First responders say Neoteric Hovercraft is "an awesome asset."

The Davis County, Utah Sheriff's Office has relied on a Neoteric rescue HoverTrek™ for three years now and they say it has, without question, saved lives.

The hovercraft is ideal for the terrain in Davis County. Much of the county is covered by the Great Salt Lake, and when the water is low it leaves miles of mudflats boats can't reach. A particularly hazardous area is Farmington Bay, a muddy marshland that has been the scene of chaos many times for search & rescue teams. Not long ago, the hovercraft saved some duck hunters on the bay. "We had an individual who was stuck in the mud," says DCSO Search & Rescue Commander Erik Bornemeier, "They get out there too far, then they get extremely tired and literally can't move."

 "We can't get airboats out there," he adds, "When it's extremely windy, it's hard to get an aircraft or helicopter out there, and even walking out there is impossible."

But their hovercraft overcomes these obstacles and is literally a life saver - for both victims and rescuers. "You have to get there in time, but you have to get there safely," says Bornemeier, "We were putting rescuers in harm's way, but this allows us to hover over ice, mud or water and get right to the patient - to literally reach out our hand and pull them out."

He continues, "It's built like a plane: light, fast, maneuverable. It fills that "what if" need. And it's an awesome asset to have."

Watch Davis County's hovercraft in action when Salt Lake City's Fox 13 News recently took a spin ...

First responders are saving lives worldwide with their Neoteric rescue hovercraft ...

Read their reports ...

Custom-built Hovercraft Garage

So where do you park a hovercraft? One of our customers in Sweden has the perfect answer –
a custom-built hovergarage …

His hovergarage is complete with ramps and front and back doors for easy fly-through. You could save some money on the double doors, though, since the Neoteric craft’s reverse thrust lets it fly backward out of the garage.

But our customers don’t just build hovergarages – many of them build their actual hovercraft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Hovercraft Kit. Not only does a DIY hovercraft kit save you money, it gives you a great project to enjoy with friends & family.

And don’t think this is just a hobbyist activity; we have rescue and commercial customers who built their own hovercraft from kits. Here are just a couple of examples …

Walt Sitz of Oregon built his rescue HoverTrek™ from a kit so he can use it to help others. He and his aircraft business, Eagle Wings, Inc., belong to Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that provides rescue and relief support to humanitarian missions worldwide …

The Winous Point Shooting Club in Ohio built their commercial hovercraft from a Neoteric kit. Winous Point is the oldest duck hunting club in America, and they use it to transport hunters over water, mud, sand and thin ice to suitable hunting spots ...

You can learn more about what’s involved in building a hovercraft from a kit, and see step-by-step photo galleries in the Neoteric Hovercraft HoverGarage.

So, get out your tools!  It’s a do-it-yourselfer’s dream come true … you can build your own hovercraft and build your own hovergarage to house it!

Hovercraft: The novelty never ends

Here’s a familiar scenario: someone buys a vehicle for recreation – a jet ski, a boat, a snowmobile – to use it a few times, then the novelty wears off and it ends up languishing in their garage, or they sell it.

This is rarely the case with a hovercraft, and Barry Eison’s story is the perfect example. Barry, a 56-year-old mechanical engineer from Tennessee, purchased a 4-passenger Neoteric HoverTrek™ a year ago and his enjoyment of his hovercraft continues to grow.

Barry bought a hovercraft because “Every time we go out hunting, fishing, exploring, we see places we can’t get to. So many areas are inaccessible. Duck hunting is big in my area and one of the biggest frustrations for duck hunters is you have to be able to go from water to land to water – a hovercraft makes that possible.”

One reason the novelty of his hovercraft hasn’t worn off is that Barry entered his new adventure wisely - first, by purchasing the right hovercraft. “I’ve been looking at hovercraft for five years,” he said. “I’ve looked at every hovercraft company out there … Neoteric is the only one that doesn’t have a single negative review.” And next, by undergoing pilot training at Hovercraft Training Centers.

Barry Eison (right) accepts his Hovercraft Pilot Certification from
Neoteric President/HTC Senior Flight Instructor Chris Fitzgerald.

As do most of our customers, Barry stays in frequent communication with us at Neoteric. You can see from a few of his emails over the last year how his hovercraft is definitely not going to end up languishing in his garage! …

August 27, 2014:

“My overall thoughts to date are:

1) I love this machine. The more I use it, the more I realize the engineering and research & development that went into its development.

2) I want to experiment with different material for the bags.

3) This craft would be easy to learn to drive if someone drove it who had never driven anything else.

4) I am becoming quite confident with it and absolutely cannot wait to get it out hunting this winter. It has already opened up areas that I have hunted my entire life but have never been able to access. Well done, Neoteric, well done.”

November 12, 2014:

“The hovercraft has performed very well on the Mississippi River and in and around the barge traffic we encounter. I was able to harvest my first deer from an area that I was previously unable to access but can now using the hovercraft. The state game wardens think it is fascinating and have given me the green light to use it freely on land or water within their motorized vehicle guidelines.”

December 15, 2014:

“I took the hovercraft out on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon and deliberately targeted rough waters (barge wakes, small whirlpools, traversing small rapids over rock dikes, swift current) and the craft performed absolutely flawlessly. The more I use it the more impressed with it I am. My only regret is that I wish that I had ordered the six person craft versus the four person. 

You may want to pass this on to other clients who purchase your hovercraft in the future. Do not take the training manual home and set it on a shelf. Print it, put it in a notebook and READ IT. Everything you need to know about the craft is enclosed! It has been a godsend for me.”

Read more comments from Neoteric customers …

Can I build a hovercraft from a kit?

All you need is a Neoteric partially assembled hovercraft kit and you can easily build your own hovercraft. This is the only production hovercraft available in do-it-yourself kits. Not only does a DIY hovercraft save you 25% off the price of a manufactured hovercraft, it gives you a great project to enjoy with family or friends.

The kit hovercraft is easy to assemble because much of the work has already been completed at the factory and the kits come with full hovercraft assembly instructions, including a DVD. It takes about 40 hours to finish and all you need are basic workshop skills, a work area about the size of a one-car garage, and common hand tools such as an electric drill, a pop rivet gun, a set of screwdrivers and sets of open-ended and allen wrenches.

Our customers have built personal hovercraft, as well as commercial and rescue hovercraft, from our partially assembled kits. A few examples …

Dirk Lohry built his recreational hovercraft from a Neoteric kit. He lives on a lake in South Dakota and his hovercraft lets him fly for the first time on the lake in winter over thin and broken ice. Read Dirk’s comments and see a photo gallery of his experience building a hovercraft ...

The Butler Group Co. Ltd. in Phuket, Thailand built their commercial hovercraft from a kit ...

Another commercial hovercraft builder is the Winous Point Shooting Club. The Club is a part of the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy on the shores of Lake Erie in Point Clinton, Ohio and is the oldest duck hunting club in America. Their hovercraft is used to transport hunters over water, mud, sand and thin ice to suitable hunting spots. Follow along as they assemble the hovercraft …

You can learn more about what’s involved in building a hovercraft and see step-by-step photo galleries from our customers in the Neoteric Hovercraft HoverGarage.

Questions about building a hovercraft? Just leave a comment!