WATERJET MANUFACTURE & ASSEMBLY
HamiltonJet waterjets are manufactured at the CWF Hamilton & Co factory in Christchurch, New Zealand. The factory is dedicated solely to the manufacture of waterjets and control systems, with the majority of components engineered inhouse.
The basic manufacturing process is...
- The waterjet housings and other aluminium components are sand cast, then go through a waterblast and fettle process before being machined on dedicated CNC machine centres. They are then washed and painted.
- Stainless steel components such as mainshafts and couplings are turned and milled on CNC machines.
- Impellers are cast from molten stainless steel, before being machined, balanced, trimmed and pitched to a specific "impeller rating".
- The waterjet controls systems, including hydraulic and electronic components, are also CNC machined, painted and assembled.
- All parts are then dispatched to the final assembly area where they are assembled and pressure tested, the control system is installed and tested, a final quality inspection is conducted and they are then boxed up and shipped to the customer.
WATERJET INSTALLATION
HamiltonJet waterjets are one of the easiest propulsion systems to install in a vessel. Each model is supplied from the factory as a complete unit, so the boat builder is not required to fabricate the intake or mounting block, and the transom does not require any extra strenthening.
Hydraulic control components are mounted on and powered by the waterjet, so additional hydraulic pumps and coolers are not normally required. The intake block can be sent prior to the waterjet for pre-installation in the hull.
The boat builder must simply cut holes in the hull bottom and transom and weld or mould the intake block into the hull. The waterjet can be inserted through the transom and bolted onto the intake block, with the intake grill and transom plate then fixed in place. Finally the driveshaft and control cables are connected.
The animation to the right shows a typical HamiltonJet waterjet installation. Different models of waterjets will have slightly different installation requirements, but the basic installation process remains the same throughout the HamiltonJet range.