Mid-Canterbury cropping farmer Ollie Sharpe is the epitome of a mad-keen jet-boater, albeit relatively new to the scene. He bought his 3.5m alloy Rakaia Marine boat running a 2.2-litre Subaru car engine and single-stage Hamilton jet unit a bit over two years ago – partly inspired by watching the YouTube adventures of other Kiwi boaties. More recently he purchased another, smaller boat – a home-built 3.3m hull with a Yamaha 1100cc two-stroke engine.
To say he’s now got the jet boat ‘bug’ is an understatement – he’s already boated on more than 40 rivers and has clocked up well over 100 days jet-boating over the past 18 months. The recent Christmas holiday saw Ollie cover more than 1,600km in his trusty Landcruiser to explore 27 rivers in just 14 days. Furthermore, he’s a committee member for the Canterbury Branch of Jet Boating NZ (JBNZ). So yep, he’s a pretty fanatical boatie and therefore in a good position to talk about the popularity of small – or mini – jetboats.
He puts their popularity down to versatility and cost. “There’s no question they’re cheaper to buy and cheaper to run. I could use 50 litres of fuel for a full day’s boating whereas some of my mates with bigger V8s would use double that amount of fuel. Plus, the small boat is cheaper to maintain and repair.”
He says their versatility extends beyond simply having the ability to access remote areas via small waterways.
“I can easily and safely use the boat on my own or with just one other mate and that makes it easier to get out on the water to use more regularly. And, if you do get stuck, the small boats are easy to get back in the water.”
He says some of the inspiration for his own jet-boating social media presence (Ollies Jetboating on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube) came from following the online adventures of another Canterbury-based boatie, Wayne ‘Goat’ McMillan. Goat was a mini-jet pioneer, sharing his adventures in alloy and mostly home built jetboats under 3.5m long via YouTube.
But in 2020 Goat switched to an inflatable jet boat and, “progressed up the feeding chain,” he says with a laugh.
These inflatable jet boats are becoming even more prevalent on Aotearoa’s rivers; the blowup boats use a converted outboard engine to propel them through water and can usually explore further upriver and into areas that are inaccessible to aluminium hulled jet boats. They are known for their shallow draft, efficiency and manoeuvrability.
And, as Goat says, there’s literally no maintenance with these craft. “It’s a rubber hull full of air, there’s an outboard on the back with a plastic foot for the grill/intake, so you literally can’t damage anything. I don’t think most people realise how much damage you do to your boat when you’re jetboating. You’ve got to be quite mechanical to fix a lot of the breakages.”
“In the past I could only go so far up a river in a mini jet boat before running out of water. Yes, that was still a lot further than you could travel in a larger jet boat, but now in an inflatable I can travel to the headwaters in complete safety and with no damage to the boat. And, when you get home, there’s no real maintenance to carry out.”
Goat started filming his adventures and posting them on YouTube almost 15 years ago, to highlight some of his adventures in the South Island’s breathtaking backcountry.
“It became clear from the feedback in those early days that people may not be able to afford a boat or have no opportunity to use a boat, but they just love the stunning scenery and our remarkable rivers. So, for me that was a great encouragement to continue.”
Taranaki’s Ross Goldsack has 30 years’ jet-boating experience across New Zealand and has been a longtime active member of JBNZ. He currently owns three jetboats, ranging from 3.0m to 4.8m in length, and with so much experience, he provides an educated insight into the evolution of jet boats.
He believes jetboats started off ‘quite small’, because the engines in the 1960s and early 1970s lacked horsepower. However, as more powerful engines became available through the late 1970s and beyond, with V8 Chevs, Holdens, Fords and then British Leyland’s alloy V8s, people could get better performance with a bigger boat.
He believes the development of many early 3m boats began in Kiwi backyards, built with jet-ski powerplants by young motorbiking, hunting and fishing enthusiasts who wanted new thrills and no rules – or so they thought.
“But, I’d say true mini-jet use has peaked, and perhaps even reduced a bit. They’re not the most practical boats, nor the most comfortable. I think a lot of those owners have thought ‘this is a lot of fun, but I want to take a mate or two,’ or they think ‘my wife or partner is a little bit interested, and I want to take them on longer trips on more sedate rivers’ and they realise a slightly bigger boat is more practical.”
But the very small mini-jets – those between 2.2m and 2.8m in length – seem to be increasing in popularity, a bit of a novelty, he adds. “I drive my small boats purely for the driving experience –they’re like a go-kart and I can boat effortlessly in very technical rivers. For me, they’re not a vehicle to get somewhere such as a hunting or fishing spot, instead it’s all about the thrill of the journey in such a light, nimble and powerful boat.”
Mike Morrow started building aluminium jet boats in his garage over 10 years ago and today his Liquid Violation Boats (LVB) are seen across New Zealand, as well as being exported to Australia and the United States. He also sells kitsets that enthusiasts can construct.
He’s not sure what’s driven the popularity in mini boats but suspects social media has played a part. He sums it up simply: “The agility, the power, the acceleration – they just go anywhere. I get comments that my boats look good, they’re strong and they go places.”
But, are all these small or mini jet boats safe? There are a few examples on social media of mini boats being used in what many people would consider questionable conditions or in dubious ways. Back in 2014 a coroner called for greater publicity on potential difficulties with the design and operation of mini jet boats after the death of a driver on Southland’s Waiau River.
Maritime New Zealand subsequently highlighted that mini jet boats are not “simply scaled-down conventional boats”. Key points it raised included that the use of a jet-ski motor and propulsion unit means the weight of the jet units is lower than a regular jet boat’s, which alters the centre of gravity and handling.
Operators of mini jet boats need to be aware of potential handling difficulties and limitations, it stated. Placing extra weight on the top of the engine cover, such as spare fuel or an animal carcass, further affects the centre of gravity – as does a lone driver’s weight on the port side of these short, narrow craft. Perhaps most importantly, it added, as with any new vessel, operators must be cautious when familiarising themselves with the handling and stability characteristics of the boat.
Safety aside, there’s no question that small – or mini – jet boats, as well as inflatable jet boats, have added a fresh chapter to New Zealand’s history of innovative boating. “I just love exploring the hard-to-reach places, and I also enjoy a lot of solo boating and spending time alone in the great outdoors,” says Ollie Sharpe. “I’ve now boated 46 of the South Island’s best rivers and frankly, there’s nothing better than clearing your mind by burning some fuel and seeing the best of New Zealand’s back country!”
Words by Tom Fraser, Photography by Ollie Sharpe and supplied
