Hovercrafts actually work without the skirt, but sit much lower above the water. The channel hovercraft needed to have their skirts patched up almost weekly, since waves ripped big holes into it.
Thus I assume that one won't be able to disable this craft with guns. Barbed wire might be more effective?
Kevlar needs hardened strike plates to stop rifle rounds. Funnily enough, we're actually just right back around at plate armor with cloth tabards as personal protection and no one seems to notice.