Continuing the legacy created by the popular 1031 waterjet, the HJ274 has proven to be highly versatile in a wide range of work and pleasure applications.No of price , delivery. The most successful commercial waterjet in the world, the HJ274 is without comparison in terms of performance, reliability and value for money. HamiltonJet HJ274 Waterjet.
Haulage, Contractors, Technical issues, Dealing with the repair yard, unexpected costs, related or unrelated to the replacement of said equipment, delays. And it doesn't stop there. Stock aluminum impeller is prone to damage from debris Debris lodged inside pump tends to hamper performance.Income from the asset. All but the smallest units include fully integrated hydraulic reverse systems with jet-driven hydraulic pump, control valves & oil-cooler cast into the waterjet intake.It's not just equipment purchase, its time out of the water, which for a commercial operation means noLowest Cost Fastest Top Speed.
Seapower suggested a Hamilton Jet drive would be helpful, and a twin jet drive would be an ultimate solution with smaller power plants. The boat is used for crab fishing, they don't need a whole lot of top speed, but improving low-speed maneuvering is desired. He had a particular engine in mind, however, it was not immediately available, he didn't like taking the risk with propeller swapping.How best to address his propulsion issues? Faced with some uncertainty, he did what most of us would, and did some research, talked to his repair yard, and explored options.Seapower Marine Centre, Sidney BC is an experienced repair outlet and presented the owner with some good options. His existing propulsion system supplier would sell him a new drive, but could not guarantee a final propeller selection to give the required performance, he would have had to purchase a propeller, then try it to see if it worked, take the risk of damage, and swap propellers until he got the desired performance. He was using a surface piercing drive, with a single engine fitted only a few years ago, and his experience with that system was less than stellar, the boat was OK in a straight line, but not so easy as he'd have liked for close quarters maneuvering. It started when the vessel owner began to notice his engine and drive system were tired, and quite desperately in need of replacement.
The single larger jet would give adequate performance, not quite as fast, with some reduction in maneuverability, yet still better than the original equipment. The owner was only concerned that a twin-engine setup for him might be a significant increase in maintenance, and so he declined to use that configuration, deciding instead on a larger single Hamilton Jet, with a larger engine.When we looked into that possibility we noted that there were no monetary savings to be found, either on the initial purchase price, or maintenance over the equipment lifetime, In fact, the costs were about equal. The increase in performance was astounding, surpassing the needs of the owner in terms of maximum speed, with an absolute guarantee of precision maneuvering at any boat speed. We consulted with the owner and showed examples of successful re-power and new build installations, in vessels of a similar size and power rating, but most importantly, stressed that each boat is treated on its own merits when properly sizing and selecting propulsion, and there is a clear path toward obtaining optimum performance that does not involve the risky propeller swapping system, with no guarantee of absolute success.We explained that the hull characteristics, measurements, engine, and gearbox selection, and Duty Cycle data needed to be collected and that as a normal procedure we provide at no cost, a written Performance appraisal, showing the proposed matching of the Hamilton Jet drive to the data provided, showing what the proposed maximum and cruising speed would look like, and given the needed power input, our best advice on obtaining optimum performance, with optimum maneuverability, with or without payload.After the initial meeting, we provided a Performance prediction based on an optimum and quite elegant solution comprising of smaller twin engine and Hamilton Jet combination, running through marine reduction gearboxes. Nobody else in the local crab fishing fleet owned a boat with Hamilton Jet drives, the owner had no point of reference in his community, and his confidence was not as high as it might have been with a more "traditional" equipment approach.Seapower called in the Hamilton Jet supplier, (the author) to advise.
There was a small fire in the engine room area, and thankfully it was quickly extinguished. The effect of this on the planing characteristics is all to the good, and prevents air ingress to the jet, and helps the boat to track well while on the plane.Installation work was done in short order, and we were pretty much good to go when the one hiccup that nobody needs happened. The eventual engine selected had to be slightly more powerful than planned, 480hp vs 435hp since the additional payload area of the vessel had been extended, and the displacement of the vessel was increased, to maintain the required speed.In order to get the best out of the jet drive, and since the aft section of the vessel had to be re-designed, we took advantage of this situation and added a delta pad to the keel area, just in front of the Jet intake.
It planed at the speed we said it would, it reached optimum cruising speed and maximum speed at exactly the maximum rpm of the engine – exactly as predicted.This was the first time a Hamilton Jet had been installed by Seapower Marine Centre. A Surveyors study was undertaken, and due to fast action on behalf of the Yard, and the fact that the powder was quickly cleaned from the hull and machinery the Surveyor was satisfied that no major damage had in fact taken place.That hiccup over with, the installation was completed and the vessel was launched and taken for Sea Trials.It is not amazing that the boat performed exactly as predicted. However, the powder is known to be corrosive to aluminum. With both the new metal and existing hull being aluminum, and the Hamilton Jet castings being aluminum, there was concern over the effects this might have on the equipment.
What really counts is the overall ownership experience. Not uncommon for sure with Hamilton Jets as your propulsion choice. I heard expressions like “turns on a dime”, “holy _ man, this thing really moves now”, “very smooth, easy to handle”, “it can stop really quickly!” (this after the Captain had engaged reverse – not by using the gearbox, just by operating the reverse lever on the Hamilton Jet, causing the deflector to redirect the water flow back underneath the boat and stop it from full speed to zero in only a couple of boat lengths).It’s admittedly good to hear good things like this on a sea trial. What we didn’t predict was their reaction.
Something to bear in mind when you are planning your new build or re-power.Michael Gardiner is Product Manager (Canada) for Hamilton Jet Distributor, Jastram Technologies. This boat owner has now placed himself ahead of his competition, he has a faster more capable boat now, his costs are going to decrease, he may even be able to spend some more productive fishing time, since he’s going to be at the fishing grounds well before others, his work will be done faster, and more efficiently, just by making a good choice backed up by good engineering and a few good suppliers, who will provide a guaranteed performance prediction, not leave their customers to risk, and back them up with great service.
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