Using Hovercraft for ferrying loads of people across the cha

[saaby93]

I started a thread in BP&T about the demise of Hovercraft

Could we use them to carry loads of people keen to cross the channel?

[v8250]

Yes, but only a one-way service...Dover to Calais.

Note: Sir Christopher Cockerell was none to keen on the European Common Market

Edited by v8250 on Sunday 7th February 21:08

[s2art]

They were great, used them a few times. But now made somewhat redundant by the chunnel.

[rolex]

They didn't really take off.

[v8250]

rolex said:

They didn't really take off.

I see what you did there, very good...

[Mr GrimNasty]

I went on the hydrofoil cross-channel service years ago, very quick and smooth.

[anonymous-user]

saaby93 said:

I started a thread in BP&T about the demise of Hovercraft

Could we use them to carry loads of people keen to cross the channel?

Why start a new thread in the news section if its already covered in BP&T?

[so called]

Mr GrimNasty said:

I went on the hydrofoil cross-channel service years ago, very quick and smooth.

I always thought the hydrofoil was the best way to get across.
Very disappointed when the shut it down.

[IanMorewood]

Economics makes no sense, you can put more people, cars, lorries on a ferry or a train that costs less per transit than it does in one of the QE Class Hovercraft. That's before you go cancelling services due to unfavourable weather etc.

[Diderot]

Isle of Wight one still operates - certainly very fast but always a tad choppy and fecking noisy. Oh and when it's a bit windy, service invariably stops.

[FredClogs]

I went on the Cross Channel Hover craft as a kid, I have a memory of it being incredibly noisy.

[over_the_hill]

v8250 said:

rolex said:

They didn't really take off.

I see what you did there, very good...

I think he's skirting around the issue

[r11co]

so called said:

I always thought the hydrofoil was the best way to get across.
Very disappointed when the shut it down.

Try it on a choppy sea. Last time I used the service (not long before it closed) I thought there'd been a barfight as there were bottles and glasses everywhere. Turned out the mess was caused on the incoming trip by the swell.

I was the last person to throw up (including the staff) and it was the stench of puke rather than the movement that caused it as I've usually got pretty string sea-legs.

[Timmy40]

FredClogs said:

I went on the Cross Channel Hover craft as a kid, I have a memory of it being incredibly noisy.

I read an article about their demise and it was apparently the awful noise they made that severely restricted their use and ultimately commercial value. A bit like Concord in that regard.

[Scuffers]

Timmy40 said:

FredClogs said:

I went on the Cross Channel Hover craft as a kid, I have a memory of it being incredibly noisy.

I read an article about their demise and it was apparently the awful noise they made that severely restricted their use and ultimately commercial value. A bit like Concord in that regard.

fuel costs killed them really, same for the HSS Cat's.

still were the fastest crossings though, by some way, faster than the train.

[unpc]

r11co said:

Try it on a choppy sea. Last time I used the service (not long before it closed) I thought there'd been a barfight as there were bottles and glasses everywhere. Turned out the mess was caused on the incoming trip by the swell.

I was the last person to throw up (including the staff) and it was the stench of puke rather than the movement that caused it as I've usually got pretty string sea-legs.

They didn't call them the vomit comet for nothing. Great on a calm sea though.

[croyde]

Can't remember if I ever went on the Channel one but do remember using the hovercraft to get from Hong Kong to Macau and back again. This was back in 1982 though.

[S11Steve]

I remember using them a few times as a kid when I lived in Germany with my parents. On a calm sea, they were quick and smooth, much easier to drive on and off at each end. That was in the Summer months, and although it was noisy, it was very smooth.

Coming back one Christmas, we were sat for a few hours waiting for a window of calm sea to open up in the bad weather. When it did, we took off, but the weather closed in again half way through. It was truly horrific. There was rivers of vomit flowing down the aisles, many people crying, stewards were covered in cuts and bruises from bouncing of the seats in the rough sea.

That was the last time we used it.

[Super Slo Mo]

so called said:

Mr GrimNasty said:

I went on the hydrofoil cross-channel service years ago, very quick and smooth.

I always thought the hydrofoil was the best way to get across.
Very disappointed when the shut it down.

I don't remember it being a hydrofoil, I though it was a catermaran.

[Impasse]

Scuffers said:

Timmy40 said:

FredClogs said:

I went on the Cross Channel Hover craft as a kid, I have a memory of it being incredibly noisy.

I read an article about their demise and it was apparently the awful noise they made that severely restricted their use and ultimately commercial value. A bit like Concord in that regard.

fuel costs killed them really, same for the HSS Cat's.

still were the fastest crossings though, by some way, faster than the train.

A few years back there was a documentary about them and their decline. One of the significant factors of their not-so-great profit margin was the lack of Duty Free sales. The crossings were too quick for the hostesses to accomplish any real sales with the passengers.