The Brits were heavily into large hovercraft for commercial use. They had regularly scheduled channel ferries in the previous decade. Don't know if they are still in use. They were ideal for quick channel crossing at 30 plus knots and were unaffected by sea state until the conditions got quite nasty. Saw a video about them and looked very tricky to maneuver on the hard as they were so effected by cross winds but they were fast on the water. Looked like they'd be excellent for military use as they don't need a manicured landing spot