A personal hovercraft is a small hovercraft

Hovercraft

A hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...

 normally carrying fewer than 10 passengers. The low cost makes it affordable for personal use.

Introduction

A hovercraft, or air-cushion vehicle, is a vehicle or craft that can be supported by a cushion of air ejected downwards against a surface close below it, and can in principle travel over any relatively smooth surface, such as gently sloping land, water, or marshland, while having no substantial contact with it.
In Europe,the HSC2000 regulation craft less one Ton(1000 kg) for a personal hovercraft.

Race craft

Race craft are built for the speed. They are mostly built from light materials to maximize the speed but the safety is often compromised.
People who build race craft often participate in different hovercraft races.
The world's first hovercraft race was held on March 14, 1964 in the Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

, capital of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. There were 13 participants and around 10 000 spectators.

Self-built craft

Self-built hovercraft are ideal for hobbyists and for people to whom price is the main criteria. They can be self-designed craft, built from a plan or they can be kit-built craft. A kit can cost as low as $600 for 1 persons craft and $5000 or more for a larger craft. Depending on the manufacturer a kit may be complete or almost complete. Most kits include engines.
Or you can go from scratch. Many plans can be found online so all you need do is buy your materials.generally,racing hovercraft are provided with high rpm motor fan at the backside of the hovercraft for required thrust.The racing hovercraft's height is limited to provide it stability even at high speeds.

Leisure craft

Leisure craft are oriented for ease of use and safety. They have higher buoyancy

Buoyancy

In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...

and are intended to be safe on the water even with engine off. Leisure craft are mostly professionally built by the companies. There are several companies which offer already completed leisure craft.

Personal hovercraft from the 1970s

This appeared in an early 1970s episode of Let's Make a Deal. This is an Air Cycle 720 made by Air Cushion Vehicles of Troy, New York valued at $1,495 at the time. It could go up to 40 MPH.