Steven McVeety (left) with Flight Instructor Chris Fitzgerald during his pilot training at Hovercraft Training Centers.

Not only did you teach me to fly with confidence Chris, your hovercraft has given me a sense of freedom that I know only you and other Hovertrek pilots can understand. I can't part with such a beautiful machine.

March 12, 2015:

I got the new belt on and hovered again in snow. I am loving my Neoteric! I have had some firefighters ask me to do a demo for training purposes. I might be able to sell one to them – not mine, though; I’m going to keep it! I am still interested in being a flight trainer if you wanted to send possible Canadian buyers here. If you are near Perth some day, drop in. I would love to show you my hover grounds.

Thanks again for your wonderful craft and flight training. I am hooked!

Steven McVeety
Perth, Ontario, Canada

The Steadman family with their Neoteric hovercraft. Left to right: 12-yr-old twins Sage and Colton; 13-yr-old Cordel; wife Ingrid and Colin.

Ready to embark on a two-week, 1,200+ mile trip with his family across the province of Alberta, Colin Steadman said, “It’s never been done. We’re looking to see parts of Alberta that no one’s ever seen on a vehicle that no one’s ever used before. Being able to fly through dinosaur territory on a hovercraft – no one’s ever done that.

“A hovercraft really has all the characteristics of a helicopter and an airplane, but you can fly it on water, you can fly it on ice, snow, sand. And the Neoteric is the BMW of hovercraft!”

Colin Steadman
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Gary Meyers in his Neoteric HoverTrek™ (named “Neo”), cruising the Colorado River, just north of Lake Havasu, AZ, with the scenic Topock Gorge in the background. Photo by John Hughes.

“I am still entirely enjoying Neo on and around Lake Havasu, Arizona. This is the perfect terrain for recreational hovercrafting, with plenty of flat lands, beaches, water, and river areas to explore. The Neoteric can easily maneuver in areas not accessible to other boaters.  While passing near some of the shorelines, I often see a lot of faces being obscured by cameras and
smartphones!  This is fun!”

VIDEO: Cruise the Colorado River with Gary …

Barry Eison (right) receives his hovercraft pilot certification from Neoteric President Chris Fitzgerald.

Chris;

Just wanted to drop a line and let you know I love my hovercraft! The Mississippi is really low and the hovering is excellent.  You should come down for a few days and try it out. Would be a great time to get some drone footage. Had a boat cut out of the river channel the other day to get some footage of my craft and they ran aground! I should not have laughed but I did.

I am two years from retiring and wish there was something I could do with your company and marketing and selling hovercrafts when I retire.  People are just really missing out on the experience and the amazing abilities of these crafts.  There should be a way to build them cheaper and open a lower level market.

Anyway, I love my Neoteric and have been very pleased with my Hypalon bags.  The only tears have been when unloading the craft on those front rollers.

Let’s catch up sometime.

Take care,

Barry Eison

December 15, 2014:

“I took the hovercraft out on the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon and deliberately targeted rough waters (barge wakes, small whirlpools, traversing small rapids over rock dikes, swift current) and the craft performed absolutely flawlessly. The more I use it the more impressed with it I am. My only regret is that I wish that I had ordered the six person craft versus the four person. 

You may want to pass this on to other clients who purchase your hovercraft in the future. Do not take the training manual home and set it on a shelf. Print it, put it in a notebook and READ IT. Everything you need to know about the craft is enclosed! It has been a godsend for me.”

November 12, 2014:

“The hovercraft has performed very well on the Mississippi River and in and around the barge traffic we encounter. I was able to harvest my first deer from an area that I was previously unable to access but can now using the hovercraft. The state game wardens think it is fascinating and have given me the green light to use it freely on land or water within their motorized vehicle guidelines.”

August 27, 2014:

1) I love this machine. The more I use it, the more I realize the engineering and research & development that went into its development.

2) I want to experiment with different material for the bags.

3) This craft would be easy to learn to drive if someone drove it who had never driven anything else.

4) I am becoming quite confident with it and absolutely cannot wait to get it out hunting this winter. It has already opened up areas that I have hunted my entire life but have never been able to access.

Well done, Neoteric, well done.”

