small jet ski engine?

[Tingum]

Way more HP than you need. Many more bucks than an outboard. No room left in the tender! Forget it.

 

[BandB]

The Williams Dieseljet 445 listed at 15’ length and spec said weight is 1825lb. That’s the smallest diesel they make I think and too much for my crane. Recommended for yachts 73’ and above.

Regarding thrust, I find a regular outboard at idle provides more than sufficient steering thrust when docking at my swim platform unless it’s really windy. Although I do use bursts of jet drive power to steer at low speeds I am not a fan of the technique. Much prefer a stabilized approach. Much like when landing the plane. To each his own I guess, have also been waved down in marinas for being perceived as moving to fast when running revs barely enough way to maintain steerage without having to turn the steering wheel lock to lock to keep it going straight.

Yup, learned the hard way about water depth. After viewing videos of jet boats running in very shallow streams and jumping over small islands I became inured to shallow water danger. Thought I could just run it on to a beach. Expensive lesson.

We have both a 445 Gas and a 445 diesel. The weights we show are 957 gas and 1661 diesel but they've since corrected the diesel to the 1825 you show. I want to like the diesel more but it's difficult to do when you can get more speed and save 800 lbs or so weight by going with the gas. The gas will run 40 knots and the diesel about 35 knots.

Yes, the shallow water jets started with Bond, I think Goldfinger or something and Glastron Carlson boats. Theater. Honestly, the manufacturers should be sued for problems like yours as they're the ones encouraging such use. I know it's not practical but sure is reasonable.

The Williams manual is filled with warning after warning but no warnings about shallow water and sand. The Avon manual doesn't warn about it either.

We took a small one yesterday exploring all the canals around us, just to see any changes. Perfect for that and that to me is shallow water operation. Lowest we encountered was probably 4'.

It is what one likes and uses. If one is using a RIB simply to go back and forth to shore then 30 knots or 40 knots of speed means nothing.

The majority of jet RIB's I see sold today are on boats with garages. They are perfect for that. I think they also store very well on a platform or on deck because they can be so low and not block vision. Certainly, aimed for a very limited audience and while we love them, we don't suggest most would like them.