Jet boating in New Zealand!

Like a jet aircraft, a jet boat has no external propeller: instead, it squirts a high-speed jet of water out of a movable nozzle below the surface behind the boat. This allows the boat to operate in depths of only a few centimetres while providing superb manoeuvrability..



The jet boat was developed in the 1960s by New Zealand farmer William (Bill) Hamilton, to allow navigation of the shallow Canterbury rivers. 

However, enterprising New Zealanders soon realised its potential as an adventure activity. And when Kiwis say adventure, they mean ADVENTURE!



While jet boating takes place on many rivers in New Zealand, on of the most exciting is the ride through the Shotover River Canyons near Queenstown in the South Island. 



The Shotover 'Big Red' jest boats are powered by two Buick 3.8 litre V6 supercharged engines producing 520 horse power. Propulsion, steering and control is provided through two Hamilton 212 Jet Units thrusting 760 litres of water per second. This unique combination of design and configuration enables  ‘Big Red’ to hit 85kph/53mph in as little as 10cm/4" of water and do full 360° spins! Hang onto you hat . . . and your lunch!



For more information, please visit http://www.shotoverjet.com/