“We’re using our hovercraft to get back and forth from the island to the mainland when the water’s not frozen enough to walk on or it’s too hard to put a boat on. With the hovercraft, we’re good to go whenever we want. Before, we either had to stay home for weeks, or go away for weeks, waiting for the water to freeze.

Chris, you were right; the craft on ice is tricky. I liken it to a rocket ship in space where the inertia is exponential. But it works beautifully, across the ice to the water.

My training course at Hovercraft Training Centers was excellent! It was a lot different than I’d imagined – kind of like an airplane or helicopter that can spin on a dime and go backwards and forwards and sideways. I was surprised at how maneuverable the hovercraft was. Going along the shore, I was able to maneuver around stumps and through things with the reverse thrust buckets, then come up and touch the bank, then back away and come up and touch it again. You’re nine inches above the surface – it was great!”

Walt Sitz built his hovercraft from a Neoteric kit and will use it to help others. His aircraft business, Eagle Wings, Inc., belongs to Crisis Response International, a non-profit organization that conducts humanitarian missions worldwide.

“My interest in hovercraft peaked after I was deployed to New York after Hurricane Sandy. You can try to row a boat through flood debris, but if I can deploy with a hovercraft, that’s what will be used – it’s a natural addition. And your reverse thrust system – you need that kind of control. I want to push the usefulness of this amazing machine.”

January 28, 2014:

“I have about 10 hours of operation so far and everything is working perfectly, starts right up. I’m getting more comfortable in hovering it in a tight place with the use of the reverse thrust buckets and proper throttle. You can do some really precise maneuvering when you have these working together. It’s awesome – a big smile comes across my face when I get it right. These machines are absolutely amazing!”

“I took my wife out in it and she really liked it! We were on ice because the lakes here are still frozen over. Pat is an ice skater, and she said it was like dancing on ice! All we were missing was the music! We’re really excited about all the potential it has. I can’t emphasize enough how much we like it, Chris!”

“I've been putting the hours on the hovercraft down here on the Wabash River flood plains near New Harmony the last few days. I’ve attached a video of the Wabash at just above 20 ft. on the New Harmony gauge.  Hovered over 35 miles today in Illinois and Indiana - amazing amount of water out there.

The hovercraft is AWESOME!!  Amazing machine.  I think you could sell some to the oil field industry down here.  Dozens and dozens of oil wells on platforms in the flood plains around this area.  The oil pumpers are out in aluminum boats and waders trying to keep them all serviced.  They've videotaped me and asked me a lot of questions as I buzz around them, taunting them at their plight.  One guy said they bought an ARGO (amphibious ATV) but of course that is like riding a snail in the ocean.”

August 27, 2012

“The hovercraft has been back in action! This photo was taken on a sandbar in the Wabash River about 25 miles south of New Harmony.  I’ve been cruising at 25-30 mph up and down the river routinely now; the rides are amazing early in the morning when the water is like glass! You have an open invitation to come down to New Harmony and hover!”

September 24, 2012

"Neoteric's Reverse Thrust System remains a MAJOR selling point, in my opinion. You are still in business and providing customer support. (exceptional support, I might add)."

April 9, 2012

“Thanks again for the reverse thrust buckets. Without them a hovercraft would be a low-flying helicopter out of control.”

March 30, 2012

"Amazing! Everything is going great. I'm using the hovercraft mainly on snow, but can't wait for the snow to melt so I can try it on water. The hovercraft would be no fun without the reverse buckets."

January 11, 2012

“Just wanted you to know that my Neoteric hovercraft is still running like new! I have 100 hours on it now. That is a lot of trips out on the ice, as it only takes a few minutes to get to some of the spots. It sure is great security. I only run it in the winter for ice fishing on the Mississippi. I’m still on my first set of skirts, but have replaced the semi tarp on the bottom several times. My favorite things are the reverse thrust buckets – they’re working like the day I bought the craft! I love the design of the trailer. My tach reads 1000 rpm; high, but no big deal. If there is a way to get it back on track, give me a call.”

2004:

"Since I purchased my Hovertrek for ice fishing in Jan 2000, we have flown 25 hours and caught over 6000 bluegill & crappies. It's a real nice machine, a lot of fun. Last weekend we went to Devil Lake in North Dakota and caught 120 perch. We operated in a blizzard but just kept going. We had a really good time. I want you to know that I really like my hovercraft."

