If you’re considering taking a jet boat ride and finding out a little more about the activity you’re getting into, here are some interesting facts about jet boats that you probably don’t know:
- Sir William Hamilton was a New Zealand engineer who developed the modern jetboat. He is also the founder of CWF Hamilton Ltd, the world’s leading waterjet manufacturing company. Bill Hamilton, as he is commonly known, developed the water jet in 1954 to easily maneuver through New Zealand’s rapid shallow rivers.
- The first workshop for the jetboat was called Irishman Creek Station in 1924. It was at this station that Bill Hamilton ushered in the hydroelectric age by having his own turbine to produce electricity for the house and workshops.
- The Jetboat Association of Australia was formed in 1971. This has been Australia’s premier and official jetboating club for over 40 years. Jetboaters from all over the world can become members and the club has shared a strong affiliation with ‘JetBoating New Zealand’ for many years.
- Jetboats do not have rotating external parts. They do not use propellers to function. A jetboat is propelled by a stream of water emitted from the rear of the boat; it draws water from under the boat into a jet pump inside the boat, which is then expelled through a nozzle at the stern. Unlike conventional watercraft that use a propeller, the boat’s engineering proved more convenient for traversing shallow waterways.
- 1977 Sir Edmund Hillary led the first speedboat expedition entitled “Ocean to the Sky”, from the mouth of the Ganges River to its source.
- Larger jet-powered vessels may be located in the military or the high-speed automobile/passenger ferry industry. The largest jet-powered vessel is the Valor-class frigate (120m long), a German-made vessel.
- Queenstown, New Zealand, was where the jetboat was first conceptualized. It claims to be the powerboat capital of the world. It is in this country that the first endurance race consisting of several days of river racing was held in 1970. New Zealand has managed to pioneer most of the powerboat activities.
- The world’s “fastest man on water” is Australian Ken Warby with his speedboat “Spirit of Australia” at Blowering Dam NSW on 8 October 1978. His record speed of 317.60/511.11 km/h has been undefeated for 25 years, and Ken intends to break his own speed achievement. He is finishing construction on his new boat which will also race at Blowering Dam.
- There are two types of jet engines: the inside and the outside. The jet system consumes 30% of the engine power when it takes in water and projects it out the back.
- The Quicksilver Water Speed Challenge in Australia is the most dangerous water race in the world.
