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Don't say that millennials can't finish a project.
Matthew Riese is a fine example of youthful determination. The 35-year-old spent the past six years building a working DeLorean hovercraft. The vehicle does not time-travel, but it does have an uncanny resemblance to the time-machine from the movie "Back to the Future."
Not only did Riese finish the project, he did his own crowdfunding, he engineered the structure, and built the hovercraft all while holding down a job.
"Right now in this timeline, because I am out of plutonium, I drive for Lyft and Uber," Riese said.
If you can't tell, Riese likes to get into the whole "Back-to-the-Future-Marty-McFly-character" thing, and he gets a lot of attention. If you have been to a San Francisco Giant's game recently, you may have seen him hovering outside the stadium.
The DeLorean hovercraft is powered by two lawnmower engines, and was designed and built by hand in Riese's San Francisco garage. The hovercraft works surprisingly well. If floats on a cushion of air and moves effortlessly on land and water.
Riese had no prior knowledge of mechanics or engineering. He's actually a philosophy graduate.
"I don't think anyone thought I would finish it, but they humored me," Riese said.
Building the Hovercraft was more than a hobby for Riese. It helped him through a rough time in life and gave him focus.
"Well, I can't remember a time when I didn't have this a part of my life," Riese said. "It just feels like I am just so familiar with it. You see this DeLorean but I see that I hand built every single thing you see in here. So I am so familiar with it."
All good things must come to an end though. Riese is selling his DeLorean so he can build his next hovercraft.
"I'm probably going to build a Batmobile."
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