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This page will be continually updated, come back soon!
last update 1.05.2008
The issue of BUFO Hovercraft
participation at WHC 2008.
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Our main issue is participation of BUFOcraft
as recreational hovercraft among all racing hovercrafts
on WHC, as part of BUFO prototype testing. BUFO prototype is
being in action for almost 2 years now, and so far it proved to be
excellent recreational amphibian airboat. Why not put it to a real
race test? Hell Yes, we
got to WHC!
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Beside BUFOcraft, we would like to introduce
also our new Hovercraft Club Slovenia (homepage at
www.hovercraft-club.si ) that works under
MAD hovercraft sponsorship, and get contacts from other clubs around
EU and other countries as well. So far we are connected and in good
relations with Italian Hovercraft Team Friuli, we already organized
few smaller hovercraft events in Slovenia. Since Slovenia is at very
good location (near Italy, Austria and Croatia), and very good place
for hovercrafting (smaller lakes, rivers, rapids, some swamps, lot
of grass fields), we hope to organize some bigger hovercraft event
in near future for all hovermaniax in our country, but first step is to meet some
people, Sweden is the right place this year. We all looking forward
to.
The Personnel coming
to WHC Sweden
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The pilot for the race - Renato Presotto
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The president of Hovercraft Club Slovenia and
manufacturer of MAD&BUFO Hovercrafts Ales Muha
& family
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Hovercraft Club of Slovenia members - (will be
updated soon, some of club members did not
confirmed participation yet)
The Hovercraft for the
race class F50
As mentioned, we are coming with standard
recreational hovercraft BUFO - prototype, the grey one from pictures and
videos you find on our homepage and around the web.
Of course we plan to make some modifications to a
craft for the race.
But first introduction of BUFO hovercraft
construction - how the BUFO Hovercraft is made?
Personally I would describe a BUFO manufacture with 3 simple words
- LOT OF WORK. I love it anywhay!
BUFO Hovercraft
construction - short intro how BUFO hovercraft is made.
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 Duct is made in
closed moulding, so once you take it out of mould is nice and
shiny from inside and from outside.
In
the middle is filled with light filler so composite is sandwich
reinforced, what makes duct very strong and what is most
important, in case of hovercraft crash, impeller blades can not
brake through the duct walls, and parts stay inside of duct, so
hovercraft is very, very safe, for people around.
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BUFO Hovercraft is
produced in open mould, what gives to product several advantages
like
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possibility to make same product in different techniques
(hand lied fibreglass, vacuuming, etc,...)
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Possibility to make same product in different materials
like, Kevlar, carbon, basalt or glass fibre.
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GRP composites are very light and very strong and last very
long time - best material combination for good hovercraft
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possible unlimited production of same product, in any
quality
Work starts with
painting patterns in different colours by Slovenian master of arts - Bojan Mavsar.
Colours and patterns are done with gel coat as first step of
manufacture process of a hovercraft.
Gel Coat is UV resistible colour that last long
time and is very good protection for fibreglass hull against
osmoses and sun and is much better cover as regular paint and
after few years you simply re polish the hull components and
they look like new.
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We
can make any color from RAL, and any pattern that can be found
on wild frogs, so possibilities of BUFO final look are unlimited.
Than comes the dirty part... spraying the master color gel coat
on the mould.
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Once composite work
is done, and air canal of hovercraft and plenum chamber for
flotation are fitted and filled with 2 component closed cell
polyurethane material for floatation on water, hovercraft hull
is ready to taken out of mould.
 
That's
it... Composite hull is done, and approximate weight is about 65
-80 kg, depends on order of laminate and how is laminate made.Once
all that is done, hovercraft hull is ready to be taken out of
mould....
And looks like this...
No extra painting
required!!! All paint work is done in step one!
BUFO is so nice and shiny you can see your
self in it, like in mirror
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