On Jun 24, 11:56 pm, "Sonerai" <rpr...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> What kind of wind limits are reasonable? I tried to take my daughter
for a
> ride today and had a horrible experience. It was the first try with a
> passenger and we had about 15 to 20 mph wind which is about normal
around
> here. We ended up with the thrust belt drowned out and prop barely
turning.
> The skirt filled on one side quite rapidly and it felt like we would
capsize
> without major body english. Is this a weather problem or does the
second
> person make that much difference?
>
> Randy
A lot of folks call that windy.
If you normally get that kind of wind, then you need to learn to drive
in it. Find a sheltered area first, to get practice.
It makes a difference how much weight is on the craft, but not _that_
much.
Obviously, the belt shouldn't slip. Frankly, it shouldn't get wet
either, but if it does you might want to increase tension a bit. When
it starts slipping, you need to back off on the throttle, because
first you're not doing any good by spinning, and second the pulleys
will "machine" which means the belt grinds the aluminum off of it.
Body english is something you'll need to learn, any small hovercraft
uses a lot of it if you go fast, and most even if you don't. Wind and
waves, a lot of people just never learn to deal with and so they'll
tell you not to go out. Same as with a boat, only not exactly the
same handling. With a hovercraft, you have an additional layer of air
between you and the water, and it changes how the craft reacts to
waves, so you'll have to get used to that.
You also won't go fast on big waves. No more so than on a low powered
boat.
It's a good idea to actually wear the flotation devices, at least
until you're better at driving.
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