I hate building hovercraft trailers.

This is the basic trailer design I am building. Without the ramp to start with. My plan is to do water launches only.

This is what the trailer looked like before. I just removed all the wood and started over. The trailer was extended to 20.5 feet of deck space or about 7 meters it was around 18ft or close to 6 meters as you see it in the picture below. It was 4x4 lumber u-bolted to the trailer frame and then sheet rock style screws holding it together the rest of the way. This picture was taken moments before I started the rebuild so this is exactly what I had been using.

This is where I am today.

Check out my video of what i have built so far. Video

Brian Phillips offers this trailer style:

Fly on/off Trailer Sides Down Sides Up Tilt position View a photo gallery of the offload procedure

Hover trailer:

Stripped the trailer deck off today: Some picts of what I had and what I have to work with now. Photos click the slide show button to see them all. Tommorrow I will get the trailer metal ordered. After tearing off the deck I realized I can lower the entire deck down about 6 inches. This should be nice the trailer is getting very close to the ground and I may change the spring shackles lenght to bring it down farther. I can see a ver low trailer with the possiblity of driving on and off possibly. This is not what I'm after but if it works out that way that would be great.

I have some small wheels and tires but I may just see if I can get them smaller and drop it just a bit more.

Today I drew up a design and ordered metal. Looks like about 300ft of material. This is of course added to a existing EZ Loader Trailer. Tandem axle, four wheel hydrualic brakes. It also includes a rack on the front of the trailer. The trailer rack will actaully be mounted  hanging over the front nose of the boat. It will be raised obviuosly so that the craft on the trailer can be at hover height and float under it. The rear of the trailer will have a couple extra feet after the rear of the hull. With the rack and the extra lenght on the end setting up the tongue weight should be slick with my gear. Should have it all built by monday and ready for sheeting. Picts to come next week. 

Started building today looks like it will be closer to 500ft of material. But it's looking great I have picks of the build and will post them monday. Photos I was hoping to keep the trailer this low  but it looks like I'll have to raise the trailer a few inches at the spring perches for a clearance issue. But all in all I should be done this week. I'm letting the kids paint the trailer. I'm glad there excited about it.

Got the new u bolts today raising it 6". The u-bolts were  $8.65 each including nuts and washers.  Pick up the steel for the lift tomorrow 3" x 6" x 6'. Also ordered 200' more of 1.5" material and 60ft of 1.75" for making hinges for the side panels. More picts comig tomorrow.

Decided on a 30* degree side angle> it may be a bit steep but its 14" from the edge of the tailer with is 100" over all just inside the 102" legal max. So 14" on both sides run to 30* angle bank. then if you look in the picture close I have put  1.5" on the top of the angled side with a piece of 1.75 over the top. This will be a hing. There will be two hinged panels on bothe sides about ten ft each or so. These will be pin so the they can travel straight up going down the highway to contain the skirt etc. When launching just lift the pin (like trailer hitch pin) Drop the side to the launch angle reinstall the pin to hold the side panel in that angle. Then back it to the water. PHOTOS

Tomorrow I should have some picks of the front trailer rack. It will come up from the front of the trailer and then over the top of the nose of the craft a couple feet or so. great storage place for gear etc. also the spare tires will mount here as well. there will be a ladder to the rack top that will allow you to step on the nose of the craft when its backed in the water and enter the craft from the bow with out getting in the water.

My helper got lost today so building was a bit slow but its coming together nicely. Got a screamin deal 3/4" plywood for the deck $10 a sheet. here are more photos.

Got a lot done today. The frame work is very solid with the gusseting. You can now stand on the frame work and jump around and it just flexs the springs not the frame. I'm pretty happy so far. Tomorrow should see the end of the frame construction and the start of the painting and decking. raising the trailer six inches will happen tomorrow as well. (tire clearance issue). It's 2am and I'm beat here are some more picts from todays building. PHOTOS

Today I got the frame work complete for the most part. I still need to add the light brackets run wire and paint the frame. I installed the six inch lift for the tire clearance for the new angled side boards. I'm taking a couple days off and will be back at in on wednsday. More PHOTOS from today.

