RC Hovercraft - Single Motor (No Soldering Required) (Printable Plans Provided)

This project is perfect for a first time builder looking to make a cool RC vehicle. This project allows you to build an RC hovercraft at home with no prior experience. The hovercraft uses a simple design that can be printed out on a home printer. All needed parts are available on Amazon links are provided below.

NO SOLDERING REQUIRED

Supplies

Total supplies cost est. $125-200

You need access to an A4 printer for this project

Craft Supplies

1. 1-2 poster foam sheets (make sure its airtight on its surfaces poster foam board works great)
2. X-Acto Knife or Box Cutter
3. Ruler
4. Glue Stick
5. Glue Gun
6. Trash bag
7. Popsicle Sticks
8. Electric Tape

Electronic Supplies

1. FLASH HOBBY BE1806 2700kv Brushless Motor Race Edition
2. 30A RC Brushless Motor Electric Speed Controller ESC 3A UBEC with XT60 & 3.5mm bullet plugs
3. SYPOM 1300mAh 45C 2S 7.4V Lipo Battery Pack RC Graphene Lipo with XT60 Plug
4. HQProp 3x4x3 Tri-Blade Propeller 3 inch Prop
5. SUPULSE LiPo Battery Charger RC Balance Charger AC 7.4-11.1V 2S-3S 10W
6. Havcybin 2.4ghz RC Controller 4CH RC Remote and Receiver Digital Radio Transmitter
7. SG90 9g Micro Servo

You can use equivalent parts

Warning

Make sure parts have matching connectors otherwise you will have to convert the connectors to match your setup if you are using different parts. All above are available on Amazon.

Parts Links

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P5PCTWT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T6VK2PS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099K8XFG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092ZK17PW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071GRSFBD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081V714MP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Servos-Helicopter-Airplane-Controls/dp/B07MLR1498/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=23HE6PXNS686D&keywords=servo&qid=1651083221&sprefix=servo%2Caps%2C61&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExNE82Qk41TEUzVloyJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTQ4MjIwN0tUUFpLRUZHMkM4JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzMDM1MDMxR01XRjFNMkU3Q0VEJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Step 1:

Download design files below and print them out

Print the hovercraft base file twice if you are using thin foam

Step 2:

Using glue stick, glue the paper onto the foam sheets

Step 3:

Cut out the shapes as the printout instructs. Make sure sure you keep the paper glued on as they have labels that help with assembly. All following steps are done using glue gun

Step 4:

Use the 2 F pieces and piece D to create this shape

Step 5:

Attach it to the base like so making sure its centrally placed just past the cutout

Step 6:

Create this cross using the popsicle sticks.

Step 7:

Cut down the popsicles and glue them into the structure like so doing your best to keep the cross directly in the centre of the square.

Step 8:

Mount the motor onto a piece of popsicle. This can be hard be delicate when trying to make the holes.

Step 9:

Mount the motor onto the cross like so. I bottom aligned it slightly.

Step 10:

Add the pieces C on the back like so.

Step 11:

Using Piece H and the I pieces create this structure.

Step 12:

Cut out a skirt and create this hole cutout using Piece H. I cut out a template to make my life easier. The skirt was cut two inches wider than Piece A base piece. Be as even as possible otherwise your hovercraft won't work or will be lopsided.

Step 13:

Glue this onto the skirt cutout. I taped up the hole edges to prevent tearing.

Step 14:

Glue the structure to piece A lining up to the cutout.

Step 15:

Glue the skirt to piece A and tape the cutout on the bottom to create a seal.

Step 16:

Running the servo wire through the bottom and glue piece B and the servo onto the back. Make sure to create an airtight seal with piece B. It should line up with your popsicle cross if you built it right.

Step 17:

Glue piece G to the servo arm and attach it to the servo.

Step 18:

Tape your wires like this so they don't hit the blades.

Step 19:

Attach motor wires to esc wires using electric tape. If the motor spins the wrong direction just exchange two wires and it should change direction.

Step 20:

Connect ESC and servo to receiver. It will tell you which wire goes where on your receiver manual.

Step 21:

Add the battery. Hold the electronics in place with tape and you're ready to go. Connect the battery and drive.

Step 22:

Don't be dejected if it doesn't work perfectly at first. Figuring out the weight balance of your electronics is key and it might take a few attempts. The further up your weight is the more steering control you receive, the further back the less. Each build requires fine-tuning. I suggest the battery in the middle with the ESC in front of it like in the picture. I added two triple a batteries on the back of mine to get an even balance.