YAMAHA
WaveRunner Papa Neil Kobayashi's Design Room
J.Board
Features of the J.Board
J.Board stands for Jet board. This unit has a relatively flat board shaped hull fitted with an Engine as well as a jet propulsion device. It is a small, lightweight, and highly mobile water vehicle.
The J. Board was developed in the early 1980s for comfortable aquatic cruising, as well as for ease of loading onto vehicle roof racks. In those days, however, there were a large number of technological issues involved in making the J.Board small and lightweight enough to load onto a roof rack. The technology required to prevent water from flowing back into the engine especially, was not very developed, and therefore the product was never commercialized. With the passing of some 30 years, and the amassing of various new technologies for water vehicles, renewed interest in small, lightweight, highly mobile water vehicles has been rekindled.
We will introduce two types of J. Boards with this plan: the "Rear Engine" type, with an integrated rear engine and a jet propulsion Unit fitted to the rear of the hull; and a "Front Engine" type, with the engine and jet propulsion unit fitted to the front and rear of the hull respectively.
The "Rear Engine" type has a relatively flat hull with an elevated end, fitted with a vertically integrated engine and jet propulsion Unit installed towards its rear. It has a projected style steering integrated with a mounted seat at its center. The seat is relatively narrow, and with the feet spread, the J.board can be driven either while seated or standing. This seat contains the fuel tank and battery. The bottom is an almost flat V shape, promising fast gliding and high acceleration even from its small engine.
With the "Front Engine" type, only the front of the relatively flat hull is elevated, and a fixed steering column is mounted there. Its engine is also located in the front and this is connected to the jet propulsion unit in the flat rear part of the vehicle via a drive shaft system. The fuel tank is installed in the front of the engine and the battery in the center of the unit. With only the front area being raised, this configuration provides a wide open space for free movement from the center to the rear in a continuous flat plane. The bottom is a flat, broad, V shape, promising fast gliding and high acceleration even from its small engine.
Because only a small amount of construction material was used in both hulls, auto recovery after capsize is difficult. However, only a small amount of effort is required for easy recovery by hand. With the emergence of a vehicle which is small, lightweight and enables carefree enjoyment of mobility, the waterfront will become a more exciting place world-wide.
J.Board stands for Jet board. This unit has a relatively flat board shaped hull fitted with an Engine as well as a jet propulsion device. It is a small, lightweight, and highly mobile water vehicle.
The J. Board was developed in the early 1980s for comfortable aquatic cruising, as well as for ease of loading onto vehicle roof racks. In those days, however, there were a large number of technological issues involved in making the J.Board small and lightweight enough to load onto a roof rack. The technology required to prevent water from flowing back into the engine especially, was not very developed, and therefore the product was never commercialized. With the passing of some 30 years, and the amassing of various new technologies for water vehicles, renewed interest in small, lightweight, highly mobile water vehicles has been rekindled.
We will introduce two types of J. Boards with this plan: the "Rear Engine" type, with an integrated rear engine and a jet propulsion Unit fitted to the rear of the hull; and a "Front Engine" type, with the engine and jet propulsion unit fitted to the front and rear of the hull respectively.
The "Rear Engine" type has a relatively flat hull with an elevated end, fitted with a vertically integrated engine and jet propulsion Unit installed towards its rear. It has a projected style steering integrated with a mounted seat at its center. The seat is relatively narrow, and with the feet spread, the J.board can be driven either while seated or standing. This seat contains the fuel tank and battery. The bottom is an almost flat V shape, promising fast gliding and high acceleration even from its small engine.
With the "Front Engine" type, only the front of the relatively flat hull is elevated, and a fixed steering column is mounted there. Its engine is also located in the front and this is connected to the jet propulsion unit in the flat rear part of the vehicle via a drive shaft system. The fuel tank is installed in the front of the engine and the battery in the center of the unit. With only the front area being raised, this configuration provides a wide open space for free movement from the center to the rear in a continuous flat plane. The bottom is a flat, broad, V shape, promising fast gliding and high acceleration even from its small engine.
Because only a small amount of construction material was used in both hulls, auto recovery after capsize is difficult. However, only a small amount of effort is required for easy recovery by hand. With the emergence of a vehicle which is small, lightweight and enables carefree enjoyment of mobility, the waterfront will become a more exciting place world-wide.
- No-1:Rear Engine Type
- No-2:Front Engine Type
