Rhyl hovercraft

[saaby93]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVgrdP3w4R0
about to get going again
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wale...

[Rotary Madness]

I thought the problem with hovercraft is they're ruinously expensive on fuel, hence why they are not run on the channel crossing any more?

[Sixpackpert]

The old ones that had turbines were terrible on fuel yes.

Todays generation that have TDi engines are not bad at all on fuel.

[IanMorewood]

Rotary Madness said:

I thought the problem with hovercraft is they're ruinously expensive on fuel, hence why they are not run on the channel crossing any more?

Also where incapable of running in heavy seas so often got cancelled due to a bit of wind.

[Sixpackpert]

IanMorewood said:

Rotary Madness said:

I thought the problem with hovercraft is they're ruinously expensive on fuel, hence why they are not run on the channel crossing any more?

Also where incapable of running in heavy seas so often got cancelled due to a bit of wind.

They can operate in upto sea state 4 which is pretty good to be fair.

http://www.griffonhoverwork.com/products-services/...

[FurtiveFreddy]

Love them. Went on the Hoverspeed across the channel years ago and just a few weeks back was on a slightly smaller version to the Isle of Wight and back. Britain needs more hovercraft

[jamesbilluk]

I remember the Hoverspeed ones, fantastic things! Got me looking for videos.

One starting up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yM4qzvvsEg

Coming in to land..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8I3aK5A13U

[FurtiveFreddy]

Makes the IOW ones look tame! If one of those Hoverspeed ones came in to land at Southsea instead, all the old dears would have synchronised heart attacks

[RedLeicester]

jamesbilluk said:

I remember the Hoverspeed ones, fantastic things! Got me looking for videos.

One starting up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yM4qzvvsEg

Coming in to land..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8I3aK5A13U

Fantastic. I remember my utter childish glee 25 years or so ago when instead of our usual ferry crossing my Father booked us on Hoverspeed on the way out, and the Seacat on the way back. Both of them amazing bits of kit.

[Hov Pod]

The last hovercraft flight across the English Channel to France by the Princess Margaret Hovercraft took place on October 1st 2000, – brought up onto the beach outside the former Churchill Hotel in Dover at the spot where the first hovercraft had landed in 1959. New hydrofoil ferries could carry more cars and passengers, so could out compete against the hovercraft. Hovercraft are not so bad on fuel efficiency since they don't push loads of water out of the way like a boat does, see http://www.hovercraft.org

The SR.N4s operated services across the English Channel between 1968 and 2000. At its peak, in 1982, Hovercraft was carrying 2.5 million passengers and 400,000 cars in just six months.

The first summer trips cost just £3.50 for a single journey and £3 for a day round trip.

The SR.N4 was designed to carry 254 passengers in two cabins besides a four-lane automobile bay which held up to 30 cars. The Princess Margaret capable of 83 knots (154 km/h) and could cruise at over 60 knots (111 km/h).

The aptly named Princess Margaret always caught everyone’s attention as she arrived in a cloud of blue smoke – (partial to a few woodbines was Margaret)

[Simes205]

I travelled on those hovercrafts in the early 80's many times. I was fortunate enough, by missing my ferry, to take one of the last ones back in 2000 a week before they stopped.
I had been asleep in the back of my car overnight at the port to be awoken by this craft coming up the slipway out of the water.
It ran on 3 engines but still breezed across the channel. Quite noisy but brought back some good memories.