American discovers a wrecked 1989 hovercraft that's been abandoned 20 years and gets to work making it airborne again

This American got to work to make a wrecked 1989 hovercraft airborne after it’d been left abandoned for 20 years.

YouTuber Matt Spears was working on a 1989 SCAT 2 hovercraft, which was originally powered by an airplane engine.

After it’d crashed and sat neglected for 20 years, there was a lot of work to do.

From start to finish, there were some massive challenges to overcome.

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Could this wrecked 1989 hovercraft soar again?

The 1989 Scat 2 hovercraft is a personal amphibious vehicle that was built between the late 1980s and early 1990s.

It was powered by a propeller at the rear, which was hooked up to the previously mentioned aircraft engine.

Through this hovercraft, airflow would be split two ways – between the forward thrust and the surrounding skirts – rubber extensions that enclose the air cushion and allow the hovercraft to travel over water and land.

While this hovercraft was undoubtedly quick in its day, it was far from its former glory when Spears was at the start of its restoration journey.

“We’ve really got our work cut out for us with this machine,” he told his viewers.

The guy who sold it to Spears told him it wouldn’t start, but Spears was willing to try.

Unfortunately, the salesman proved to be right.

Fear not, Spears was on the job.

After inspecting the damage, he created a new air intake using a 3D printer.

He then rebuilt the carburetor, replacing some of its severely deteriorated components.

“I’ve seen some horrible carburetors, but I’ve never seen anything close to this,” Spears admitted.

“No amount of scrubbing could possibly clean this carburetor, so into the chemical dip it goes.”

Once things were put back together, the engine roared back to life.

“There’s nothing like hearing an engine roar to life after sitting for so long, I am so stoked!” Spears declared.

It is an awesome feeling, as the man who bought an engine from eBay for his McLaren 650S knows all too well.

There were some challenges along the way

The skirts had sustained quite a lot of damage, so new ones had to be procured.

When the old skirts were removed, extensive damage was revealed underneath.

To amend this, damaged sections had to be cut away, and expanding foam was applied to bond new ABS plastic patches with fiberglass.

The new and improved body was sanded down and repainted, ready for the new skirts to go on.

But the real test would be out on the water.

Unfortunately, the first test was a bit of a flop.

After an initially promising start, it eventually stalled and even began filling up with water.

This was traced to how the skirts were tied to the vehicle and a poorly sealed air filter.

In snowy conditions, it performed surprisingly well – and we have to say, it looked like a whole lot of fun.

Unfortunately, all of that activity wreaked havoc on the skirts.

“We’ve got two fully blown skirts and four half-blown skirts,” Spears said.

“Yikes.”

It did prove to be a yikes moment, and Spears decided it was time to head back to the garage.

At least he had some fun before things started going wrong.

Before long, it’ll be ready to take part in hovercraft racing, which is potentially the most extreme sport ever.

People have even called for it to be in the Olympics, which would…certainly be something.

To see the restoration journey of this wrecked 1989 hovercraft, visit Spears’ YouTube channel.

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