A few hundred bucks is all it takes to build this DIY hoverboard

Under normal circumstances, the prospect of covering another hover-something seems overdone; McFly this, McFly that; for the love all that is holy, how many times will writers invoke the same ol’clichéd Back To The Future reference? There will be no such allusion here. Instead, I will tell about Ryan Craven, an ingenious Austin-based maker who created a DIY hoverboard called Mr Hoverboard that can be built in a single afternoon.

It’s no coincidence that Ryan’s board bears an uncanny resemblance to an actual hovercraft, because in a sense, it is a miniature hovercraft. Both devices operate by the same principle: An upward lift is created by filling a skirt with air (that’s slightly above atmospheric pressure) and releasing it from strategically placed holes between the device and ground. But unlike the high powered fans used in hovercrafts, Mr Hoverboard is equipped with four left blowers that Ryan acquired from Amazon for $200.  

In fact, the device was entirely assembled from items that can be acquired from anywhere between $250 and $500. “The rest is all pretty simple hardware store stuff, shower curtain probably costs around $10, plywood around $20, hardware, tape, staples, whatever tools you might not own or have access to,” he says. The entire list of supplies includes:

• 1/2″ Plywood 4’x4′
• Skateboard Deck (30″+) for the chassis. Or, if you’re like Ryan, an old water ski will suffice.
• Shower Liner
• Two Coffee Can Lids
• Gaffers Tape/Gorilla Tape
• Scissors/Blade
• Hanger Tape
• 4 Black & Decker 20V Lithium Ion Leafblowers
• 8 x ~3/4″ Screws (depending on board thickness)
• 8 x 1/2″ Nut and Bolt
• 8 x Corner Braces
• 16 x 1/2″ Screws
• 200+ 1/4″ Staples

Visit the Mr Hoverboard blog for a list of Ryan’s detailed instructions. The entire process is 12-step and rudimentary enough to be completed within an a few hours.
 
Check out the video below to witness Mr Hoverboard in action. Although Ryan’s not a very accomplished skater, he still managed to pull off some wild stunts, “with this board I'm pulling 900s and 1080s like I'm Tony Hawk.” 

Now that he’s created a working prototype, Ryan hopes to recruit a team of makers from Austin to help him further improve Mr Hovercraft’s design by traversing over water and skate park ramps. And In case you’re wondering what hovering actually feels like, Ryan describes it like being “submerged in some weightless pool.” 

Source: CNET via Mrhoverboard