Want to have a go at the controls? If you want to have a go at the controls yourself, then get in touch! At the weekends we'll book you into our own venue where we can let you loose at the controls (although under the careful tuition of the instructor who is just sat behind you - and boy will you be glad they're there in times of need....!!!)
Flying a hovercraft means getting used to certain things you're probably unfamiliar with. Driving a go-kart on ice is a useful analogy.
Depending on amount of time you've booked, we'll being my taking you through the basics and gradually build up the skills and fundamentals you need. If you're able to spend longer then the more we can explore the hovercraft (beginning to get into power-offs whilst in a variety of maneuvers).
Our discount scheme
Up to 40% discount on prices! On a first-come, first-served basis, we offer up to 40% discount on the prices that follow. A bit like the airlines - the earlier you book, the cheaper your tickets :) Well, you technically do "fly" a hovercraft, and the person at the controls is technically a "pilot", so why not!
The way this works is this: On any given bookable day we have slots that are available at 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% discounts and finally at full-price. This is so that we can cater for both situations where those on a budget who aren't in a hurry (or who book early enough in advance) get a great price, as well keeping slots available to those who don't want to wait and can afford the full prices.
Equally, it might just pay to see if this Saturday has any bookings yet - if it doesn't then you get the best of both worlds: immediate impulse buying a crazy idea at a really great price.
Experiences
What follows are the standard packages we've come up with. However, do feel free to contact us with your own requirements and we'll quote you.
An idea for you to consider: there are a couple of local restaurants available, and the excellent Woking Ambassadors Cinema and Theatre less than 30 minutes away from our venue, so if this is a gift experience, or you want to make a lovely event - conclude your Hov Pod luxury personal hovercraft experience with a little relaxation in a restaurant, at the movies or at the theatre. Perfect, and unforgettable! Just to be absolutely clear, we're supplying the Hov Pod experience only; other stuff isn't included in the price. But we'll help you with booking if you need help.
- The simple 1-2 minute ride experience. "What shall we do this Saturday morning? I know, let's pop down to Hovpod Surrey to have a ride on the hovercraft." Or equally, "What shall we do for our children's party? Hey, how about taking them to Hovpod Surrey for an hour, have a go on the hovercraft, and then we can go off and do something else!" This is designed to give as many people access to this wonderful experience who perhaps don't want to spend too much. It's a "Just turn up and have a go" experience similar to a rollercoaster ride duration and cost, except without the long queues. Contact us for when we're at our venue. We prebook and limit people per hour which means no queuing, we're clever like that :) Estimated price will be £3 per person (two people in the Hov Pod). Perfect for the kids !! In July we took 70 children over a period of 2 hours on the Hov Pod - every single child had a huge smile. £3 per person, two people ride together as passengers behind the pilot. (rough price for group bookings - £100/hour) £3 can buy you a Burger King Kids Meal, two large bags of sweets, or a Hov Pod hovercraft blast!
- Exclusive 1-2-1 30 minutes @ venue; 10 minutes @ Hov Pod. One of many perfect gifts to give. A passenger ride experience, with exclusive one-to-one personal care. Total time at the venue is 30 minutes which gives you time to breath, say hello, have a welcome introduction to the Hov Pod before getting in and experiencing the various maneuvers of this wonderfully versatile machine. Combine this with a booking at one of the local restaurants to the venue, or perhaps a trip to the excellent Woking Ambassadors Cinema and Theatre complex and this could be a lovely event. £49 per exclusive 30 minutes period (up to 40% discount possible which could bring this as low as £29)
- Group of 4-6 1 hour @ venue; 10 minutes @ controls. A 1 hour experience shared between 4-6 people with approximately 10 minutes at the controls each. Yes, you're the one flying! Increasingly challenging hovercraft piloting beginning with the very simple straight and level to the instinct-challenging 180 degree spin stops (which gets most people!). If you manage to get past this stage, then we get you to prove who's the best pilot by splitting you up into two teams and challenging you to prove just how precise you can fly the hovercraft (the people watching arguably get more fun watching you make a total pig's ear of this - so expect some teasing!) £49 per person (up to 40% discount possible which could bring this as low as £29 per person)
- Group of 4-6 3 hours @ venue; 30 minutes @ controls. A 3 hour half-day hovercraft piloting course shared between 4-6 people with approximately 30 minutes spent at the controls. Similar format to the 1-hour experience above but more indepth and more daring maneuvers and more time to perfect the various precision flying techniques. £99 per person (which means it works out less expensive from a time at the controls point of view) (up to 40% discount possible which could bring this as low as £59 per person)
- Exclusive 1-2-1 1, 2 or 3 hours @ venue; 20, 40 or 60 minutes at controls. A 1, 2 or 3 hour personal one-on-one hovercraft pilot training course. Exclusive to you, it's just you and instructor. A gently paced (you'll be glad!!) course where increasingly complicated maneuvers are discussed, briefed, executed and debriefed. You will spend 1/3 of the time at the controls, 2/3 taking breaks to consolidating the learning, answer questions, discuss the techniques, debriefing from the previous exercise and briefing before the next exercise. Maybe even take time to go to the toilet or grab a much needed cigarette !! £149 for one hour, £249 for 2 hours, £299 for 3 hours. (up to 40% discount possible which could bring this as low as £89 for 1 hour, £149 for 2 hours or £179 for 3 hours)
Note - to self-hire the Hov Pod, you'll need to book the 2 or 3 hour Exclusive 1-2-1 training. If you wish to take it on water, then we will need to go to Southampton for on-water training to show you how to do the on-water starts ("getting over the hump" as it's termed).
