Question:

Why did they stop using the big hovercrafts to cross the English channel???

by  |  earlier

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They were great, if you ever went on one?? BRING BACK THE BIG HOVERCRAFTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  1. Too much to maintain plus it was too short a journey and they never got up to full speed due to the amount fo traffic short answer Cost`s


  2. Yes from memory cost was a major factor in the demise of hovercrafts, in addtion they used a lot of fuel. The final reason was that hovercraft could not run in bad weather so they had a high rate of cancelations. I also remember one or two quite rough journeys in Hovercrafts, the ferry was much smoother.


  3. Have you never heard of the CHUNNEL. The French and the British built a tunnel under the English Channel and they do not need the hovercraft anymore. You can drive across the channel. Thet run the trains through there too.

  4. It was cost mainly. They used turboprop (jet) engines to provide both thrust & the cussion of air & they really did binge on fuel. Parts were expensive & they were not always reliable. They simply weren't making enough money to cover themselves!

  5. Cost........They cost a h**l of a lot of money to maintain. They were old & there were lots of parts that when they failed they had to be custom made which just added to the cost.

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

  6. The broad hull boats,  catamaran and Trimaran are just so much more civilised. Agreed, they are not as quick. I have experienced all manner of craft commuting between various islands in and around Hong Kong, I have to say, the Hover was "fun" although I would not have wanted a rough passage. My favourite was the Boeing Jet Ski type of boat, once under way it rode up clear of the water on three swivel legs with booms which were beneath the water surface, sadly, these craft are becoming redundant to the trimaran.

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