WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

What's the TRUE early history of jet boats?

TPC

Wrenching Dad
Joined
Sep 20, 2007
Messages
30,438
Reaction score
22,533
I heard at the rumor bar that it all began in Northern California.

A gear headed boater modified a Berkley farm irrigation pump to a boat,, and the rest was history.
The pump was farm service in orig design, then bench modified.

Is this accurate? Is this where and how it all began?
Did it all start in North Cali with a farm irrigation pump, and a Sanger flat bottom,, and some garage ingenuity?
 

DeltaSigBoater

This is... Legendary!
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
5,722
Reaction score
1,018
Jetboats were originally designed by Sir William Hamilton (who invented the waterjet in 1954) for operation in the fast-flowing and shallow rivers of New Zealand, specifically to overcome the problem of propellers striking rocks in such waters, although Italian inventor Secondo Campini had demonstrated a similar vessel as early as 1931 in Venice.

The difference between Campini's and Hamilton's inventions is that Campini's waterjet had a very short lifetime in operation due to some unsolved material problems. Hamilton, unlike Campini, filed for a patent.

Or at least according to Wikipedia :hmm
 

TPC

Wrenching Dad
Joined
Sep 20, 2007
Messages
30,438
Reaction score
22,533
Then maybe Berkelys introduction came through farming first,,,

BTW, we need to put together a RiverDave listing in Wikkipedia.
 

Guest

Director...
Joined
Sep 13, 2007
Messages
27,539
Reaction score
3,323
Dumbasses.....Al Gore invented the Jetboat...:point
 

RiverDave

In it to win it
Joined
Sep 13, 2007
Messages
123,245
Reaction score
150,660
Dumbasses.....Al Gore invented the Jetboat...:point

That's what I was always told as well? :D

I saw an article on the 1st jetboat(s) once.. I'll see if I can dig it up.

RD
 

Racey

Maxwell Smart-Ass
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
21,308
Reaction score
45,374
Jetboats were originally designed by Sir William Hamilton (who invented the waterjet in 1954) for operation in the fast-flowing and shallow rivers of New Zealand,

Sir William Hamilton <---A cousin of mine from my mother's side of the family (she's a New Zealander). Your post is pretty much in line with the way i know the story.
 

mbrown2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
7,683
Reaction score
5,346
Jet Boats were created in Mesopotamian around the 4th millennium B.C. Up until the creation of the Jetboat the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia housed some of the world's most ancient flattest open waters.....once these jet boats were created and targeted at the single rider it was the demise of civiliation as we know it. :)
 

Wheeler

I'm just here to bitch about others negativity.😁
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
24,921
Reaction score
39,106
Jet Boats were created in Mesopotamian around the 4th millennium B.C. Up until the creation of the Jetboat the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia housed some of the world's most ancient flattest open waters.....once these jet boats were created and targeted at the single rider it was the demise of civiliation as we know it. :)

I heard it was much earlier than that. Here you will find proof that Neanderthals drove jet boats. :D
 

Attachments

  • Milk Money 005.jpg
    Milk Money 005.jpg
    161.3 KB · Views: 536
  • Milk Money 007.jpg
    Milk Money 007.jpg
    140.8 KB · Views: 498
  • Milk Money 010.jpg
    Milk Money 010.jpg
    113.5 KB · Views: 514
  • Milk Money 016.jpg
    Milk Money 016.jpg
    126 KB · Views: 484
  • Milk Money 001_1.jpg
    Milk Money 001_1.jpg
    186 KB · Views: 621

milkmoney

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
31,478
Reaction score
20,583
jesus wheeler, you stalkin me today...:D
 

milkmoney

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2008
Messages
31,478
Reaction score
20,583
I bet you never thought that your jet boat day's would come back to haunt you. :D

lol... i actually miss that boat, it was a nice winter boat for parker..:thumbsup:D
 

Wheeler

I'm just here to bitch about others negativity.😁
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
24,921
Reaction score
39,106
lol... i actually miss that boat, it was a nice winter boat for parker..:thumbsup:D