Where? Your place or ours !
Our venue is a 6 acre grass field south of Woking near Guildford (M25 junction 10, A3 junction).
For us to come to you, we just need the landowner's permission in writing (an email will do) and we have £5m public liability insurance.
The Hov Pod can travel on most surfaces land or water-based: grass, tarmac, water, ice, snow, sand, mud and other similar surfaces. The Hov Pod can handle gentle slopes (although we're yet to try an uphill lake...!!!)
Want to try it on water??
The Hov Pod's seamless transition from land to water to mud is amazing to experience. Currently the only venue we have to maximize this experience is in Southampton at the same place we demonstrate the Hov Pod to potential customers. View the video below (the green Hov Pod) which was taken at the location. WARNING: You **WILL** get mud splashes on your clothes, face and in your hair (unless you request we stay away from the mud flats, in which case you'll just get a little wet) so please dress appropriately - Hovpod Surrey will only provide the flotation device. Identical pricing as above with the addition of £30 to cover costs of travel of the Hov Pod and instructor to and from Southampton.
Lunch is available to buy at a lovely quayside restaurant near to where we'll be launching from.
Self-fly hire? Pick it up and go off and have fun?
Just want to rent the Hov Pod luxury personal hovercraft for a day for your personal use? No pilot included - you're the one flying! Just like renting a car from Avis!
Rather than buy your own Hov Pod from us (we're the official dealer so you can if you want to) you might just want to use the Hov Pod a few days a year. We have two ideas which can help you with this, but first you need the training so you must buy the 3 hour 1-2-1 exclusive training at £299 and prove yourself competent enough at the controls to go solo during this 3 hours training period. Providing you give us confidence in your piloting abilities, then the following options are immediately open to you:
- 24-hour rental periods where you collect and return the Hov Pod from and to us (or we can deliver and/or collect for an additional charge based on mileage to you from us - the travel time is taken from the 24-hour period) For infrequent renters, we reserve the right to request a 30-minute proficiency check at a cost of £30 before we let you loose on our craft again! This is to make sure you're still competent to fly solo and haven't forgotten anything.
- The Hovpod Surrey Club where you pay a membership fee which gives you access to 6 or 12 discounted rental periods (in 24-hour periods) to be booked and redeemed in the 6 or 12 months following the date you join. Please note, if you've not flown for over a month then we require a 30-minute proficiency check at a cost of £30 before we let you loose on our craft again! This is to make sure you're still competent to fly solo and haven't forgotten anything.
Terms of the above self-hires:
- you rent at a dry rate which means you add the fuel yourself. The fuel is Unleaded fuel. You must add 2-stroke oil to the fuel which is of the same or better standard as Shell's VSX 2T 2-stroke oil, and you must add it at a mixing ratio of 50:1 - in a 20-litre tank of fuel you'd add 400ml of the oil. We will buy any unused oil off you in the original bottles (show us the receipt and we'll pay for the portion unused), but any unused fuel we won't and we'll dispose of as we see fit, including using it ourselves.
- the Hov Pod is your full responsibility. Hovpod Surrey will ensure you receive a sound Hov Pod and then it is your full responsibility to ensure it is returned in the same condition. Should there be any damage, a £2,500 excess applies. Feel free to contact our insurers http://www.onrisk.co.uk/ to discuss with them reducing this excess.
- You will conduct yourself in-line with our Hov Pod Code of Conduct, a code drawn up by the manufacturers of the Hov Pod which ensures safe, responsible and legal operation of the Hov Pod and preservation of the Hov Pod's reputable name and reputation.
We're always looking for new and better venues
Venue owners: We're always on the look out for new venues, especially ones with water features / a variety of surfaces. All we need is a relatively smooth surface. Even gentle slopes are fine. And of course the Hov Pod will not damage the surface - see the video below shot by the National Geographic Channel showing the Hov Pod being flown over eggs.
Are you an event manager?
Event producers/Managers/Coordinators:
If you have an event happening and you'd like the Hov Pod in attendance to raise your profile and provide another income stream for you, please get in touch to discuss.
Terms and Conditions
Terms and Conditions will be emailed to you with payment instructions. Payment must be made in full in advance - only when we receive cleared funds will the booking be confirmed, before then we reserve the right to accept other bookings in place of yours (this is to prevent the business impact of timewasters). Similarly with cancellations or rescheduling - we reserve the right to charge a rebooking fee of 20% of the cost of the experience, or to charge you in full if the cancellation is less than 7 days before the booked date. Booking an experience means you accept the terms and conditions in full.
Public Liability Insurance
Hovpod Surrey has £5million Public Liability Insurance through OnRisk - http://www.onrisk.co.uk/
