Alberta man's hovercraft creation odyssey 'an incredible experience'
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
When Robert Tymofichuk was a child, he saw a hovercraft on TV and was mesmerized.
"At that point, I was captivated," Tymofichuk said. "There's no question in your mind that you have to have one of those crafts, but you don't go to the local power sports dealer and say, 'I'd like to buy a hovercraft.'"
So what's an enterprising youth to do? Build one.
Tymofichuk grew up on a farm, learning about carpentry, welding, plumbing, and whatever else was needed to repair buildings and equipment.
"I enjoyed taking things apart, I enjoyed fixing things, and it led to a creative life," Tymofichuk said.
When he was in junior high school, he ordered plans for a hovercraft and over time built one.
"The first time that dad had it out with the front end loader, it was all painted, mom had the camera ready, and we put it on the front lawn and revved up the engines, and it didn't move," Tymofichuk said.
"It was a five-year project, so a little bit of a letdown, you might say. Essentially, it was too tail heavy."
It took some work, modifications and different parts, but eventually Tymofichuk got it working, and had it working for several years.
Some time later, he got a call from the mayor of Myrnam about parts for a hovercraft that were slated to go to the dump.
"I said, 'No, no, please, don't do that,' and went over there and what was there was the mould for the craft, this fibreglass part" Tymofichuk said.
He was also given a car engine, but at the time, didn't have the knowledge to use it for a new craft.
"I had to devise a system that would transfer the power up, and then you want really tight tolerances between the fan and the duct … and you don't want any vibration, because if you have the slightest bit of vibration, it will make contact, and then some really bad things are going to happen," Tymofichuk said.
For around seven years, the project didn't go anywhere, but eventually, others started figuring out how to do more with hovercrafts, and Tymofichuk was able to adapt what he saw online into his new build.
"Over the course of a year, I spent about 1,800 hours working on the craft," Tymofichuk said. "Every day that went by it got closer and closer to actually something workable."
Eventually, it was workable and he and his wife brought it out to Lac Bellevue for a test.
Robert Tymofichuk driving his hovercraft on Friday Oct. 4, 2024. (Evan Kenny/CTV News Edmonton)
"I was going to take off on the water and my wife Shelley says, 'I'm going to join you, because if something happens, at least we're together,'" Tymofichuk said.
"I had no idea whether it's going to work, and we transitioned from the beach onto the water, and it took off and not a ripple."
He said he felt anxious before the test, but when it was working, he was grinning ear to ear.
"The whole project's been a leap of faith. Your gut is telling you, yes, this should work, and you spend all this time and finances to go make it happen, and you hope it's going to happen," Tymofichuk said.
"It's such an incredible experience to create something with your own hands, spend that amount of time and actually have it work with minimal problems."
He's posted videos of the craft online and people were concerned that if the engine quit, the craft would sink, but it does float.
"It's like a raft, the only bad part is you can't paddle it, it's not hydrodynamic," Tymofichuk said.
His advice for people looking to try new things is that there may be a lot of trial and error, but keep at it.
"That's life, you try some stuff, most of the time it works out and sometimes it doesn't … you go ahead at it again," Tymofichuk said.
"You've got to have faith that things will work out, and just have the determination."
Tymofichuk is a teacher and assistant principal at the New Myrnam School and enjoys teaching students about projects dealing with energy, the environment and ways to improve the community.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
America reaches Election Day and a stark choice between Trump and Harris
A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor approached its finale on Election Day as Americans decided whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office.
New homeowners find skeleton in attic 15 years after previous occupant disappeared
Homeowners in France have discovered a skeleton in the attic of an outbuilding while undertaking renovation work.
No jail time for man who drove truck through residential school march in B.C.
A British Columbia senior who drove his pickup truck into a march for Indigenous residential school survivors will avoid jail time after he was sentenced Monday to nine months of house arrest.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Prison sentences handed down for sexually abusive London, Ont. parents
In handing down the sentences for two London parents, Justice Thomas Heeney told the court, "The facts of this case were the most egregious that I have encountered during my 26 years on the bench."
'I’m not proud of it': Jason Kelce apologizes after video shows him spiking a cellphone after fan used a homophobic slur
Jason Kelce issued an apology during ESPN's 'Monday Night Countdown' after a viral video captured a 'heated moment' between the retired Super Bowl champion and a fan over the weekend.
'It looks quite real': Two Ontarians lose money to fake phone scam
About 85 per cent of Canadians have a smartphone and once you have one they’re hard to live without. The latest smartphones can cost as much as $2,000, so if you’re trying to save money, make sure you don’t get caught in a fake smartphone scam.
Ukrainian troops have engaged with North Korean units for the 1st time in Russia, an official says
Ukrainian troops have for the first time engaged with North Korean units that were recently deployed to help Russia in the war with its neighbour, Ukraine's defence minister said Tuesday.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.