Jet skis. Why so slow?

Re: Now don\'t you start!

Instantaneous power to force them into the jump or whatever.

A 200HP fishing boat will consume 40 litres in an hour. So you would not go far if they continually used 200HP.
 
Re: Now don\'t you start!

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But if the design inherently limits the speed, why so much power if it can't be used?

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The numbers in the brochure sell the dream. Reality doesn't have to match the dream - in fact it never will!
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
sea conditions and short LOA mean jetskis are whizy fun, not meaningful speed machines. Though they might feel quick with fab acceleration, even in flattish sea much more than 20 knots is mucho leaping and bouncing anad crashlanding.

I was on our jet thingy 200hp v6 two-stroke with son#1 driving, belting along and he asked "shall we go really fast" and i said er no thanks - cos even at onery fast speed the thing leaps and rears up over every wave - it feels terrifically fast. But in fact i think we've only ever had a shade under 50 knots out of the thing with jfm, magellan handheld gps and oily-smooth water in bay of la napoule. Much-missed poster coliholic tried to beat the speed but the boat flung him off as he hit only small waves from prevous run.

I do see gaggles (?) of jetskis from time to time in open water mebbee a mile out at sea in south france - they buzz up to leap the wake. Then (sometimes) i turn up our speed and curve around to make as tho i wll buzz their wakes too! At which point they erm ooer, this looks a bit iffy...
 
Re: Now don\'t you start!

Say we invented the motorbike tomorrow:

First make is very light weight and have big balloon tyres. This will make sure it skips along with as little contact to the road as possible.

Then put huge engines in them so that the few second they are in contact with the road you get a huge forward push.

Then the best bit. Why not steer with the back wheel. Since it has more chance of touching the road. very sensible.


Even better, make the steering work off hydraulics from the engine output so that you can NOT steer when throttled back.


Of course to lighten the bike further have no brakes.


I think they would take you away and put you in a small room for your own safety.
 
Re: Now don\'t you start!

Re Sgeir: [ QUOTE ]
We're just as entitled as you are to start a bit of thread drift.

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Well said!
And as for users of PWCs and small speedboats not recognising the dangers.......... Of course they do! But courting it is the fun: like playing 'chicken' across a busy road!
And when one gets killed there's that wonderful opportunity to lay flowers and proclaim what a genuine caring paragon of virtue he was!
I have been harrassed by such activities and find that after the first pass, standing at the rail clearly coiling, ready for throwing, a line with swinging grapnel on the end greatly increases their distance off.
 
Re: Now don\'t you start!

Don't you go bringing the Nits and Freds into this discussion /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif the other one's gone the same route as the mobo V hankie arguments went , with personal insults creaping into it /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Re: Now don\'t you start!

Most of the bigger skis will hit 70mph quite easily but as already mentioned on anything but flat water they are really hard work at this speed. If the water is flat they are just boring at that speed.

There was a rumour a couple of years ago that the manufacturers had agreed to limit the top speeds to around 65mph to avoid censorship in the USA.

I think this is backed up by development of the skis. 8 years ago the biggest ski had a 130hp engine and a top speed of 64mph, now the biggest has over 215bhp and 'only' does 70mph. Not much advance in speed for 50% more power.

Mark
 
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