- This article is about the vehicle from Diddy Kong Racing. For Funky Kong's similarly-named vehicle from Donkey Kong Country 3, see Hover Craft.
Hovercrafts are one of the three usable vehicles in Diddy Kong Racing and Diddy Kong Racing DS, the other two being Cars and Planes. Their main attribute is the ability to float across bodies of water, including lava due their immunity to burn and they can go across ice that's too bouncy for cars. They are the default vehicle of those stages, which are the main theme of Sherbet Island. It is the only hub world where the character drives around in a Hovercraft. These vehicles can be driven in every stage, except for some boss fights and battle stages.
Hovercrafts are considered to be the trickiest vehicle to control, mainly because of poor steering capabilities. In the Nintendo DS remake, players can initiate a Rocket Start by blowing into the DS's microphone.
Colors
In the original Diddy Kong Racing, every character's Hovercraft had its own color, just like Cars and Planes. In Diddy Kong Racing DS, every character's Hovercraft is yellow by default. However, from Taj's Wishes Menu, the player can change its color along with adding more customization options to it.
Level availability
Hovercrafts are a usable vehicle in every course. However, they are only used as a default vehicle in three courses, two from Sherbet Island and one from Dragon Forest. The player races in a Hovercraft during two boss races, against Bluey the Walrus and Bubbler the Octopus; it is the only vehicle that is not used in a race against Wizpig. Darkwater Beach is the only Challenge Level where racers ride in Hovercrafts.
| Course | Availability | Default vehicle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dino Domain | |||
| Ancient Lake | 
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| Fossil Canyon |
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| Jungle Falls |
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| Hot Top Volcano |
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| Boss level: Tricky the Triceratops |
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| Challenge Level: Fire Mountain |
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| Snowflake Mountain | |||
| Everfrost Peak |
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| Walrus Cove |
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| Snowball Valley |
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| Frosty Village |
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| Boss level: Bluey the Walrus |
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| Challenge Level: Icicle Pyramid |
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| Sherbet Island | |||
| Whale Bay |
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| Crescent Island |
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| Pirate Lagoon |
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| Treasure Caves |
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| Boss level: Bubbler the Octopus |
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| Challenge Level: Darkwater Beach |
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| Dragon Forest | |||
| Windmill Plains |
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| Greenwood Village |
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| Boulder Canyon |
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| Haunted Woods |
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| Boss level: Smokey the Dragon |
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| Challenge Level: Smokey Castle |
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| Future Fun Land | |||
| Space Dust Alley |
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| Darkmoon Caverns |
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| Spaceport Alpha |
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| Star City |
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| Wizpig | |||
| First race |
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| Second race |
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Gallery
Artwork
Aerial view of a Hovercraft
Diddy Kong
Tiptup
Tiptup
Conker
Timber
Screenshots
Diddy Kong Racing
Diddy Kong Racing DS
Diddy Kong Racing DS icon
