Isle of Wight hovercraft

[truck71]

Circa 30 years ago I used to watch this arrive and depart at Southsea when visiting grandparents. Happened upon it again today- my god it's a different beast now isn't it! None of this climbing in through the front over the pilot seat malarkey, huge diesel power (I could swear you can hear it leave Ryde) and way more capacity. Loved it.

[ecsrobin]

Always love a hovercraft.

Hovercraft by -robinecs-

I believe the new craft actually have less passenger capacity than this one from a few years ago.

[V8 Fettler]

Hovercraft was the quickest way to cross the English Channel (by public transport). "Engine room, more power".

[scubadude]

V8 Fettler said:

Hovercraft was the quickest way to cross the English Channel (by public transport). "Engine room, more power".

I heard a story once about one of the huge channel hovercraft being "taken for a spin" empty after a bit of maintenance and the captain/pilot? had them back off when the speed was against the peg past 100kts, dunno if its true but I think its believable, those things where beasts and its a bit like Concorde that we don't have them any more IMO.

[PanzerCommander]

According to the Wiki page the large cross channel hover craft (SRN4) had a maximum speed of 65/70 knots depending on the version, normal operating speeds of 40-60kts. Still that’s mightily impressive given the size of the things.

I think the story might be embellished a little bit give the hovercraft world speed record is little over 74kts

[Tom_C76]

The cross-channel hover was also hellishly noisy and vibrating on a good day, and truly gruesome in bad weather. We were once on it for a full hour getting from France to Dover, in seas higher than the top of the craft. It was the last crossing they tried that day...

Also, on a standard crossing Eurotunnel is quicker anyway, and departs 10 mins closer to London.

[Riff Raff]

truck71 said:

Circa 30 years ago I used to watch this arrive and depart at Southsea when visiting grandparents. Happened upon it again today- my god it's a different beast now isn't it! None of this climbing in through the front over the pilot seat malarkey, huge diesel power (I could swear you can hear it leave Ryde) and way more capacity. Loved it.

If watching the ferry depart from the Southsea end, and if you want to play a trick on your Mrs. or friends, get them to stand and watch from the bottom of the path at the side of Clarence Pier.

Here in fact: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.785483,-1.100079...

They'll end up covered in sand and shingle, and possibly missing a few teeth........

[andy97]

SRN4 and 6 and several others are exhibited at the Hovercraft museum at Lee on Solent (formerly HMS Daedalus)

[Zad]

SRN-4s were/are huge buggers! Proper full-on Thunderbirds engineering. Up there with Concorde, the Hawker Harrier and Fairey Rotodyne!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ddvSMUzNs8

[littlebasher]

I forgot just how big those Cross Channel Hovercrafts were

I didn't forget my Dad buying me a Coke just before it left Dover though, midway to France i emptied that and the contents of my stomach all over him!

[rs1952]

Tom_C76 said:

The cross-channel hover was also hellishly noisy and vibrating on a good day, and truly gruesome in bad weather. We were once on it for a full hour getting from France to Dover, in seas higher than the top of the craft. It was the last crossing they tried that day...

Also, on a standard crossing Eurotunnel is quicker anyway, and departs 10 mins closer to London.

I agree with your first sentence. The Achilles heel of the hovercraft was its inability to run when the water got a bit choppy.

I don't agree with your second sentence however. The physical crossing time of 35 minutes was much the same for both Eurotunnel and Hoverspeed, but I found the loading and unloading to be much more of a time-consuming pain with the tunnel. Both of them, however, were/ are infinitely better than the Seacat catamarans that Hoverspeed used in its last few seasons, which took almost as long as the ferry and seemed to take longer to load and unload than the crossing itself. That's when Hoverspeed lost my business.

[V8 Fettler]

Tom_C76 said:

The cross-channel hover was also hellishly noisy and vibrating on a good day, and truly gruesome in bad weather. We were once on it for a full hour getting from France to Dover, in seas higher than the top of the craft. It was the last crossing they tried that day...

Also, on a standard crossing Eurotunnel is quicker anyway, and departs 10 mins closer to London.

Magnificent! A proper sea crossing.

I can recall sub-30 minute crossings, what is the current Eurotunnel time?

[Tom_C76]

Tunnel is 35 mins doors closed to doors open if it all goes to plan. Check-in and immigration seems smoother too, though the Advanced Notification from April has the potential for embuggerance given that the ANPR system can't always find the bookings.

[truck71]

I was lucky enough to have a return trip on the channel hovercraft in 1984 or 5 (a real treat given how many times I'd watched the IOW one) and it was by far the most dramatic way to make the journey. You were strapped in aircraft style and waited on at your seat, we had great seats that were on the front corner not far from the car doors. What amazed me more than anything was how high it rose from the start point and the rough lumpy concrete it just glided over as it swept down the ramp into the sea.

[Mabbs9]

We came home from hols on one too. It was a really cool experience. Straws with drinks to avoid spillage. Great to reminisce on Youtube. I had no idea they had some at the museum. I'll call in for a look sometime.

[V41LEY]

We went across one year in the car. Great experience, bloody noisy and all you could smell was the exhaust fumes from the aerogaz which had it been rough might have been pretty nauseous.

[951TSE]

Anyone interested there's serious talk of a Southsea to Sandown midweek summer only, day out type of service.

http://onthewight.com/2015/02/06/hover-to-sandown-...

Might make for an interesting slightly longer journey.

[rs1952]

Mabbs9 said:

We came home from hols on one too. It was a really cool experience. Straws with drinks to avoid spillage. Great to reminisce on Youtube. I had no idea they had some at the museum. I'll call in for a look sometime.

You need to make a prior booking/ appointment

http://www.hovercraft-museum.org/finding_us_14.htm...

[toohuge]

I remember going on the hovercraft once with our family. I just remember the interior being very beige and my word, it was noisy! Still so very cool though.

[V8 Fettler]

Tom_C76 said:

Tunnel is 35 mins doors closed to doors open if it all goes to plan. Check-in and immigration seems smoother too, though the Advanced Notification from April has the potential for embuggerance given that the ANPR system can't always find the bookings.

35 minutes for the train.

BBC refers to 30 minute crossings by Hovercraft http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/951090.stm

Telegraph similar http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1356687/Hov...

More coal and 22 minutes became possible http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/... That would be my preferred method of crossing (by public transport).