Painted up the main structure today. it's ready for sheeting and then wiring. Next Tuesday the two foot folding side rails will be installed. Then the vinyl siding will go on that to keep the weight down with the web site stickers on the vinyl. Should look sharp and promote hovercrafting. More photos from today.

Got the trailer decking on tonight. I Will pull it off now that it all fits and paint it then reinstall it on Sunday or Monday. Hopefully the new LED lights for the trailer will arrive tomorrow and then the  trailer wiring can be finished on monday. Photos

Pulled the decking off coated the bottom side and re installed it. Then put a coat on the top side. Looks great forgot the camera but I'll get picts up tomorrow when I put on the second coat on the deck.

Put the trailer on the hoist today and started touching up what I had not got to before. Now all that is left is the folding sides and lighting for the trailer itself. I'm adding night loading lights that will be powered off the running lights as well they will be on there own switches. One above each fender for lighting if I have to change a tire wheel bearing etc. on the side of the road at night. the other two will be for lighting the deck of the trailer for night loading the craft itself. I am just putting in LED reverse clearance trailer lights with sealed switches. Simple and bright with a low power draw in the event the car sits at a idle for hours while I try to make a repair at night time. I don't want the lights getting dim becuase there are to many on and the hualer is at a idle. I've been in this spot before so I though I would just add what I need those nights. Hopefully with good maintence and a lite craft on a tandem axle trailer there will never be many issues let alon a big one. PHOTOS

Well I got the trailer lights installed today took me an extra couple hours. The lights did not come with brackets. I fabricated some adjustable brackets mounts for the lights and welded them on. The camera got left on during the drive and the battery went dead so I'll post more picts  tomorrow. The fabric for the folding sides should be in tomorrow. I may not put it on until after the craft has the engiine installed. I'm really trying to get to the craft and start building the motor mount.

Started running wires tonight and ran out of wire itself. Here are some picts. Photo

Lights are all wired and tested. Added one of those cheapo tractor lights/cheap driving light with a switch and ran the power through the running light power wire. Now I can light on the trailer for night loading. Here are some pictures of it it at night. PHOTOS

Started building the up the right side sections that fold tonight. Took about 4.5 hours to cut and notch the tubing. I made a video tonight instead of pictures. I think I'll shoot more video for updates in the future. VIDEO

Got the folding sides installed for the most part tonight. Still need to finish all the welds and add a piece of pipe to the ends. But for the most part there on and should finish up fairly quickly now. I would have welded it all tonight but the car I was driving did not have a trailer hitch and I needed to pull it out so I can get all around it easier. Photos Videos 1  2  3  4

Got the folding part of the trailer welded tonight and installed the clevis pins that hold it in position. forgot the camera so I'll update tomorrow. I burnt out on welding this week. I recommend just bolting a dozen or so shopping cart wheels to the hull of your craft and using a tow bar or good rope instead of a trailer.

Here is a great place to get a good deal on led trailer lights for your hovercraft trailer http://stores.ebay.com/Stuff4boats

Finally remembered to bring my camera. This siding is going very slowly I'm sure I'll have 15hrs into installing it. I'm trying to work on it two or three hours a night, three or four days a week. Photos Video

Just about completed the vinyl sidding on the right side of the trailer tonight. A couple more grommets and a little detail work. added some changes to set the angle for the moveable sides etc etc. Here are some photos Video

