The PowerSki JetBoard - EXTREME watersports
from On the Water (255 articles)
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Image Gallery ( 27 images )March 28, 2005 One of the most radical water toys ever invented, the PowerSkiJetBoard is an engineering masterpiece - the inventors have taken the form factor of a surfboard and built in an ingenuously small and flat 45 horsepower motor capable of propelling it to 40 mph. With the rear thrust, rail and the three fins beneath, the JetBoard carves better than anything else on water, tarmac or snow, generating G-forces up to 6G and enabling the rider to get almost horizontal (check the pics inside). The JetBoard never cavitates or slides out, enabling a standing rider to perform continuous, stable, high speed turns with slight shifts in weight.
With incredible manoeuvrability and immense power, the JetBoard is not just applicable to flat water - it has the speed to use waves in both directions - from getting massive air off small to moderate surf, all the way up to positioning yourself anywhere you want on the wall of monster reef surf. And of course, the JetBoard offers transportation to the reef, something you often can't contemplate when paddling is involved and reefs are often miles from the nearest accessible land.
Transporting the JetBoard
The length of the JetBoard is 100 inches (2.54 metres) and fits neatly into a small truck, SUV or racks on top of any car. With such modest dimensions, the JetBoard requires no special towing vehicles, trailers or anything like that. And unlike a Jet Ski, one able-bodied human can get the JetBoard from transport to the water. On top of that, if you want help, excellent results have been had with a set of Roleez wheels, meaning that like surfing, you can throw the JetBoard in the back and do it on your own.
Riding the JetBoard
Balance is maintained by gripping the JetBoard's handle connected to the nose of the board via a four-foot long semi-flexible arm. The handle incorporates the start/stop buttons, thumb throttle, and safety kill switch and the shape is scientifically engineered with finger grooves to prevent hand and wrist fatigue.
Experiencing the G-Force of the JetBoard is the most satisfying aspect of the ride. No matter how hard to rider leans into a turn the JetBoard never cavitates or slides, offering a carve as extreme as anything you'll experience in any sport like surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding or skiing. The rail and fins grab and slice a turn. The feeling is very close to a big wave turn or waterski/wakeboard cutting behind the boat at full power.
Similarly, the JetBoard gets more air than anything you can imagine. You can jump to your heart's content, from a gentle swell or wake through to charging a monster wave .
Wave riding (surfing) has only begun to be experimented with. It is the philosophy of PowerSki International not to see this craft competing with surfers, but used to get to "outer breaks' and reef breaks not easily accessible by the general public.
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