Pimp my ride - Hovercraft Edition

Transportation throughout the Delta has been an issue since villages began to settle within the last century. The Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers, along with their tributaries behave like highways, filled with boats during the summer, and snow machines or trucks (yes Martha, they build an Ice Road on the Kuskokwim) during the winter. The road often extends to Aniak, nearly 100 miles away. This time of year, however, transporting large items is a little more difficult. Barges can only go so far up river, and daily boat service can be quite encumbering.

Solution??? Hovercraft. That’s right. The back pages of Popular Science and the prospects of building my own personal hovercraft from a few simple materials and a vacuum cleaner engine have arrived. The future is here on the Y-K Delta. They travel the river in summer and winter delivering the needs of the outlying villages.



Alaska Hovercraft (a subsidiary of Lyndon Transport, one of the big cargo companies up here) has a 40 ton capacity, British built, former Marine carrying hovercraft in operation supplying the villages of the Kuskokwim River. For a modest fee, you too can travel the river at rates greater than 30 knots (alledgedly it can reach 40-50 knots). Bonus, if you are an “elder” such as the two members of our party who will be code named “Mom” and “Dad”, you ride for free.

When the morning fog boiled off, we had a beautiful blue sky day and spent the afternoon visiting the villages of Kwethluk, Akiak, and Tuluksak. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to walk around, as our stops entailed unloading such staples as chips, soda, Tang, ramen, and the US mail. The ride alone was worth the trip. As far as hovercraft being a practical means of transport…the future is now.