How did you get the roost so big? I thought it was a BFH when I first saw you coming up the river! :p
 

twocents

RDP Staff Member
Staff member
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
1,610
Reaction score
2,992
Berkeley Jet was really responsible for getting the "Jet Craze" started in recreational boats back in the very early 1960s. And yes, before they developed the Berkeley pump for boats, they were very much in the farm/irrigation pump business. Some of the earliest installs went into Stevens and Sanger flatbottoms and Glastron vee-bottoms. I bought my first jet in 1964 from Dick Schuster at Tahiti (16-foot). Dick Clark was the western sales rep for Berkeley at the time and did a great job convincing west coast boat builders to try jets. The Berkeley Jet Drive company was a pleasure to work with -- Glenn Chambers was their Sales Manager and Ralph Rhoda was their chief engineer. The two couldn't have been more supportive or helpful. Rhoda really understood pumps and fluid dynamics. Their business was booming until late 1973 when the first U.S. gas/energy crisis hit.
 

RiverDave

In it to win it
Joined
Sep 13, 2007
Messages
123,245
Reaction score
150,660
I swear Bob, I'm going to take all your posts and make a boating history book one of these days..
 

twocents

RDP Staff Member
Staff member
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Messages
1,610
Reaction score
2,992
Funny you should mention that, somebody asked me just the other day about a "history" book. Maybe someday. A couple of other quick notes (possibly of interest). Dick Clark also drag raced for Berkeley and Tahiti in the mid 1960s -- his boat (another 16 foot Tahiti called the "Hairy Canary") held the jet record at just over 79mph for awhile with a Hayden Proffitt (famous land drag racer of the '60s) built 427 Chevy. My Tahiti finally upped the NDBA jet record to just over 80mph, but it lasted only about 3 weeks. A 17-foot vee-bottom Schiada with twin freight-trained 327 Chevys and a single pump went 82+mph. We had the first Berkeley "droop snoot" ever made -- it wasn't cast or molded, it was cut and welded sewer pipe -- we filled and contoured the inside sharp angles of the "snoot" with bondo to smooth out the flow. Back in the early to mid-1960s, the jet industry was in such infancy that when I bought the 16 Tahiti from Schuster, Tahiti didn't do their own pump or motor installs. Instead, I trailered the hull with upholstery down Bellflower Blvd. a couple of blocks to Jerry Wreidt's place and he did the rigging. If Dick Clark sounds familiar, he later made a name for himself in offshore racing in the 1970s and 80s as a navigator for several of the top open class teams. I believe Dick is back in Southern California now, living in Dana Point.
 

Vmjtc3

Banned
Joined
Jun 19, 2009
Messages
4,539
Reaction score
336
I heard at the rumor bar that it all began in Northern California.

A gear headed boater modified a Berkley farm irrigation pump to a boat,, and the rest was history.
The pump was farm service in orig design, then bench modified.

Is this accurate? Is this where and how it all began?
Did it all start in North Cali with a farm irrigation pump, and a Sanger flat bottom,, and some garage ingenuity?


Oh it all started in Northern California all right!!!

Just a little south west of Berkley :gayfight
 

skiracr

Catalina Ski Race, Boat # 222
Joined
Jul 13, 2009
Messages
1,623
Reaction score
2,478
Funny you should mention that, somebody asked me just the other day about a "history" book. Maybe someday. A couple of other quick notes (possibly of interest). Dick Clark also drag raced for Berkeley and Tahiti in the mid 1960s -- his boat (another 16 foot Tahiti called the "Hairy Canary") held the jet record at just over 79mph for awhile with a Hayden Proffitt (famous land drag racer of the '60s) built 427 Chevy. My Tahiti finally upped the NDBA jet record to just over 80mph, but it lasted only about 3 weeks. A 17-foot vee-bottom Schiada with twin freight-trained 327 Chevys and a single pump went 82+mph. We had the first Berkeley "droop snoot" ever made -- it wasn't cast or molded, it was cut and welded sewer pipe -- we filled and contoured the inside sharp angles of the "snoot" with bondo to smooth out the flow. Back in the early to mid-1960s, the jet industry was in such infancy that when I bought the 16 Tahiti from Schuster, Tahiti didn't do their own pump or motor installs. Instead, I trailered the hull with upholstery down Bellflower Blvd. a couple of blocks to Jerry Wreidt's place and he did the rigging. If Dick Clark sounds familiar, he later made a name for himself in offshore racing in the 1970s and 80s as a navigator for several of the top open class teams. I believe Dick is back in Southern California now, living in Dana Point.

:thumbsup:bowdown::thumbsup
 
Top