Go Kiwis!
We Kiwis can be justifiably proud of all our achievements over the years. From being the first country in the world to give women the vote to being first (-equal) to reach the highest summit on earth. Another homegrown success story is the humble marine jet unit that now powers all sorts of watercraft on almost every ocean, river, lake, and sea.
Frustration breeds innovation
Seeking better access to the remote corners of his Mackenzie Country sheep station, Bill Hamilton was trialling different propulsion designs that would give him a craft that could access the regions shallow shingle rivers.
Earlier attempts at waterjet propulsion typically had short operational lifespans, largely due to inefficient designs and minimal benefits compared to traditional propellers. However, unlike earlier developments such as those by Campini and the Hanley Hydrojet, Hamilton approached the technology with a specific goal: to create a propulsion system capable of operating effectively in very shallow water.
Breakthrough!
After a significant amount of trial and error, Bill invented the world’s first fully workable and efficient waterjet propulsion system in the early 1950s in his Irishman Creek workshop. Little did he know that this groundbreaking design would transform the global marine industry, offering a more versatile alternative to traditional propeller systems.
Paired to a boat, the unit became a smash success locally, selling wooden jet boats of between 13 and 18 feet in length throughout New Zealand. Included amongst these was a 16-foot Jet 50 sent to Bill Austin in the USA, who demonstrated it to potential builders. By the early 1960s, four licensed builders were set up in the U.K., Canada, USA and Australia.
Amazing demonstration
To prove the marine jets superiority over alternative options, Jon Hamilton (son of inventor Bill), led the first successful upstream run of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, arriving at Lee’s Ferry with three of the four boats (one sank) on July 12, 1960.
At the particularly tricky Lava Falls Rapids, it took Jon (the most experienced jet boat driver on the team) two days to take all four boats up the most challenging rapid on the river with him ascending in one boat and then walking back down to repeat the process. On some occasions it took him half an hour to climb up individual standing waves. All previous attempts to run the rapids in reverse had been unsuccessful. (This would also, coincidentally, be the last time an upriver run of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was made).
Becoming iconic
After initial commercial success, the first commercial jet boat operations (the forerunners of the Shotover Jet) begin on the Shotover River in 1964, which has today become a major part of our global branding and is familiar to any tourists visiting our country.
One of the defining aspects of the jet unit (and something all of us who have watched jetboats is well aware of) is the ‘Hamilton turn’ or ‘jet spin’ This is a high-speed manoeuvre where the boat’s engine throttle is shut off, the wheel is turned sharply and the throttle opened again, causing the boat to spin around quickly with a large spray of water.
Today and the future
Over time, the HamiltonJet product and its market have altered from river boats to high-speed commercial craft. With a strong focus on innovation and continuous improvement, the brand is respected globally as the pinnacle of marine jet technology.
Today, jet units power a wide range of craft and machinery around the world, including search & rescue and military craft, PWCs, ferries and even some sea-based wind windfarms.
A wonderful example of Kiwi ingenuity creating solutions to problems most people hadn’t thought of yet.
