Scout SEV Hovercraft - Part 2

Just before sunrise - San Felipe, Baja Caifornia-Mexico

There are quite a lot of things that determines the choice of craft. For me the Scout is the perfect hovercraft for now.

The more I researched the Scout the more I find it a very simple hovercraft to build and there are a lot of advantages to a Scout. The Scout is not a toy. It's a serious SEV and the one that I am building is a high-performance version with a 25 hp engine.

It will be 12 feet x 5.5 feet with a 20" lift fan and a 48" propeller and it will do around 45-50 mph. This craft will weigh about 250 lbs. when completed. With 500 lbs. on board the total weight is 750 lbs.

I used to have a 17.5' Bayliner boat that had a 3.0 liter Mercruiser engine with 135 hp - it takes 135 hp to take that 1500 lbs. fiberglass boat 47 mph.

Most people I talked to are excited about my hovercraft plan project and my brother even volunteered to help build it! My co-worker is interested in building one. My nephew wants to build one also. I'm sure once the word gets around, more people will build them.

There is always a commotion when people have hovercrafts around. They are curious how it does what it does, it is simply amazing. And you cannot just buy a Scout SEV, they don't sell them! You have to build it yourself, have someone build it for you or find a used one.

San Felipe sunrise - Baja California, Mexico

It will probably cost me around $3,500 for the SEV and the custom built trailer. You can buy a Vanguard or a Fan-Tastic SEV for around $17k and of that is only the base price, the options, shipping and taxes are not yet included and if you want the salt-water model expect to pay much more. These models also uses 25 hp engines B&S Vanguard engines. These SEV's are 14 footer and 15 footers and 7' wide. The Scout is a small 12' x 5.5' and uses a 25 hp engine also and faster.

I already ordered and received the fiberglass cloth and mat and resin and various stuff. I have the skirt material and the 25 hp engine arrive yesterday. I ordered from Sevtec the foam and the propeller, fan and drive kit. I am waiting for the foam to arrive. - I received everything else except my order from Sevtec.

The parts and supplies can be ordered online. The skirt materials arrived quickly. The extra foam from another supplier arrived next. Then the polyester resin and fiberglass supplies came next, then the engine and now I am just waiting on the foam, propeller, fan and drive pulleys from Sevtec. Barry from Sevtec said 45 days, I hope he is just exagerrating and will get my order to me sooner than 45 days.

So, if you are planning on building one - all the other stuff does not take long to arrive once ordered. Allow plenty of time when ordering from Sevtec.

I will mention the website that I ordered from and I will comment on their service, product and my customer experience with these companies and suppliers. At least you know what to expect when buying from these online vendors. They will get free advertising and comment on this blog and tell it like it is and it may be good or bad.

Well - You need to order the plans and the video from Sevtec first to find out how to build it. Not everything is shown on the video. So you're gonna have to find answers to some of your questions. The vehicle is easily customized and if you start using different stuff, you're gonna have to figure things out yourself.