jetboat construction

[St00]

Why is it boats with jets tend to be ribs in the UK, but in NZ (home of the jet?) they're usually all aluminium? Anyone got the answer?

[jyasaki]

Is it me, Stoo, or is your username's a$$ getting bigger?



jky

[chewy]

Different Stoo as he only joined this month and has only made one post.

http://rib.net/forum/member.php?u=3836

http://rib.net/forum/member.php?u=8010

[jyasaki]

Woops.

Didn't notice that.

Thanks.


jky

[SeaSkills]

Originally Posted by St00

Why is it boats with jets tend to be ribs in the UK, but in NZ (home of the jet?) they're usually all aluminium? Anyone got the answer?

I think there are a number of factors involved. In NZ, a lot of the boats are used inland (river-running etc) and they do bump into rocks from time to time. A dent in aluminium is a lot easier to repair than a hole in fibreglass. I was out with one guy in South Island a couple of years ago and he showed me his tool-kit ... a big hammer!

Also, there is more of a tradition of aluminium boat building in NZ. It hasn't ever caught on in the same way in the UK

There are probably other reasons too, but I think these are part of your answer

[Poly]

Do you really think that most jet boats in the UK are RIBS? Perhaps passenger carrying "adventure ride" boats? In which case I don't think even the jet ribs opperate quite the same sort of experience (high speed, lots of turns, close to land in sheltered water) that the NZ boats do.

[JSP]

Isn't it due to the mad sport you have in NZ ?
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[St00]

Thanks for your posts guys.

For the record, I'm St00 with the two zeros, not Stoo with the two ohhs. I wanted to be Stoo with the two ohhs, but Stoo with the two ohhs got there first!

I'm interested in hearing about the fast boat rides you see from place to place. Seems to me the weapon of choice in the UK is a 10m rib - or thereabouts - with a couple of meaty outboards, carrying 10 to 12 passengers. Is there one near you?

I was doing a bit of browsing on the web and was puzzled to see that the NZ outfits are quite different. They seem to use all-aluminium jetboats. Perhaps, as suggested in this thread, this is because their rides are on rivers, whereas UK rides are in coastal waters, but without having been to NZ myself I find it hard to judge. I guess all the UK rivers have had speed limits slapped on them. Any exceptions?

-St00 (with zeros not the ohhs)

[JSP]

Ahh sorry StOO!

[St00]

Originally Posted by JSP

Ahh sorry StOO!

That sounds like an unfortunate 'bottom burp', JSP!

[JSP]

Originally Posted by St00

That sounds like an unfortunate 'bottom burp', JSP!

Now listen ear! We won't stand for such gutter humour on this site!!




Besides, I thought it sounded more like a Chinese orgasm

[Poly]

Originally Posted by St00

Thanks for your posts guys.

For the record, I'm St00 with the two zeros, not Stoo with the two ohhs. I wanted to be Stoo with the two ohhs, but Stoo with the two ohhs got there first!

I'm interested in hearing about the fast boat rides you see from place to place. Seems to me the weapon of choice in the UK is a 10m rib - or thereabouts - with a couple of meaty outboards, carrying 10 to 12 passengers. Is there one near you?

I was doing a bit of browsing on the web and was puzzled to see that the NZ outfits are quite different. They seem to use all-aluminium jetboats. Perhaps, as suggested in this thread, this is because their rides are on rivers, whereas UK rides are in coastal waters, but without having been to NZ myself I find it hard to judge. I guess all the UK rivers have had speed limits slapped on them. Any exceptions?

-St00 (with zeros not the ohhs)

I'm not aware of anyone offering NZ style (i.e. truely extreme) jet boat rides in the UK. Do the NZ boats opperate with more than 12 passengers? if so then regulations in the UK would probably make that problematic - as the standard coding and licensing regime is for boats upto 12 passengers and then you are effectively into "ferry" style opperations.

[Cookee]

Having been to NZ and experienced the jet boat ride first hand I can tell you that Aluminium lasts longer than fibreglass when it is running over 3 inches of water in the rivers! Also there are very few jetboats at all in the UK as we don't do shallow water very often.

[St00]

Originally Posted by Cookee

Having been to NZ and experienced the jet boat ride first hand I can tell you that Aluminium lasts longer than fibreglass when it is running over 3 inches of water in the rivers! Also there are very few jetboats at all in the UK as we don't do shallow water very often.

Was it fun? The ride, that is. Or just a bit sick-making?

If they're operating in such shallow water, are the hulls pretty much flat bottomed? What happens when they come across some lumpy water?

[Cookee]

Originally Posted by St00

Was it fun? The ride, that is. Or just a bit sick-making?

If they're operating in such shallow water, are the hulls pretty much flat bottomed? What happens when they come across some lumpy water?

Not sick making at all - we went on the http://www.zqn.co.nz/dartriver/ fairly shallow vee boats - all ally and great fun in an adventure sort of way - the whole trip was more of an adventure really. There really wasn't any rough water, but when we went over very shallow parts there was some vibration from the ripples in the water.

The Shotover jet is much more of a thrill ride - http://www.shotoverjet.com/

I am sure these boats are very specific to their location and would be useless offshore.