23102 NE 3rd Avenue, Ridgefield, WA 98642
Voice (360) 887-0702 Fax (360) 887-1930
Email TowMeUp@iesonline.cc

Custom Aluminum Jetboats

Our aluminum prop driven boats work very well, and our offshore cruisers will be a great addition for towing in rough conditions, but we have found some super towing locations close to our shop that create a bit of a challenge for a propellor driven boat.

The solution we have come up with is to work together with one of the best jetboat manufacturers in the country. ReelJet.com builds some of the best built boats we have ever seen, and the only ones that handle like a race car at any speed with no hint of skidding or spinning out in the turns. The ability to start in 18" of water, plane out quickly, and then run in 4" of water opens up a huge range of towing sites that we could never dream of before. With a jetboat there is NOTHING hanging down below the aluminum hull. No props to damage, outdrives to rip off, drivelines to destroy, no steering assemblies or rudders to disable on impact with unseen objects. Once on plane you can run very skinny water, and impact with the occasional gravel bar usually causes little damage. If there's 4" of water flowing and you have enough power to stay on plane you can travel to some remarkable areas.

For our needs we want power, performance, and speed. A fuel injected Chevy 366 powerplant spins a Hamilton 212 pump for speeds around 55 M.P.H. The 1/4" aluminum bottom, and stump jumpers to protect the pump means that hitting an unseen submerged object should be a non event. We build these boats in 3 versions. Our premier Towboat includes 2 independently controlled hydraulic payout winches built right into the hull of the boat for the ultimate in convenience, strength and performance. For those who don't have the need for towing 2 paragliders at the same time, we offer the same boat, with only one winch system built in. Because of several requests for jetboats from those who currently own a TowMeUp.com winch system, we also offer a Jetboat based on the same hull, but with the floor reinforced to accept a bolt in installation of our standard payout winch system. Electric clutch pump hydraulic rewind systems are installed in our premier towboats, and available as an option in any Jetboat supplied by us. While these boats are primarily designed for us, we do plan on making a limited number of them available to qualified individuals. Currently we are working with ReelJet.com, manufacturing the key components that need to go into the hull, and having them assemble and finish the hulls to our specifications. Working as a team, we can get a better boat, built faster, and at a price point that makes them affordable. Clearly we believe this solution will provide one of the best, least prone to damage, most economical aluminum towboats available worldwide.


Here's a photo of our boat in the rigging bay, just waiting for the installation of floors, carpets, motor, pump, etc.

Here's an overview of the 6.0 liter marinized engines we install in our towboats.

We use a closed cooling system that recirculates anti-freeze through the engine block and exhaust manifolds. Raw water is routed from the jet pump through a centrifugal sand separator then up through the heat exchanger before exiting through the exhaust system and marine hush kits. Some of the raw water can be diverted through the water/oil heat exchangers used to cool the hydraulic fluid in our winch systems.

On the front right you can see the hydraulic pump driven by an electric clutch. This supplies the hydraulic fluid required to run the rewind system of both winches.


Here's the lower working end of the boat. You can clearly see that nothing hangs down underneath the boat to hang up, or rip off. The stump jumpers protect the pump from damage if you run over floating logs, etc. The reverse bucket is shown in the full up position. The trim tabs are used to allow us to plane at very slow speeds (around 14MPH) which works well for towing paragliders in strong winds.	Steering a jetboat is a bit different than a prop boat. The steering wheel simply angles the jet nozzle, directing the thrust and turning the boat. Adding power in the turn makes the steering more responsive allowing you to turn faster. Unlike a prop boat though, you need to learn to add power to turn faster. If you get in a tight place and simply return the throttle to idle, the steering is much less effective.

Above is an image showing the reverse bucket at approximately the zero thrust setting. Some water goes under the boat moving aft, the balance is directed forward. The net result is that the boat produces effectively zero thrust. Raising the bucket at idle allows you to creep forward, dropping it allows you to creep aft. Steering is functional at any bucket position. Note though that the nozzle is positioned to the right. With forward thrust applied (the bucket goes up) the boat rotates clockwise. In reverse thrust (the bucket goes down) the thrust hits the reverse bucket and is discharged out the starboard side of the boat also causing it to rotate in a clockwise direction.	Above is an image showing the bucket fully down. This directs all the thrust forward, allowing you to back easily of the beach, or stop the boat very quickly by adding thrust with the bucket fully down. Steering is fully functional even during extreme "braking" maneuvers.
Need to stop in a hurry? Here's the result of switching from full forward thrust at around 50 MPH and dropping into full reverse. You can bury the bow chock in the water and stop in about a boat length. It's great to avoid a collision in an emergency or to wash the dirt off the front windows. The wipers take care of the clean up.


