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General / Re: Scottish Hoverin 2024
« Last post by Kim Taylor on Apr 16, 2024, 12:18 pm »Thanks Al. The Outer Hebrides are on our list for the future 
Have fun.
Have fun.
Recent Posts
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General / Re: Scottish Hoverin 2024
« Last post by Al on Apr 16, 2024, 8:53 am »Pleased to hear that your family issues are now resolved. Its a shame you wont have a hovercraft at Loch Fyne this year, but I hope you enjoy your holiday in the highlands.
Becky & I wont be making an appearance at loch Fyne this year either, as we are planning to spend just over a week in the Hebrides at the end of May / early June.
Becky & I wont be making an appearance at loch Fyne this year either, as we are planning to spend just over a week in the Hebrides at the end of May / early June.
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by Eric Yeoman on Apr 15, 2024, 9:53 pm »Thanks. I'll keep at it & try that method. cheers.
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General / Re: Scottish Hoverin 2024
« Last post by Kim Taylor on Apr 15, 2024, 4:44 pm »Hello fellow Loch Fyne Hovernaughts 
I'm afraid Val and I won't be at this year's event with a craft
To cut a very long story short, we have had a pretty tough few years with serious family illnesses which have now "resolved themselves". As a result, our craft Kairos is not at all fit for the event and to be honest, neither are we!
We will be on (a restful) holiday in the Highlands around the time of the first week and we are planning to travel home, via the Argyle Hoverport on Friday 31st May. We should be there around lunchtime and have booked somewhere to stay overnight nearby to set off for home from Inveraray on the morning of Saturday 1st June.
Obviously we will just take pot luck on some hovernaughts being around at the campsite on the Friday/Saturday but would love to meet up and say hello if anyone is around and maybe have a wee drink?........
My plan is to work on the craft during the year to "rejoin the gang" at some point...
I will monitor the Loch Fyne Cruise WhatsApp group nearer the time but we both wish you all a happy, safe and "uneventful" but fun Scottish Hovering 2024.
Best wishes from Kim and Val
I'm afraid Val and I won't be at this year's event with a craft
To cut a very long story short, we have had a pretty tough few years with serious family illnesses which have now "resolved themselves". As a result, our craft Kairos is not at all fit for the event and to be honest, neither are we!
We will be on (a restful) holiday in the Highlands around the time of the first week and we are planning to travel home, via the Argyle Hoverport on Friday 31st May. We should be there around lunchtime and have booked somewhere to stay overnight nearby to set off for home from Inveraray on the morning of Saturday 1st June.
Obviously we will just take pot luck on some hovernaughts being around at the campsite on the Friday/Saturday but would love to meet up and say hello if anyone is around and maybe have a wee drink?........
My plan is to work on the craft during the year to "rejoin the gang" at some point...
I will monitor the Loch Fyne Cruise WhatsApp group nearer the time but we both wish you all a happy, safe and "uneventful" but fun Scottish Hovering 2024.
Best wishes from Kim and Val
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by John Robertson on Apr 15, 2024, 3:53 pm »No secret - it's just practice I'm afraid! For PVC, the guns I use need the temp at 60-80% of the adjustment - PU needs 70-90%.
Like metal welding it's a combination of settings and speed. I assume you've read THIS? There are also videos on YouTube from membrane roofers who do this kind of thing all the time. You should be rapidly rolling across the end of the moving gun as close to the tip as you can get (it creates a hot line at the welder tip and also allows some cooling behind the roller. The gun nozzle flat "fold" line should line up with the material edge you are welding - if the gun is poked too far in you risk getting wrinkles as it pushes the material sideways.
With most PVC it will smoke slightly if you've got the temp and speed right. If you stop it should smoke and melt the material - even dragging the tip across the material too slowly will leave a "slug trail" of melted material. Flexible PVC has plasticiser in it to make it flexible - if you overheat it the plasticiser can evaporate leaving the material hard (the natural state for PVC) which isn't good for a skirt.