November 6, 2011

I bought this hovercraft just so I could go over thin ice on the lake I live on. I have never ridden in a hovercraft, much less seen one operate in person, so I thought it would be a good idea to take Neoteric’s one day Pilot Training Course before I jumped in and bought one. As it turned out, I bought the partially assembled hovercraft kit beforehand so I would not have to make two trips to Terre Haute.

I was expecting that flying the hovercraft would be as easy as driving a car on ice. I had flown a private airplane for years and had watched many YouTube videos of the hovercraft in action so I thought I knew quite a bit. Now I know that it would not be a good idea to self teach yourself. You also need to know the theory on how it works, or else you will be scratching your head wondering what happened.

The training course showed me that flying a hovercraft is not as intuitive as I had expected. Some aspects of piloting the hovercraft were much more challenging while others were easier. For example, on water the hovercraft does not always hover. If the weight balance is off or if the skirt catches water the hovercraft would not rise. It takes power and speed to get over hump and get hovering. After it gets up, the craft slides like wet soap in a bathtub. Even with reduced power the speed can climb unexpectedly.

Slow speed handling was a pleasant surprise. In one maneuver we gently nudged a bridge on a moving river. Controlling the hovercraft was much easier than I expected and very smooth. There are many things to control all at the same time, such as RPM, rudder, reverse thrust and where you put your weight. And you need to be aware of the wind, current and lots of obstacles.

The Neoteric hovercraft is the only one I know that has reverse thrust. The craft can hover in place, spin like a top or even back up.  Try doing that in any other hovercraft!  Amazing technology really, and all with only one fan. The cool thing was flying over floating logs and vegetation - try doing that in a boat.

Landing on shore was just cool. No more dragging my boat up the shore, knee deep in mud. I am looking forward to maneuvering around the changing shores of the Missouri River. After the big flood this summer, there are new hidden reefs, trees and rocks. For a boat, that is a nightmare … for a hovercraft, it is a dream.

Dirk Lohry
McCook Lake, South Dakota USA

Note: See a photo gallery of Dirk Lohry’s hovercraft pilot training.

January 20, 2009

January 19, 2009

“I am really enjoying putting together such a beautifully designed craft! Also am taking key pictures & notes for Hover Garage.”

"I love your product. I'm quite happy with it and really enjoy it."

March 2004

"It's so beautiful...its a blast!"

"I hover nearly every weekend and have clocked up some good experience, 50+ hours. I have been in Gale Force 3 conditions: 0.5m – 1 m waves and winds around 35km/h in Durban Harbour. (SA Hovercraft took their craft out of the water.) It really was fun – challenging, but fun. The wind was too strong to drive straight into the wind and waves, but tacking worked well and WOW this hovercraft can surf on the waves!"

"I'm Rich Stuart's son, and I took our hovercraft out the other day on Geist Lake, which is totally frozen over, and it was a complete blast! I love how much easier the craft skims across the ice than the water. Do you have any hovercraft trips planned soon? My dad and I would be very interested in exploring a river or something like that with other hovercraft enthusiasts."

"Back in 1988 we drove to your factory in Terre Haute, bought the Racer Hovercraft Kit, and have used it ever since at our remote cabin in Canada. We have been very satisfied with the hovercraft, its performance, and your company. With Rae now being 73 and myself nearly there, we decided we'd better not risk long periods in the remote during the "ice out season" anymore. Those were some memorable events and we were able to have them with the hovercraft as our emergency vehicle. We have the hovercraft listed on eBay, where it is getting a lot of attention . over a thousand lookers and more than 50 have it on their list to watch. Some are asking questions and we are mentioning your web site in our answers. Yours is the most impressive site on the Web; it's informative, covers every aspect, and is exciting. We hope many others will visit the site and all take a trip to Terre Haute. Thanks again for all the help you were to us. Owning one of your hovercraft was an exciting part of our lives."

"Last Saturday and Sunday we got to run the hovercraft though it was windy[over 15 knots] and rough. It's a wonderful little machine, booming all around the place, fun machine, wonderful device, very well thought out..."

March 9, 2005

"Really enjoying my craft. Was on the river last week. I have about 10 hours on craft so far. Takes a long time to load and unload because of everybody at the river wanting to talk about the craft!!"

