The PowerSki JetBoard - EXTREME watersports
from On the Water (265 articles)
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Image Gallery ( 27 images )The single cylinder 330cc engine is just 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) tall by 10 inches (25.4 cm) wide by 17 inches long (43 cm) and weighs just 45 lb (20 kg) - think about those numbers for a moment - the internal combustion engine has been around a long time, but never has it had to be flattened to such a degree to accomplish its purpose. Go get a desktop ruler and wonder how an engine just six inches tall can produce 45 horses, and how much acceleration that offers when the entire JetBoard weighs just 75 kilograms (165lbs). The JetBoard produces 350lb of thrust.
There were many other challenges in designing the production JetBoard such as the 4.5 foot patent pending flex gas tank which had to be installed into a 2.5 foot engine compartment with a reserve tank. The final gas tank volume is a surprisingly large 10 litres with a two litre reserve, enough for four hours of hard running.
Running a motor that's often underwater had its challenges too. At standstill, with the rider sitting atop and the engine dead, the JetBoard is 75% submerged - hardly conducive to longevity of all those complex internals. This design challenge was met with a state-of-the-art inflatable sealing system similar to that used in F18 aircraft, spacecraft and sub-marines and this prevents water intrusion into the engine compartment.
Another design challenge was to route the high performance "expansion chamber" two-stroke exhaust system within the body of the JetBoard and to couple it with a one-way valve water box silencer system that prevents water from flowing into the engine.
Find your nearest JetBoard distributor/reseller here.
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