Thus, lower speed = poorer directional control. The reason for this is that the effectiveness of the directional control of the ‘jet’ (the flow of water expelled by the jet that provides thrust) is more or less proportional to the speed. Whilst jet drives operate well at speed, when it comes to travelling slowly they aren’t great at all.

Just be sure to hold on tight if you ever do this! Why so? Well by slamming the deflector plate over the jet stream and immediately reversing the flow of water you get a much more immediate effect than having to wait for a prop to get up to speed in reverse. In addition if you ever need to stop quickly, then in theory a jet drive is the best means to do so. As mentioned above, they’re great in shallow waters, but inboard jets can also be backed up on to beaches given the absence of any protruding parts including rudders.Īt very high speeds jet drives have been documented as being more efficient than props, and they’re certainly quicker to accelerate. Jet drives offer a lot of practical advantages over propeller driven stern drives or outboard motors, mostly related to the fact that they are safer in conditions where impacts with foreign objects are likely. As such jet drives are perfect for flat bottomed vessels (Jon Boats) used in shallow, rocky rivers, or in applications where personal safety around the prop would be an issue, such as when water skiers climb in and out of the stern of the boat. The impeller of a jet is generally a smaller item than a prop designed for a boat of the same size, and being fully encased, it is well protected from its environment. Well in simple terms jet drives are great, but only in very specific circumstances, much like airboats.

Off the top of my head there are 3 ways of propelling a boat, either through the use of a conventional propeller, an impeller (or ‘jet drive’), and aircraft style propellers typically found on flat bottomed air boats used in marshlands where below waterline propulsion is impractical.įor most of us the choice will come down to propellers or jet drives, with props generally ruling the waves in most harbours.īut why is this the case? Why don’t jet drives enjoy the same level of popularity?

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