 Finished the other side up tonight Photos Video Video grommet video

Another update photos

Here I thought I was just about done with this trailer. It had soem funky sealed pressed together wheel bearing hubs that unbolted like off a front wheel dive car but for the rear wheels. What a pain in the ass no part #'s on anything the axles ar not the trailer manufactures. It has taken a week of searching and screwing around to find the hubs and brakes are off a 1985 to 1998 buick century. Now that i have that info I can see why they built the axles with these hubs. no messing around with axle bearing packing. never a propblem with ruined spindles from seize bearings. just four bolts and the whole hub spindle drums barkes come right off and the new one goes right back on. very slick parts can be had 7 days a week and probably close to 24hrs aday with some of our parts stores around here. Hub cost more than trailer bearings but every time its perfect and you dont have to be a genuis to chnge the baerings and set them up properly. Hubs work on 4k lbs buick for 100k miles should be able to get 25k or 4 or 5 years out of a hover craft trailer if the wheels go in the salt water and in fresh water or not in the salt you should get at least the same 100k. I found then for $10 bucks at our local pull a part but a new one is more that $120 each. The price you pay to have good brakes quik fixes on the road side I guess. I'll post pictures and video over the next few days.

Okay went to pull apart today picked up three hubs for 21.44$ sweet deal. I drilled a hole between the bearings on the hub and installed a zerk fitting and greased the hubs up. there perfect. I also drilled a small hole in the dust cap so when i grease it its not building pressure up its able to push the old grease out the other end of the hub. New brake hardware kit but not in stainless. Will stuff in a new wheel cylnder and finish the brake job in the AM. I'll try to get the spare hubs mounted for the spare tires tomorrow.

 I brought the trailer to the house tonight after I got the hubs reebuilt and greased. Kinda wanted to just tow it once and see if anything was going to fall off so I could fix it now. Look and towed fine back there. I'll put a video and picts tomorrow of it here in the drive way and give it a good over look with the camera for those fo you considering building a hovercraft trailer. Also look up pontoon trailers as well I saw some last night and the look like the would work well. looks like there a fair price in the mid west as well. Here is a video update video photos of the wheel bearing hubs after grease fittings and grease vents were installed and a picture of the installed on the axle.

Installed the extra spindles on the trailer so that there will be two tires and two spare spindles for any needed repairs along the way. These spindles also have grease fittings in them and I drilled a hole in the center of the dust cap for the grease to have a place to go out of the hub as its greased so it won"t build pressure and squeeze out into the shoes themselves.

Here is a picture of the trailer getting the skirt material installed on the folding sides. The trailer is 13.5 feet wide open and 8.5 feet closed and the deck is about 20 feet 8 inches long.

Tandem axle with hydraulic brakes at each wheel.  The winch up front runs through a couple pulley's that bring the cable and hook down and out at the deck surface. I am copying the design Arlin uses on his prospector. His craft has two cables bolted to the skids with a loop in each to put around the winch hook. Then the craft is pulled on from what we believe to be the strongest points, which help spread  the load over the entire craft through the skids.

 I still have ramps to build but I am going to use plywood to start with to see if it gives me any ideas on ramp construction. Right now the plan is to build 4 ramps 3 feet wide with guide pulls on the outside ramps to help with the alignment while loading. The reason for so many ramps if your wondering is just weight. The ramps can be heavy so making several takes the back breaking work out of it a bit.

The trailer has its own battery that is charged by the truck and may be hooked to the Explorer to charge its battery while towing. All the lights are sealed LED with one tractor style light at the winch on a switch that shines onto the deck for night loading.

Yes its flying in this picture. Arlin our lovely model is actually walking with it and if you look closely there is a trailer winch cable going under it to the pull cables that are bolted to the landing gear.  

A picture of the craft in its new shop.

Just getting the marine vhf radio antenna mounted.

Just a closer look at the parts

Now that the craft is loaded on the trailer we took the time to cut in a access port to gain entry to the lift fan bay for maintenence and wiring.

We drilled a few pilot holes and looked in through a lift fan port to find the correct area and then just sawzalled the rectagular hatch opening. Not a scratch on the craft! It may take Neil a day or so to get all the dust out of his eyes.

Website email watercatwn6535nd@yahoo.com  I post a lot of picts. Some I take, some I take from you. I always try to give every one credit. Try not to wine about it. But if it bothers you let me know. I'm just trying to have fun and promote my hobbies. More than likely it helps promote you!!