Jetskis are great at being able to squeeze into tight small gaps, but if you are like me you will always feel a little uncomfortable heading up shallow rivers or resting your watercraft on rocky lake beaches.
Introducing the AlumaSki, an aluminium hulled jet ski that has taken some design ideas from the trusty old steel-hulled jet boat. The AlumaSki from Alaska-based Mackinnon Marine Technologies AlumaSki combine the best of both worlds. It has the form factor of a personal watercraft, along with a one-piece quarter-inch-thick aluminium hull.
The AlumaSki is intended to be used in shallow rocky rivers. It has a very stable almost-flat bottom which draws 150mm of water when idling and 60mm-90mm when moving (depending on speed and payload).
It is powered by the trusty 1,052cc 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, 110hp engine that is normally found in a Yamaha VX series waverunner, and for those with a keen eye will notice this is where the shaped seat also comes from. The craft is reportedly able to travel at up to 60 mph or 97 km/h.
In order to keep the weight down, the non-hull parts of its body are constructed of thinner marine-grade 3/16-inch aluminium. It has a dry weight of 430kg, can carry up to 454 kg, and is 3.7m long by 1.5m wide.
To be able to reference this, the Yamaha VX is 349kg’s and is 3.27m long by 1.17m wide
The AlumaSki is currently available for preorder, and isn’t going to come cheap, it is said it should sell for US$24,995 est $31,000nzd). It can be seen in action – albeit very briefly – in the following video.
More info can be found on their own website here www.alumaski.com
