Build your own hovercraft from a kit – the perfect family project!

Looking for something to make your time with family and friends extra special? Here’s a way to do something you’ve never done before … and then go where you’ve never gone before – while saving money!

All you need is a Neoteric Partially-assembled Hovercraft Kit and you can easily build your own hovercraft, which will let you explore and enjoy places other vehicles can’t go – over water, ice, snow, mud, sand … you name it.

It’s easy to build from a Neoteric kit hovercraft, since much of the assembly has already been done for you at our factory and our kits come with full instructions, including a DVD. It takes about 40 hours and all you need are basic workshop skills, a work area the size of a 1-car garage and common hand tools, i.e. screwdrivers, wrenches, an electric drill and a pop rivet gun.

Here’s just one example of our many customers who chose to build their own hovercraft in order to have an enjoyable experience – and save 25% off the price of a manufactured hovercraft: Nebraska resident Tim Juzyk decided to build his own 4-passenger personal hovercraft from our Model #3706 Deluxe Kit, shown here in his garage after its completion …

The capabilities of Neoteric’s reverse thrust system, along with side-by-side seating, were major factors in Tim’s decision to go with Neoteric.

And building his hovercraft was a family project.  He says, “I enjoyed working with my nephews and brother to build the hovercraft. Andy (in the photos) is one of my nephews. He’s 8 years old and he’s sure eager for a ride in the hovercraft!” ...

Following his Neoteric Hovercraft Kit’s full instructions, Tim easily installs the HoverTrek’s skirts and side-by-side seating …

Why did Tim decide he needed a hovercraft? As they are for many hovercrafters, family, friends and adventure were major factors. Tim explains, “My ranch is just a mile from the Platte River. The word “Nebraska” is derived from a Native American word that means “flat water” because of the Platte. It’s a great place for a hovercraft because it’s wide, shallow and extends for hundreds of miles. I plan to use my hovercraft mostly to explore the nearby Platte and its tributary, the Loup River, with family and friends.”

And after helping his Uncle Tim build the hovercraft, Andy is ready to start hovering! …

See how to build your own hovercraft from a kit in the

Neoteric Hover Garage …

Neoteric hovercraft built from kit to serve in rescue missions

Building a hovercraft from a kit is not just a hobbyist activity. Just ask Walt Sitz, an Oregon resident who is building a craft from a Neoteric Partially-Assembled Hovercraft Kit so that he can use it to help others.

Walt has been in the aviation business for 25 years; as President and owner of Eagle Wings, Inc., he performs aircraft maintenance and repair and sells powered parachutes. He also belongs to Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that provides rescue and relief support to humanitarian missions worldwide.

Walt Sitz prepares for flight training with Hovercraft Training Centers on the Wabash River.

Walt has never considered recreational vehicles as just for pleasure. “From way back I’ve always first thought, ‘How can it be used to help people,’” he says. “Boats, parachutes, snowmobiles, motorcycles, four wheelers – they can all be used to help people. Hovercraft intrigued me because boats can’t get everywhere.”

His interest in hovercraft peaked when he was deployed to New York after Hurricane Sandy: “You can try to row a boat through the flood debris, but if I could deploy with a hovercraft, that’s what would be used. It’s a natural addition. I've been watching hovercraft for quite awhile and Neoteric kept coming up as the best one. Your reverse thrust system – you need to have that kind of control.”

What cinched the decision for Walt was Neoteric’s affiliation with Hovercraft Training Centers, which trains exclusively on Neoteric craft; he enrolled in a training course before purchasing his hovercraft kit. “That’s what brought us here – we get to try it out before we buy. I was looking at learning to train other people, too, which I can do here. Training should be the first step in any vehicle. You don’t just jump in a plane and say, ‘I think I can figure it out.’ If you can’t, the alternatives are not good.”

Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald shows Walt how to easily unload a Neoteric hovercraft from its custom trailer.

Chris Fitzgerald has Walt's wife Pat listen to his entire flight training session via wireless headsets.

Walt is an aircraft pilot and owns a Cessna 180 ’55 and a De Havilland Beaver. He rebuilt the Beaver from scratch in less than a year, so he’s a natural for constructing his own hovercraft from a kit. And his project will not only be enjoyed – it will also serve to benefit others.

You don’t have to be an aircraft mechanic, however, to build a Neoteric kit hovercraft. Read the experiences, with step-by-step photos, of others who have constructed their own hovercraft in the Neoteric HoverGarage ...

But first things first: see if a hovercraft is right for you with a Hovercraft Training Centers Test Flight or Training Course ...

Winous Point Marsh Conservancy Pilot Training

Opie Rohrer (left) and Jeff Miller (right) of Winous Point Marsh Conservancy,

receive their Class III Hovercraft Pilot Certificates from instructor Chris Fitzgerald.

The Winous Point Marsh Conservancy preserves a 5,500-acre marsh and maintains a wildlife habitat on the shores of Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay in Point Clinton, Ohio USA. The Winous Point Shooting Club, a part of the Conservancy, is the oldest duck hunting club in North America, founded in 1856.

At times, weather can make the marsh difficult to reach. Strong winds can blow the water out of the access bay, which then becomes mud and soft sand and, in winter, thin ice can be a problem. The punt boats and Louisiana pero boats normally used by the club cannot operate in these conditions.

A club member who has experience in aviation recommended that the club purchase a hovercraft because it could easily travel over mud, sand and thin ice. The new Winous Point Neoteric HoverTrek™ will be used to ferry hunters to suitable hunting spots.

Because Opie and Jeff have experience building the club’s punt boats, they purchased a Neoteric partially assembled hovercraft kit and are assembling their Deluxe Model 3706 four-passenger hovercraft themselves.