December 28, 2004

"I have flown the hovercraft a few times in my field (open and flat) and am practicing slow speed land maneuvers like loading and unloading from trailer as well as getting use to the thrust buckets etc. Having a great time and really enjoying the craft, it is an excellent machine."

December 11, 2004

Everything went great on the trip home. The trailer worked perfect. The best trailer I have ever hauled! My son and I really appreciate the time you spent with us at the shop and in training. I am looking forward to more experience in my hovercraft. I think the quality of workmanship as well as the engineering in the craft are second to none. Thanks again for a great experience.

August 24, 2004

"Went out for about 2 + hours on Saturday and did quite a distance. Explored a nearby river to the township of Katikati then went out and claimed an Island and a sandbank so we now have a Neoteric Island and sandbar! Trust everyone at Neoteric is impressed with their new claim.

It is really a great machine; the more I drive it the better I like it. I was not impressed with the Neoteric trailer at first glimpse, although I must admit that it became very clear that it was practical after our first outing.

Congratulations on a fine design and well thought out craft. I must say it is comforting to have a full set of instruments; maybe a volt meter would be useful in the future. Cheers from a happy owner."

August 15, 2004

"Had a couple of interesting moments driving [the Hovercraft] down the water. One in particular where [the craft] just wanted to side swipe the hedge, but after a serious chat to it, it settled down and behaved. I did a test out in front to reacquaint myself with the controls, etc., and then took Rose for a short flight. All was good so we stopped for a while, put on the head phones, and hovered up the estuary. We did a couple of 360s, and a little bit of backwards movement. Great craft - I am really pleased with it. Thanks a bunch. "

January 2004

"Craft is running great, and I've been exploring the icy lakes here [Northern Indiana]. I told my wife if I were selling Hovertreks, I think I could have sold two last week, based on the crowd of enthusiasts that practically followed me into the parking lots at the boat ramp."

"Chris:
I'm very happy with my hover! I have a little scratch from the long distance shipping from Terre Haute to Acapulco, and the boat cover had some little holes. But it is an engineering beauty. The red color also and the performance and sensation of freedom is better than in my Harley Davidson. Once again, thanks and congratulations!"

Each year we do a short water show for the spectators. This year, as were gliding along at a fairly good speed, the cable on my left side bucket broke, causing me to touch Marty's machine. Everyone thought it was part of the show! I ran the rest of the day without the port side bucket, so we didn't do all our usual maneuvers. When we perform, the crowd loves it as we head toward each other then put both hovercraft in reverse at the very last minute and fly backwards.

We gave free rides from 11:00 to 3:00 to two or three people at a time. Even though we requested that there be only one ride per person, we still had to turn people away at the end of the day. We could have used at least one additional hovercraft, as each year the crowd gets bigger.

This is a big weekend for the entire area. Manitowoc has an annual Children's Hospital benefit on the short of Lake Michigan at the same time that Two Rivers holds their benefit for the Rogers Street Fishing Museum on the West Twin River, and thousands of people come to the area to enjoy the two events.

It was a great day of Happy Hovering!"

"I am a very satisfied customer and one who believes in your product. It seems to be getting better with age as all good things do."

"I really love this hovercraft and run it a lot. You have a unique and practical watercraft that is more than a pleasure craft. It's performing perfectly."

September 2004:    [In September 2004 Marty Van Lishout took delivery of his fourth recreational hovercraft from Neoteric.]

"Really appreciate new engine. Very responsive and much more pleasing to the ears. I like the new front skirts too. Started using 40 pound bag of sand in the nose which trimmed the craft quite well for me. Then I replaced 10 of the new front skirts with regular ones, and was able to remove the sand bag. I still get a little spray on turns which can be eliminated by moving way forward.

Beautiful Machine!

February 2005:

"Sure glad you convinced me to trade up. What a beautiful machine. Really enjoy the performance of the fuel injected engine (no more bogging down on right hand turns). Have 50 hours on the machine, and no major problems. Used your suggestion on freeing up the frozen rudder cables, still do have occasional icing problem with throttle cable."

"I enjoy traveling with safety where I would otherwise fear to go by other means."

"I've been on the river in my hovercraft when it was so low that all the other boats were parked, and I've been on it when the rapids kept everyone away... this thing's great!"

"My family enjoys our Neova 8. We have hovered in the ocean and traveled many rivers. Hundreds have flown with us. The Canadians really loved the hovercraft. In one winter's day we took 150 of 'em for rides."

