gently used" engine was not in running condition and is being returned because the rebuild it requires will outweigh the price of a new one. The company agreed to take it back and apply the money I paid for it toward a new one. When I got the new one, it was damaged and dented from shipping. The shipper sent it in a cardboard box from Arizona with no packing around it for protection and the shipping company must have used it as a football.

Onan 14hp OHV

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This is the lift engine installed with the stainless steel engine mounts. With the choice of an overhead valve engine, I could not set it in the duct any further because the distance between the crankshaft center and the outermost part of the engine was too great.

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Here you can see the 12 gauge stainless steel engine mounts I designed using AutoCAD.

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Work in Progress

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This is where I work on my craft, a one stall storage garage. As you can see, the windsheild is in place with a homemade aluminum frame. The lift engine is in place along with the fan.

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Here is a better view of the windsheild frame. There's not much room to work so the craft also serves as a work bench and storage. You can also see where the wiring harness goes to the gauges.
That metal band under the deck is a reinforcing band for the lift engine, it is also well grounded.

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This is the thrust system mount. It is made out of 12gauge 304 stainless steel. It is bolted to the raised section of the floor of the craft with six 3/8" bolts with reinforcing plates underneath. The Honda GX620 will mount on the bottom flat. The top section where the pillow blocks mount is reinforced by another piece of stainless steel running from one corner to the opposite corner for added stiffness.
I designed this using AutoCAD. This system cost me $90.