Whether you’re in the market for a recreational, rescue, commercial, or Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft, Hike Metal is the right boat manufacturer for you. With the company’s unmatched experience, Hike Metal provides a way for people to explore some of the most remote areas that can’t be reached by snowmobile or boat.
What Is a Hovercraft?
A hovercraft is a vehicle that can travel over water or land. This type of vehicle is built to create a downward blast that offers a cushion of air for it to be functional in water and on land. The design of a hovercraft was first patented in 1955 by Christopher Cockerell.
Nowadays, these hovercrafts are used for commercial, rescue, paramilitary, and military purposes to protect, save, and transport lives across challenging environments across the globe. That is why it is imperative to choose the right hovercraft manufacturer to work with.
Types of Hovercrafts
Hovercrafts come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some of the most commonly used hovercrafts:
Personal Hovercrafts
A personal hovercraft is one of the smaller hovercrafts available and designed specifically for personal use. It is designed to be used for leisure activities that have to do with cruising over ice or water.
Military / Coast Guard Hovercrafts
This type of hovercraft is used for different military applications. Some of the most common use cases include troop transport, amphibious assault, and logistics support.
A military hovercraft is different from other types of hovercraft because it is built with advanced communication systems and advanced navigation.
Search and Rescue Hovercrafts
Environments where there is icy water or floods need specialized vehicles for search and rescue operations. This is where a search and rescue hovercraft comes in.
A search and rescue hovercraft is designed to handle transporting rescue personnel specifically in emergencies.
Commercial Hovercrafts
Commercial hovercrafts are larger and used for transporting cargo and passengers. Commonly used in challenging terrains, these commercial hovercrafts can travel through ice, swamps, and marches.
Exploration Hovercrafts
When scientific research and exploration are needed to be done in areas with difficult access, an exploration hovercraft is used. These survey and exploration hovercrafts are designed with instruments specifically for data collection and can travel across ice-covered regions, swamps, and marches.
Hike Metal’s SAR Canadian Coast Guard Hovercraft
The Canadian Coast Guard’s newest search and rescue (SAR) lifeboat has officially begun service at the Lifeboat Station in Burgeo, Labrador, and Newfoundland.
This SAR Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft is built by Hike Metal Products in Wheatley, Ontario. Its design is durable and had been made specifically to respond to mariners requiring help at sea.
Hike Metal has designed this SAR for the Canadian Coast Guard with tactics outlined in Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. The manufacturer is responsible for building 10 of these vessels, while Chantier Naval Forillion is tasked with building another 10. This is because of the National Shipbuilding Strategy’s small vessel construction pillar.
Benefits of Hovercraft Use
Here are some of the most well-liked benefits of using a hovercraft:
- These vessels can operate around any slipway or unprepared beach.
- A hovercraft can travel through almost every non-porous surface.
- They’re designed to be simple to operate and maintain.
- Compared to helicopters, hovercrafts are more cost-effective for delivering high volumes of resources.
- These hovercrafts are specifically designed for operations in disaster areas or places with destroyed infrastructure.
- Compared to conventional marine vessels, these hovercrafts can take direct and faster routes.
Hike Metal Products: Gaining Access to Inaccessible Areas
Are you looking for expert hovercraft builders? Look no further than Hike Metal.
Trusted by the Canadian Coast Guard to transport Canada’s finest, Hike Metal lets you move in places where boats don’t have access with its world-class hovercraft design. We’ve been delivering the best solutions for transportation for many years.
Our expertise in hovercraft manufacturing helps us serve the Canadian community with access to even the most challenging terrains.
Contact us today to learn more about our world-class hovercraft manufacturer team and design!
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a hovercraft work?
A hovercraft works by creating a cushion of air underneath the vessel. These vehicles are designed with a skirt placed around the base, which is used to trap air. From here, the fans or engines of the hovercraft generate air that creates the air cushion and allows the vessel to glide across surfaces. All of these elements are a point of focus for the hovercraft manufacturer to get right.
What is the maximum speed limit of a hovercraft?
The maximum speed of a hovercraft is determined by its purpose and design. Commercial or military hovercrafts can reach high speeds, while recreational hovercrafts are associated with having lower maximum speeds.
How can you steer a hovercraft?
Control surfaces or rudders are used in the airflow, which controls the steering. Many modern hovercrafts have improved this steering maneuverability by including thrust vectoring systems.
Can hovercrafts operate on land and sea?
Yes, a hovercraft’s primary advantage is that this vessel can easily travel over land and sea. However, it can also move across other terrains, including marshy or icy areas.
How does a hovercraft compare to airboats?
Both an airboat and a hovercraft are amphibious vessels, which means they’re able to maneuver in harm’s way while facilitating the rapid sustainment and employment of combat power.
However, airboats can’t travel as well across sand, grass, mud, gravel, pavement, and other dry surfaces. The airboat typically damages its flat, plastic-coated hull when traveling across these areas.
Is a hovercraft eco-friendly?
Yes, hovercrafts are often known for being eco-friendly when compared to more traditional vehicles. This is because a hovercraft has a low impact on the terrain it passes through. The vessel can also operate in more ecologically sensitive locations.
Is a hovercraft used as an icebreaker?
Although a hovercraft is used to travel over ice-covered waters, it can also be used to break apart ice. This makes hovercrafts useful in many regions with cold climates.
