A real live hovercraft!

I'll be honest- I was never sure that hovercrafts really existed. I remember commercials for toy hovercrafts when I was a kid. I really wanted one of those. It was radio-controlled, a foot long, and it could glide over land and water. Well, this one's a little bigger:


This hovercraft can also glide over land and water, and at 60 MPH too! I imagine it's a pretty smooth ride, since you've got an 8" pillow of air underneath. It's a two-seater so you can bring a friend. Also, "land and water" really simplifies it too much. They say that the "hovercraft travels over smooth surfaces such as ice, water, sand, mud, snow, and short grass, in addition to short distances over asphalt, concrete, or dirt roads." Not too shabby. It doesn't say how long the 12 volt battery lasts though. This is another Hammacher Schlemmer item, with the similarly steep price tag of $13,999.95. And if you want the trailer to haul it around, it will cost you an additional $1,999.95.

I'm tempted to take this vehicle the whole way, (that is, if i could afford it). I haven't been able to find any hovercraft rentals or hovercraft tours in the US, but there are a number of hovercraft manufacturers so hopefully I can partner up with one of them for a ride. Anyone have any connections in the hovercraft industry?