The material WILL peel apart BUT it should expose the reinforcing fabric - if it peels and there is PVC coating on both parts then either the welder was too cool (or moved too fast) OR the roller was too far away from the tip.
I've just welded a PVC skirt - took 4 hours to do the entire skirt (plus 6 hours to cut it out). It'll take a day or two to remove the old skirt and fit the new one. Welding is actually quite a bit faster than gluing as well as being more durable and cheaper!
Like metal welding it's a combination of settings and speed. I assume you've read THIS? There are also videos on YouTube from membrane roofers who do this kind of thing all the time. You should be rapidly rolling across the end of the moving gun as close to the tip as you can get (it creates a hot line at the welder tip and also allows some cooling behind the roller. The gun nozzle flat "fold" line should line up with the material edge you are welding - if the gun is poked too far in you risk getting wrinkles as it pushes the material sideways.
With most PVC it will smoke slightly if you've got the temp and speed right. If you stop it should smoke and melt the material - even dragging the tip across the material too slowly will leave a "slug trail" of melted material. Flexible PVC has plasticiser in it to make it flexible - if you overheat it the plasticiser can evaporate leaving the material hard (the natural state for PVC) which isn't good for a skirt.
The material WILL peel apart BUT it should expose the reinforcing fabric - if it peels and there is PVC coating on both parts then either the welder was too cool (or moved too fast) OR the roller was too far away from the tip.
I've just welded a PVC skirt - took 4 hours to do the entire skirt (plus 6 hours to cut it out). It'll take a day or two to remove the old skirt and fit the new one. Welding is actually quite a bit faster than gluing as well as being more durable and cheaper!
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by Eric Yeoman on Apr 15, 2024, 1:47 pm »I've purchased 2 of that type of welding kit. The first was adv. as a 240 volt,1500w, but, was a 1000 in reality. No joy from f/bay as seller vanished. Check sellers feedback first! Another arrived today & had a 1600 W heating unit fitted. I've been playing with it & it's patchy. Some is really good & elsewhere peels off, even if the material, PVC 24oz, tarp, is well heated. What's the secret? I've resumed construction as the summer heat wave is over, really was the hottest summer we've had for 30 years, & last year was the hottest recorded here! I've accomplished more in the past 2 weeks than I did so far this year. I've watched vids on Y/tube about HH-66 glue being used with a heat gun. Any opinions? By itself, applied properly, HH-66 came apart in several places after sitting in my ( hot ), shed last year. Blew out under lift pressure. . .cheers.
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by Steve Holland on Apr 15, 2024, 8:56 am »This welding kit is the sort of thing you need with a better silicone roller.
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by Steve Holland on Apr 15, 2024, 12:12 am »Lighter colour skirt, welded seams and sacrificial glue coating across the contact line if using pvc material should be ok
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General / Re: Skirt Adhesive
« Last post by Gavin Parson on Apr 14, 2024, 6:53 pm »Just thinking aloud here, given that the hot weather at Loch Fyne last year caused some skirt seam adhesives to melt, If I was to build a craft with a similar skirt in a hot country, what would the preferred method of jointing be? Welding I assume?
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General / Re: Otter at Castle Lachlan
« Last post by Nick Flint on Apr 14, 2024, 9:24 am »GAZ did a similar of my Otter in 3D. You view it through a light source and it then looks 3D! Incredible.
Also- I never knew you could laser onto canvas.
Like I never knew you could print on canvas complete with random brush strokes!
I never knew it could take THREE WHOLE days to wash a particularly grufted Motorhome
Soooo many things that I never knew, (AKA had forgotten?)
Also- I never knew you could laser onto canvas.
Like I never knew you could print on canvas complete with random brush strokes!
I never knew it could take THREE WHOLE days to wash a particularly grufted Motorhome
Soooo many things that I never knew, (AKA had forgotten?)