NEW DESIGN

FWTT · Faceplant Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 7 City: Muskoka

Im a 4th year Industrial Designer. specializing in automotive design currently working on a wakeboarding-specific thesis. essentially its a 3-4 person PWC with a tower, speed control (more advanced than the current ones), a deep v-hull, ballast, and some little extras. there will be stability fins of some sort, as well as a possible keele which will keep the craft from rocking. Im having trouble with propulsion. everyone knows propeller is far better than jet, but then jet is safer, and allows for shallow/weedy wakeskatin/boarding. Im going to play with the idea of 2 smaller jets...

remember this is a thesis, and it is only in the beginning stages of development. (no pics....yet)

I would like any THOUGHTFUL feedback from you guys.

cheers

chris

-=AlexXx=- · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject:

FWTT, Sounds really intense. If you could pull this off you might become a very wealthy man Smile

FWTT · Faceplant Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 7 City: Muskoka

haha, i didnt get into design to become wealthy. Im also attempting to make this as environmentally friendly as possible...using materials, production methods, and energy from sustainable sources....only when possible.

When i complete this project i will have a scale model and sketches for everyone to see. It will be complete for the end of April.

JB_CANSKATE · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 8:38 pm Post subject:

I don't have much input in that area but if it ever happens and you need to do some wakeskate testing, feel free to PM me. Wink

Classy · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 8:52 pm Post subject:

Whatever you do, don't use a prop, that would defeat the purpose of making a jetski

FWTT · Faceplant Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 7 City: Muskoka

Classy - can you ellaborate?

NotSoBueno · Backside 180 Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 1806 City: SoCal

Tower on a jetski seems too risky to me....a hard cut in to the wake might overturn the jetski.

Mr. Top Hat · Dead Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 5818

FWTT, i have never ridden behind a jetski and gone damn, i wish this thing had a tower.

bmr712 · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 9:12 pm Post subject:

Towers could make to top heavy. and as NotSoBueno said unstable. To add balast to a jet ski you could make the ballast on the back and on the sides. The v hull migh be hard but you could try. 3-4 people is gunna be a long jet ski but you could use the length as an advantage

scott a · "a" is for angel Joined: 17 Feb 2004 Posts: 4126

Lose the tower. It's been tried before, and if you cut out into the flats you could actually tug the ski over. Then the driver has to deal with a metal cage around him as he falls into the water.
Lose the keel. You don't want anything to catch on submerged objects in shallow water. You're never gonna be able to stop the ski from rocking. Hell, boats can still rock back and forth a bit.

erikmonty · Backside 180 Joined: 21 Aug 2007 Posts: 845 City: jupiter

when the rider cuts out there is substantial pull from side to side...a length keel down the middle, not too deep though, might help keep the ski on track

Bustamove · Frontside 180 Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 351 City: Miami

make a hull but not a keel i dont think.... also a small tower on the back , maybe a little bigger than the one on the back of the wake edition, ballast is good and being big = bigger wake but less manuverable and also less like a normal ski, make sure the turning is good, one thing i didnt like about the wake edition was the turning, although everything else was better than the average ski for skating.

FWTT · Faceplant Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 7 City: Muskoka

wicked tips.

im already workin on some smaller towers...and still trying to come up with a method of dampening the rocking of the craft, without creating objects under the boat that will snag on submerged obstacles. 3-4 people IS long...but i assume i will create something maybe 6 inches wider (3 on each side). maybe more...

im thinking maye an active response type of system would work best to keeep the boat from rocking. similar to that behind a wakeboard boat...where paddles create a larger wake...these would be hydraulic...and be computer controled to stabilize the craft.

thanks for the help in brain storming... keep it commin!

canalskater · Taco Bell Fa'Lyfe Joined: 22 May 2005 Posts: 649

make the hull and seating arangement similar to a boston whaler but us jets like on a jet ski and add a small pylon. Perfection.

samgoskate · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 9:46 pm Post subject:

Built in fridge Laughing

jerry · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 9:47 pm Post subject:

FWTT, your posts are way too long

bob. · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 9:51 pm Post subject:

larry, thats the only way to describe what he's doing Smash

jerry · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 9:52 pm Post subject:

bobby211, allright ive warned you once to stop calling me larry. Bang Head

chill

stompin9s · Posted: Nov 19, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject:

yo in another post i suggested reviving the kawasaki SC side by side jet ski. you could make it more powerful, give it a larger hull, add rear facing seats, ballast, cooler, speakers, and possibly a tower

Another innovative watercraft, the SC put an end to back-seat driving. Side-by-side seating, a 3-position steering wheel and the first JET SKI watercraft reverse system made it extremely easy to manoeuvre and operate. The fibreglass-reinforced hull was equipped with multiple storage compartments and integral flotation, making it virtually unsinkable.

FWTT · Faceplant Joined: 13 Nov 2007 Posts: 7 City: Muskoka

stompin9s - this thing is pretty sick. unforunatly it has a fundamental design flaw that i can see (unless ther is some way to counteract it, but i am doubtful) the seating is a cool idea, but unfortunatly if you have only one rider then the ballence of the entire PWC is off. also, 2 forward seats wouldn't work so well in having a spotter. but i suppose you could eliminate having a spotter if you had a convex mirror like in all wakeboard boats....

the idea is great, and i will play with it a little and see how it goes.

(PS - i think ive managed to solve the stability issue for when the rider cuts out...i will have more on that in a few weeks when i get some skeches together..)

how about STEERING??!!?!??!
what would you guys wanna see? would you rather see a steering sheel, joystick, bars like on a motorcycle....???