Finding the right engine - for a hovercraft!

[rickhartland]

Hi, I am a British doctor working as a volunteer in Zambales. I am working with Aeta tribes many kilometres from the nearest road, and am hoping to be able to build a hovercraft in order to be able to reach them by flying/driving it along a river bed.
At the moment I am trying to find a suitable engine for our craft. We need one that has a power of between 70 - 100hp, but is light in weight, preferably an aluminum block. It also needs to be reliable, and reasonably easy to get parts for in the Philippines.
People from abroad who have worked with hovercraft before have suggested a Subaru engine like the EA82, or perhaps a Suzuki (maybe the G13). Anyway - I have no idea if these engines are available here or not, and as I'm new to the Philippines I also have no idea where to find them.
So firstly, does anyone know if these engines or similar ones are available here?
Secondly, if they are not available - does anyone have any idea of possible replacements? Remember light weight is the most important criteria as it has to fly!
Thirdly - where can I find them - on Luzon if possible?

Advance maraming salamat sa inyong advice, at tumulong sa akin. (Nagtuto ako ng Tagalog, pero hindi pa magaling ako!)
Rick Hartland

[ghosthunter]

how about a Honda D16 engine? The one that comes with the civic? Or the carburated 1.5L version of the Honda Civic 1.5L?

Anyway, try contacting

SPEEDLAB
376-46-48
376-46-51
Contact person: Ferman
Address: 871 Quezon Ave, Quezon City

[niky]

Will this engine be running at high rpms all the time? If so, I concur with ghosthunter... the D16 should fit your needs. It doesn't require an overly large radiator, and Hondas are relatively stable at high rpms.

Lots of four cylinder and three cylinder engines are available. It all depends on your needs. Personally, a Nissan GA13DE should fit the bill, too. It doesn't make a lot of power (about 85 hp), but it revs smoothly, is carburated (for easy fuel system maintenance) and has a dual-overhead cam and timing chain construction... which means you almost never have to open the head to replace the timing chain. Very easy engine to own and work on.

[rickhartland]

Thanks for the replies. I am looking into both kinds of engines now, the Nissan sounds interesting from a low maintenance point of view - but do you know how much it weighs? I notice it has a cast iron block, which often tends to make the engines too heavy to be useful.
Any more suggestions gratefully received - I'll keep you updated on the project progress.
Thanks
Rick

[KBR]

or if you want an engine that is very light weight and can sustain higher RPM's, then you might wanna try using 4 stroke Motorcyle engines. preferably a 1000cc engine (from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 , Yamaha R1, etc.. or even put two smaller 600cc 4 stroke motorcylce engines).


aite, peace.

[ghosthunter]

or if you want an engine that is very light weight and can sustain higher RPM's, then you might wanna try using 4 stroke Motorcyle engines. preferably a 1000cc engine (from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 , Yamaha R1, etc.. or even put two smaller 600cc 4 stroke motorcylce engines).


aite, peace.

replacement parts might be hard to find.

[fourtheboys96]

Thanks for the replies. I am looking into both kinds of engines now, the Nissan sounds interesting from a low maintenance point of view - but do you know how much it weighs? I notice it has a cast iron block, which often tends to make the engines too heavy to be useful.
Any more suggestions gratefully received - I'll keep you updated on the project progress.
Thanks
Rick

a lot of engines here are made from iron block and aluminum heads.

you might want to consider a small engine and add some modifications to increase power.

[niky]

The old 1600 makes maybe 75-85 hp... but yeah, the simplicity and lack of extra weight from having no liquid coolant will make it ideal for marine use. Good one, GH!

[rickhartland]

Thanks for all the help. As an update on the plans, we have now decided it might be better to build 2 smaller hovercraft, instead of one big one. The reason for this is that if one breaks down - out of reach somewhere on the river, we want another craft to be able to rescue it! So instead of using car engines, we will probably now use a 35hp engine from Briggs & Stratton. See here for details... http://www.commercialpower.com/displ...sp?DocID=76948
An industrial engine will probably be more reliable than an old car engine too - although a lot more expensive...
Anyway, thanks again, I'll post some pics later in the year when we start to build.
Rick

[empy]

Rick...i don't have anything to contribute to your question (it does look like you've got it all sorted out anyway), but i wanted to thank you for moving to a different country and devoting your time to help other people improve their quality of life.

God bless you! :2thumbsup:

[Horsepower]

Indeed.

Thank you Dr. Rick. Please let us know in what way we can help.