Ski Jet

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[edit] Introduction

The Ski Jet model name appeared a couple of times over the years, spanning wood and fiberglass construction methods. Technically speaking the fiberglass Ski Jet was a Ski Jet XK-18, more commonly referred to as an XK-18.

[edit] 1962-1963

The first Ski Jet was introduced in 1962, and stayed in the lineup until 1963. This early Ski Jet was based on the traditional inboard powered 16-foot Ski Boat also from 1962. The 1962-1963 Ski Jet was a 16-foot mahogany, Plank on Frame boat manufactured by the Chris-Craft Division.

The 1962-1963 Ski Jets sported a bold, black and white interior, with coordinating black painted hull bottom, and white boot stripe. The painted elements contrasted sharply against the stained and varnished Philippine mahogany hull sides. Decks were white vinyl, and as on the 16-foot Ski Boat, the Ski Jets featured a white painted horizontal accent band wrapping around the stern half of the boat.

As the name implies, the Ski Jet was powered by a Chris-Craft 283B V8 engine, but rather than being coupled to a shaft-and-prop drivetrain as in the standard ski boat, the powerplant was connected to a short jackshaft, then to a jet drive unit. The jet drive assembly was a version of the Hamilton 3 stage Chinook Jet Drive made by Indiana Gearworks under license, and sold under the Buehler name. Buehler also sold the jet units to be used in other makes of boats including Chris Craft, Arena Craft, Century, Correct Craft, Borum, Formula, and Campbell, as well as Buehler Turbocraft and Canadian built Dowty Turbocraft.

A Chris-Craft marketing brochure from 1962 reads: Fast, safe, and fantastically maneuverable, this newest development of the jet age brings not only new utility, but a whole new set of thrills to boating! The famous Chris-Craft hull features batten-seam, Philippine mahogany planked sides and a double-planked bottom for extra strength. A multi-stage Buehler jet unit takes in water through a grill flush in the hull bottom, Thrust is achieved by shooting a stream of water rearward at a rate of 3,000 gallons per minute at 4,000 rpm. The unit is powered by a 185-hp Chris-Craft V8 engine, and enough thrust is delivered for speeds up to 43 mph! The cockpit has vinyl-covered foam seats forward for three, including a Ski Observer's seat which faces aft. Tempered glass wraparound windshield. Trailerable, too!

The early jet units were less than ideal for a ski boat. Upon advancing the throttle, the ski-jet shoots a stream of water back toward the skier at 3000 gallons per minute, requiring an extra long tow rope or a rather understanding skier. Once on plane, the jet nozzle is well above the water and causes much more disturbance to the water within the wake compared to a traditional inboard ski boat, making it a poor choice for pulling beginning skiers who lack the skill or confidence to quickly get outside the wake. Only a small fin protecting the jet intake extended below the hull. this resulted in very little resistance to lateral and rotational movement. The ski-jet can skid sideways which allows it to turn within its own length, but it also has a tendency to keep rotating once a turn is started, especially at lower throttle settings, requiring extra skill maneuvering around a skier in the water or near the dock. The early jet unit also had a flat vertical gate for reverse which was barely effective. In a traditional inboard, the operator can approach a dock with some forward thrust in order to maintain steering and then use reverse to stop the boat when desired. A similar docking technique can not be used in the ski-jet without flirting with disaster. Finally, although not related to the jet unit itself, the ski-jet only came with black vinyl seats which provided more torture than comfort in climates that were prone to have any amount of summer sunshine.

It's quite possible that this particular iteration of the Ski Jet was ahead of its time. Production numbers were extremely low with less than 50 built. There are rumors that the model did so poorly from a sales standpoint that some (most?) of the 1962 production run had to be carried over into 1963 before manufactured inventory was depleted. The jet drive boat concept was in its infancy in 1962. In fact introducing this drive system in a traditional plank on frame boat, when the market had not yet warmed up to this new propulsion method, might have been like rolling a rock uphill.

[edit] Specifications

• Division: Chris-Craft
• Hull no. series: CUAJ-16-251 to CUAJ-16-300
• No. of hulls built: 50
• Length: 16' 5"
• Beam: 6' 8"
• Draft: 12"
• Freeboard:
  • Forward: 30"
  • Aft: 18"
• Height: 5' 10"
• Weight: 2040 lbs.
• Fuel capacity: 20 gals.
• Hull material: Mahogany
• Bottom color: Black
• Waterline color: White
• Hull side color: Natural & White
• Deck color: White
• Vinyl Upholstery: Black & White
• Engines offered: Chris-Craft 283B