Here's a view of the upper working end of the boat. Clearly visible are the reels on either side of the boat. Each reel holds 5500 feet of 1200 pound test spectra line which can be used to tow a pilot easily to 3800 feet. The spools are large enough to wind both sets of line on either spool so we can help other towboats recover their lost line, or use all 11,000' to tow a pilot to almost 8,000' above the surface!	Note the 3/4 hardtop providing welcome shade and relief from the warm temperatures for the operator. A snap in cover can be installed in the upper front section during inclement conditions. Heavy duty heaters are installed on this boat and they can keep the cockpit area cozy warm on even the coolest Pacific Northwet mornings.

The large swim deck and large grab handles make re boarding easy, even for soaking wet pilots. In an emergency it provides for much easier extraction in the event of an injured or incapacitated pilot. Note tracking heads on either side of the boat. Either, or both winches can be used making this system extremely versatile.	The front walkthrough windshield lifts off allowing for increased ventilation on hot days. The step down front deck and grab rails make it easy to recover the reserve, harness, and glider after a pilot takes a swim with their kit.

A typical launch sequence is shown below. After the previous tow, the operator simply noses the boat onto the shore. The shallow draft of a jetboat makes it simple to drive onto the shoreline. If you look closely you can see the engine is still running at idle, with the reverse bucket fully up. This thrust keeps the boat stuck to the shore regardless of other traffic or conditions. Our operator is using the time while the pilot hooks up to the line to polish the windshield and send a secret message to his girlfriend. The rest of the sequence shows the launch sequence after the pilot bows to the driver that they are ready. Unlike most prop driven boats that require the operator to sit offshore jockeying back and forth while the pilot gets ready, a jetboat launch is simple. Move the throttle/shifter down to direct the thrust aft and ease off the beach. Turn the steering to the right while in reverse to swing the nose around to the right while continuing to back off the beach. Leave the steering to the right and move the shifter/throttle lever to the forward detent. Double check that the line runs free from the tracking head to the pilot and that the lake is clear of traffic in the launch area. Move the throttle forward and dial up the line tension to launch the pilot. Launch the second pilot if desired after the first pilot has established a positive rate of climb.

Are Jetboats the Future Tow Vessels?...

We've moved from the proof of concept phase, to full blown production for deliveries worldwide. At TowMeUp.com we are convinced that a aluminum hulled jetboat is the easiest to operate towing vessel available. The only real drawback seems to be in operating at higher altitudes. A jet pump works like a dynamometer and is capable of absorbing all the power that an engine can produce. While we are very pleased with the speed, performance, and efficiency of our boats, we note that they lose a great deal of power as you gain altitude and density altitude is reduced. Up to 3,000 feet ASL and standard temperatures they work great. Above that they start to lose performance, requiring an impeller change to keep the motor operating at optimal efficiency. While we have towed at altitudes as high as 6400' and 85 degrees F, the performance loss is significant. We currently have a boat in production that will use a 6.0 liter Supercharged engine. It should allow awesome performance at sea level, where we normally operate, and still have plenty of power at altitudes up through 9,000 feet or so.

Our goals of being able to safely and efficiently launch 2 independant paraglider pilots have been met easily with Nightmare. This boat is quite capable of launching 2 tandem paraglider pilots. It is the ideal tool for use in sycro acro competitions or demonstrations with it's ability to deliver both pilots into the show area at the same time consistently. For commercial tandem operators it allows you to tow both halves of a couple on the same flight, and makes for great photo interaction amongst the passengers.

While we often operate both winches and the boat with one person, we highly recommend a 2 person team. Typically the driver operates the port side winch, and the assistant operates the starboard side winch. Coordinating a tandem launch is surprisingly simple. The first pilot can be a pilot of modest piloting ability. Both pilots are laid out to launch at the same time, and the first pilot "stuffs" their launch, the entire process is simply aborted and reset. The second pilot needs to be a competent tow launch pilot that typically never blows a launch. If the first pilot gets airborne and the second pilot "stuffs" their launch, this pilot needs to be bright enough to release the line so it can be rewound and the drogue picked up on the fly. If the pilot doesn't release, it requires the boat operator to either continue to tow until the first pilot can safely release, or the operator needs to sever the line and complete the first pilots tow.

Life is a lot easier if both pilots are experienced tow pilots however, and this allows for some interesting tricks to be performed as well. Keep your eyes open when you see 2 pilots launching behind Nightmare, you just might see something not normally seen during conventional paraglider towing operations.


Here you can see the Tracking head tower being fitted into the boat. Since we plan to routinely tow 2 tandem paraglider pilots with 2 independently controlled winches, it needs to be pretty beefy. What do you think...