Airboards 101
Submitted by SharpMan Editorial Team on Friday 15th October 2010- What is an airboard?
- How does it work?
- Can my kid ride it?
Ever since the days of Back to the Future, what guy hasn’t dreamed of owning his very own hover-board? Watching Michael J. Fox whip around the streets like some sort of futuristic Tony Hawk made us all want to experience the thrill of skateboarding without cumbersome wheels. Well, thanks to Kevin Inkster and the boys at Arbortech Pty Ltd, an Australian based R&D company, that dream could soon be a reality. Read on for the SharpToys skinny:
What Is an Airboard?
While the Arbortech Airboard is still a few steps short of the movies, it does provide a new sort of fun to the everyday Joe. Standing a total of 4’11" tall and with a foot deck diameter of 6’3", the airboard is best used in a nice open space, like a parking lot or empty field.
Although product specifications say that the airboard has a total weight capacity of 220 pounds, after speaking to the mad man Kevin Inkster himself, we learned that he’s cruised with as much as 350 pounds on his very own airboard, so you should have no trouble taking your SharpWoman for a quick spin around the block. Inkster also informed us that the airboard has now been equipped with a front grill, "So you won’t suck up any cats," as well as lights for night riding.
How Does it Work?
Using the same principle as a "traditional" hovercraft, the Arbortech Airboard uses a material skirt filled with air by a large fan. This creates a cushion of air underneath the board which allows it to…you guessed it…hover.
However, unlike the "traditional" hovercraft, the Airboard is not suited to drive over water or thick muddy surfaces due to its small size and the fact that it utilizes a disengageable drive wheel for quicker acceleration and improved handling. And with a top speed of 15 miles an hour, it’s time for Grandpa to garage the rascal and hit the streets in style.
Typically the airboard is ridden in a scooter-like fashion with the operator standing on the large deck and negotiating movement via a set of handlebar-like controls. As the drive wheel is engaged, it propels the device forward, all the while continuing to pressurize the skirt beneath, allowing it to move over virtually any surface–thus providing for a full hour of giggling-like-a-schoolgirl-fun on a single 1.3-gallon tank of regular old gasoline.
Can My Kid Ride It?
Sure, but then your kids could probably hop on your SUV and do a header into the neighbors’ living room if you let them, so it’s really up to you to determine what is safe for your child.
As with any vehicle designed almost specifically for off-road use, make sure that whoever is riding it is equipped with all of the proper safety gear, the most important and obvious being a helmet. However, despite the initial appearance of a flying disc-o-death, the good people at Arbortech assure us that the Airboard is incredibly easy to maneuver and that the ride is, for the most part, safe.
So while we can’t yet watch movies in 4-D, and luckily the price of a bottle of Coke is still under 50 bucks, that doesn’t mean we can’t whip around the streets like madmen leading our pursuers into the ever-popular truck full of manure.
McFly, eat your heart out.
Log on to www.airboard.com.au to check it out for yourself.
This article last updated on Friday 15th October 2010