Jet ski conversions
Project in progress
This is a small project I am undertaking with my father, where we are playing with the idea of putting 25hp outboard motors on the back of old and unused jetskis in Tanzania.
Initial Processes
Buying & cleaning up a couple old jet skis
With no steering or engine, and with holes in the hulls, the Jet skis were purchased cheaply. The holes were easily patched up and each ski was cleaned up so that the transom could be mounted to test how well they would work with an outboard motor mounted.
Initial Processes
Mounting engines, adding pods & testing
In order to mount the engines, adjustments had to be made to the back of each ski; transoms were added for the engines and pods made to increase stability of the jet skis.
The jet ski is ready for the engine to be mounted for testing. Initial testing was done with the tiller arm, steering is yet to be connected properly.
The transom was fitted using offcuts of a durable hardwood (Muninga) that we had available in the workshop. The bracket was bolted onto the main body and three layers of fibre were then laid over the wood and joined the ski body.
After initial testing was done, it was apparent that the ski was extremely unstable. Pods were added to help with stability. They were constructed from 2mm plywood and enclosed with several layers of fibre glass. The pods were also filled with an expanding foam to increase buoyancy.
Moving forward with the project
Finishing
Connecting steering & throttle cables & painting
Once the steering and throttle cables had been correctly fitted, we set off with the finishing touches. This included: sanding, filling, and painting the body.
Finishing
Testing & adding extra features
Rubber seals were re-glued on storage hatches to prevent water from getting into the hulls. A stainless steel tube was bent and bolted onto the body so that rod holders and ski hooks can be mounted.
Current point of progess
Next steps...
Given the success of the products, we would like to continue experimenting with these outboard motor jet skis to come up with an efficient and aesthetic model from which we could then make moulds.
