Skip to main content

You can finally preorder this ridiculous leaf-blower-powered hoverboard

you can finally preorder this ridiculous leaf blower powered hoverboard mr header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
About a year ago, back before the current hoverboard zeitgeist had hit critical mass, a tinkerer by the name of Ryan Craven took the Internet by storm with a video of his own take on the idea. Instead of using fancy supercooled magnets and elaborate metal-covered skate ramps to levitate his board, Craven’s crazy DIY hovercraft –dubbed Mr. Hoverboard— employed four downward-facing leaf blowers. It was absolutely ridiculous, but it ended up working so well that he decided to mass produce it. Starting this week, you can actually preorder a kit to make your very own Mr. Hoverboard yourself — although you’ll have to supply the leaf blowers.

In case you missed the original video, here’s a quick rundown of how Craven’s hoverboard works. Once you’ve attached the four leaf blowers and flipped them on, the air they blast out is redirected out through a special PVC skirt attached to the underside of the board. When air escapes out of the skirts holes, it creates an air buffer between the board and the ground below — effectively allowing it to “hover” over just about any surface. To ride it around, you simply push in whatever direction you’d like to go. Because it’s basically floating, the board will move in the direction of the momentum you apply to it.

Recommended Videos

Related: Hover technology may help your house float during an earthquake

The Mr. Hoverboard kit (which is currently up on CrowdSupply) includes all the wooden components, fasteners, and other materials you need to build the Hoverboard’s deck. The whole thing comes in one box with seven separate pieces, including the board, two “hover discs,” and four blower mounts. These pieces are attached using simple screws and a hex key included in the package, and according to Crave, the entire deck can be assembled in about 15 minutes. The four leaf blowers you’ll need (specifically, Black & Decker LSW20 battery-powered blowers) are not included, but sell for about $90 apiece.

All in all, you’ll need about $780 bucks to complete the Mr. Hoverboard build ($420 for the deck kit and $360 for the blowers), which definitely isn’t cheap — but even at that price it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the Hendo Hoverboard, Lexus Slide, and even that one-wheeled “hoverboard” that popped up on Kickstarter recently.

This was originally a post on our brother site, Digital Trends.

Drew Prindle
Drew is our resident tech nerd. He’s spent most of his life trying to be James Bond, so naturally he’s developed an…
This Tineco Cordless Vacuum is on sale for $70, normally $300
The Tineco Cordless Vacuum on a white background.

You can currently buy the Tineco Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum for just $70 at Walmart. It normally costs $300 so you’re saving a huge $230 off the regular price. It's the ideal choice for anyone keen to keep prices down but their home cleaner. Here’s what you need to know about one of the best vacuum deals around.

Why you should buy the Tineco Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum
Tineco generally has a good reputation for making some of the best cordless vacuums for anyone on a budget. With the Tineco Lightweight Cordless Stick Vacuum, you get a robust level of suction that works on all surfaces. That means hard floors to carpets and tiles, so your whole home is covered.

Read more
Will ‘Bad Monkey’ get a season 2 at Apple TV+?
The show is based on a book of the same name that has a sequel
Vince Vaughn in Bad Monkey

Apple TV+ is slowly but surely building a library of interesting TV projects. Bad Monkey, which aired earlier this year on the streamer, was just one example, adapting a novel of the same name and bringing in Vince Vaughn to star.

Now, Variety is reporting that the show will be back for a second season. There is a sequel to the original novel, which was written by Carl Hiaasen, titled Razor Girl, but Variety's reporting suggests that the second season will not be based on that novel. In spite of that creative departure, creator Bill Lawrence said he has nothing but admiration for Hiaasen.

Read more
Will ‘Silo’ be getting a third season?
The show will wrap up with a fourth and final season.
Apple TV+ Silo Episode 1 Photo of Rashida Jones and David Oyelowo

Silo is currently in the middle of its second season, and the show remains one of the more interesting sci-fi shows on television. While the show's season 2 finale has not yet aired, fans are already wondering whether the show will return for another season.

Thankfully, Apple TV+ saw fit to answer that question, renewing the show not just for a third season but also for a fourth. The show's fourth season will also serve as its final. Graham Yost created the series, which is adapted from a series of novels written by Hugh Howey.

Read more