Opinions on jet boats

fatlazyless · 04-28-2017, 07:43 AM

A spinning motor boat propeller can very quickly slice and dice your arm, leg, and head, and a jet does not have a spinning propeller. Seems like a jet would be a big safety improvement for a water ski boat ...... no worries, kids, it's a jet!

chipj29 · 04-28-2017, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

A spinning motor boat propeller can very quickly slice and dice your arm, leg, and head, and a jet does not have a spinning propeller. Seems like a jet would be a big safety improvement for a water ski boat ...... no worries, kids, it's a jet!

That could not be more false. Jet drives don't have an propeller, but they do have an impeller.

Jet drives can be quite dangerous in a couple different ways. First of all, they work by sucking in water through an intake grate to the impeller. Hands/feet can be sucked in to the grate.
Another way is the jet propulsion itself. It sends out a high volume of water with great power. If that jet stream hits your body, it will leave bruises etc. And if it hits you in the wrong places (ie: body cavities), it can kill you.

As is the case with ALL power boats, kill the engine if anyone is in the water near your boat.

fatlazyless · 04-28-2017, 08:32 AM

On a water ski boat equipped with a jet, it still seems like any danger is a lot less than a slowly spinning propeller. Is pretty common for a water ski boat to be close to a skier in the water, close to the back of the boat, when getting in and out of the boat, or positioning a fallen skier for another try. With the slow motor speed in setting up a skier, it seems like any danger with a jet is greatly reduced, plus there is no danger because there's no whirling propeller.

A jet has no propeller present in the water, nearby, spinning around to make an injury.

04-28-2017, 07:43 AM	#1
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,738 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,007 Times in 735 Posts	.... no worries, kids, it's a jet! A spinning motor boat propeller can very quickly slice and dice your arm, leg, and head, and a jet does not have a spinning propeller. Seems like a jet would be a big safety improvement for a water ski boat ...... no worries, kids, it's a jet! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

04-28-2017, 08:32 AM	#3
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,738 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 300 Thanked 1,007 Times in 735 Posts	On a water ski boat equipped with a jet, it still seems like any danger is a lot less than a slowly spinning propeller. Is pretty common for a water ski boat to be close to a skier in the water, close to the back of the boat, when getting in and out of the boat, or positioning a fallen skier for another try. With the slow motor speed in setting up a skier, it seems like any danger with a jet is greatly reduced, plus there is no danger because there's no whirling propeller. A jet has no propeller present in the water, nearby, spinning around to make an injury. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

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