Hoverships support their weight with a number of hoverpods. In addition, each one has a lateral force device known as a hoverkeel, a second one to serve as a rudder, and a third with a spiral shape, known as an impeller, for braking and short pules of thrust. Hoverpods in outriggers on either side provide balance; these outriggers are usually supported with force lines rather than physical cantilevers in order to reduce drag, as well as reduce the risk of damage due to ground obstacles.
Most hoverships draw forward thrust from a single large sail. Multiple sails are sometimes used on larger ships, but have little advantage because the lead sail will usually steal the wind from all sails behind it. The sail and mast are combined together into a single structure known as a sailfin. Most sailfins are capable of folding up when not in use; the mechanism for this generally resembles either a bird's wing or a folding fan.
There are two main types of sailfins: hard and soft. Soft sailfins use cloth supported by spars and battens. Soft sailfins are easy to produce, and are more efficient at low speeds, as the flexibility of the sail material allows it to vary its camber to avoid aerodynamic stalling. Hard sailfins consist of curved panels of rigid material, such as wood or cloth soaked in paraffin. The advantage of hard sailfins is that they are efficient at high speeds; the panels on either side of the fin combine to form a smooth airfoil shape. The rigidity also makes the structure more stable, preventing it from flapping and thus making it last much longer.
Hoverships are capable of traveling much faster than the wind that propels them. This is because they are designed to take advantage of crosswinds; while moving at high speed will negate a tailwind, the cross component of the wind persists no matter how much headwind is present. In addition, a large headwind can actually amplify the effects of a crosswind, as the aerodynamic force on the sailfin increases with wind speed regardless of wind direction.
The key to a hovership's ability to take advantage of crosswinds lies in its support hoverpods. Unlike a hovercart, a hovership has a strong hoverkeel to absorb lateral force. The long outriggers then absorb the roll torque from the sailfin, preventing the ship from flipping over. Both of these are important, as the lateral force from the sailfin rapidly increases with speed. The most important factor in the hovership's speed, however, is simply the fact that it levitates. Without ground drag to slow it down, a hovership's speed is limited solely by aerodynamics.
In order to increase their speed further, many hoverships are covered in a force bubble. This gives them an aerodynamic surface that is much smoother and streamlined than their actual surface, thus radically reducing drag.
Ships with hard sailfins tend to have a hard time picking up speed from a standstill, due to aerodynamic stalling of their rigid propulsive surface. To compensate for this, such ships are equipped with spinorbs. The spinorbs are connected to the impeller, which is basically a spiral hoverkeel that converts torque into forward motion. Normally the impeller acts as a brake, absorbing excess forward motion by converting it into torque. However, when connected to a spinorb, it becomes a regenerative brake. The energy stored in the spinorbs can then be released through the impeller to produce a short burst of intense thrust. This extra thrust creates enough headwind to stabilize airflow over the hard sailfin.
Hoverships come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Larger ones are commonly used as freighters and passenger ships. Smaller ones can be used as personal vehicles, but are more often used for military purposes. The most significant use of small hoverships is the windchariot.
Hoverships are exclusively preferred over conventional ships over open water. This is because hoverpods are much more reliable than buoyant hulls; a conventional ship will sink if any part of its hull leaks, whereas a hovership will stay afloat if all but three of its hoverpods fail.