How to Make a Simple Hovercraft You Can Ride

Making the disk

• 1

  Use a pencil tied to the end of a piece of string to draw a 4-foot diameter circle on the plywood. Thumbtack the other end of the string to the center of the board and keep the string stretched tight.

• 2

  Cut out the plywood circle with the jigsaw. Sand any edges that are rough.

• 3

  Draw a circle halfway between the center and the edge of the disk, the same size as the nozzle or hose on whatever you are using as your source of air. Cut out this circle with the jigsaw. Don't worry about the fit being perfect. You can always use duct tape around any cracks to prevent air leaks.

• 4

  Wrap the foam pipe insulators around the edges of the disk so that the entire edge has a foam bumper around it. Most foam pipe insulators have a slit down the side that you can open up. They are usually sticky, as well, so the bumper should stick on. If it doesn't stick, you could secure it with some duct tape. The plastic skirt will eventually keep it in place.

• 5

  If you want to do anything fancy to your disk, such as painting it a bright color, do it before you attach the plastic skirt.

Making the plastic "skirt"

• 6

  Lay out the sheet of plastic and put the wood disk in the center. Cut the plastic into a giant circle a foot larger than the disk.

• 7

  Bring the edges of the plastic up over the disk and staple with a staple gun. Make neat pleats as you fold it over. Make the plastic just snug over the edge and don't over tighten or it might rip when inflated. You may also want to use duct tape to tape the very edge of the plastic down to the disk. You will find that duct tape sticks to painted surfaces much better than bare wood.

• 8

  Turn the disk over and attach a 6-inch thin plywood circle to the center of the disk, using 1/2-inch wood screws to secure it.

• 9

  Use a sharp craft knife to cut some 2-inch diameter holes in the plastic, 6 to 8 inches away from the center. Use the picture as a guide. If the plastic seems like it will tear around the edges, you can reinforce the edges with duct tape. If you want to do anything fancy to your disk, such as painting it a bright color, do it before you attach the plastic skirt.

Riding the Hovercraft

• 10

  Flip the hovercraft over so that the small holes are on the bottom.

• 11

  Set the leaf blower or Shop Vac right on top of the disk and put the nozzle or hose into the hole that you cut for this purpose. Make sure the nozzle does not go right through the hole and poke the plastic on the other side. If this happens you will need to troubleshoot a bit, adjusting the position of the blower or using duct tape to secure the nozzle at the right place. You might also be able to add a wood retainer ring around the original hole, depending on the shape of your nozzle.

• 12

  Make sure your cord is long enough. The length of your cord is the limiting factor for the distance you can ride. You might want to add an extension cord.

• 13

  Turn on the blower. The plastic skirt will inflate and lift the hovercraft just slightly off the ground. You may not notice a huge difference in the height of the disk.

• 14

  Carefully step onto the disk. Have someone give the disc a push. The disc should glide along the floor.