Jet engine technologies for interested amateurs
Last Updated: 9 April, 2002
An Early Jetboat? When you use the word "jetboat" most people these days think of a boat using a powerful piston-engine and impeller setup to create a high-pressure water jet out the rear. The water-jet drive was first invented by an NZer by the name of Hamilton who devised it as a way of navigating the often shallow waterways of local rivers. Because it uses no propellor, the Hamilton Jetboat is able to travel at high speeds in very shallow water. The incredible manuverability created by the "vectored thrust" that the swivelable water nozzle produces has also created an exciting new type of boat racing called Jetsprint.
Pulsejet Power This craft was built nearly half a century ago by Bill Pearson and featured in the May 1959 edition of Popular Mechanics. With an all-up weight (excluding driver) of just 147 pounds, the 200 pounds of thrust produced by the two engines reportedly produced quite spritely performance. Top speed is claimed to be over 45 mph. The downside was (of course) that it used about six gallons of gasoline per mile and created an deafening roar that could be heard for many miles. There may be cheaper ways to push a boat through the water -- but could anything be more impressive?
COPYRIGHT NOTE: If PM decide they don't want these pictures posted then they are invited to contact me and I'll take them down. |
Well the boat pictured at the top of this page is not driven by a regular
piston engine or a jet of water -- it's got two 105lb-thrust pulsejets
doing the pushing.
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