"Earl and myself have enjoyed our hovercrafts so much, we have been places even horses couldn't get to!"

"This hovercraft (Hovertrek) is very maneuverable on small rivers. Even Val (my wife) is asking when we can go again! We have an unbelievably controllable hovercraft, can turn on your own axis. I can negotiate any boat ramp I've come across. I've been through white water, over two low-head three-tiered dams and I've just got it down going backwards."

"The reverse thrust system on your hovercraft is what sets it apart from anything on the market at this time. It's the best system I have ever experienced."

"I have never had anything this small that has gone so fast and is so smooth."

"I have over 200 hours on my hovercraft and I have had a lot of fun with it."

"I have more enjoyment out of my hovercraft than anything I have ever owned. It runs like a top, it's sure been a good craft. The bass fishing boys say, 'Boy you can get where we can't go!'

Best money I've ever spent!"

"Thanks! You have provided us with a method of conquering the river. You can’t imagine how much we appreciate this hovercraft. The Hovertrek is 10 times better than an airboat. It’s the best thing we can think of for the river. It’s doing a fantastic job. If it wasn’t for the reverse buckets it just wouldn’t work, you just have to have them; it’s the perfect thing. It crosses shoals as smooth as silk. The fishing platform works great. John and I have been everywhere on the river – we have mastered 50 miles from log jams to crossing dams and fish traps, even 3 ft drops. The river is like an obstacle course 1 to 4 ft high rocks for up to ½ mile stretch. We couldn’t ask for anything more. Yesterday we blew past a 90 HP jet boat that had gone as far as it could go."

"The hovercraft is a good Moose hunting machine, it sails over the sandbars at 35 mph. Everyone that looks at it thinks it's goofy, until they go for a ride."

"I really like my hovercraft. I have been climbing and descending canoe ramps on the Milwaukee River. These are quite steep, almost 45 degrees and high. I have over 127 hours on the hovercraft in less than six months. Recently, I went on Lake Michigan in six-foot waves and 25 mph winds, the craft worked well. I took my 80-year-old mother for a 60-mile trip. I certainly like my machine.”

A few weeks ago we had a family reunion at our home with my three sisters and their families coming from different parts of the world so, of course, we had a day out on the hovercraft. I took about 12 people one by one for rides up and down the river. Everyone had such a thrill, having never ridden on a hovercraft. We had to dodge groups of students kayaking downstream, but they were waving and thought the hovercraft was really cool. We even attracted some attention from the press, as there was a reporter from an Internet newspaper called the Bristol Sun taking pictures and interviewing us about the reunion and the hovercraft. I made sure she got the correct information about Neoteric, the maker of this fine machine, and sure enough at 8 pm that evening our story was on their web site, complete with photos and video of us hovering along (that was about two weeks ago so it's off their site by now).

I still have not yet seen any other hovercraft out on the waterways, and I guess I enjoy being so unique, but at the same time I realize that for the health of the hovercraft industry it would be much better if there were more of us around.

We're heading up to the Wisconsin Dells for four days of vacation this week. We're towing the Hovertrek along and plan to do some serious hovering on the Wisconsin River. We're going to attend the Muscoda Hover-in on Friday and Saturday; it will be our first hover-in so we're really looking forward to that.

I'm still working on the idea of making the front seat into a power seat with push button trim control. I've ordered a linear actuator and the rest of the electrical (switch, fuse holder and wiring) is mounted and ready to go. I'll need to have a small bracket welded to the seat frame to mount the actuator. The truth is I can't stop tinkering with it, but I think it's going to turn out really well. I'll email you a photo when it's complete.

By the way, my youngest sister is a professional videographer and she shot some footage of us operating the Hovertrek, (some nice on-board footage from the back seat too.) She's going to edit it into a nice little QuickTime hovercraft video (put to music) that I can distribute through the Internet. Maybe you could have a section on your web site of videos that potential customers could download to get the feel for riding on a hovercraft. When she's done with it I'll send you a copy. Well, I hope that business is good but not overwhelming you! Hope to see you at the September 12 Hover-in at Terre Haute.

PS: Attached is a photo from our recent outing (my sister Annie in rear seat). Check out the ultralight helmets and intercom system."