A little Aussie V8 action...

but this time, in a boat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0lGPO0-agU

I always thought that being a navigator in a rally car or a baja truck was bad, that just looks terrifying, but fun for the driver

I want to know what kind of steering mechanism they use to be able to turn that quickly and precisely.

carguy123 wrote: I want to know what kind of steering mechanism they use to be able to turn that quickly and precisely.

waterjet. possibly with independently-acting thrust reversers/diverters. Driver is possibly even using a joystick (think fighter plane) rather than a wheel to steer, which is how he can do it so fast. A lot of modern naval fast patrol craft actually use joystick controls as well.

I've been on a few much larger/heavier waterjet-powered workboats and its amazing the kind of maneuvering they can do.....stuff like go 30 knots and then do a complete 360* spin without actually stopping, just using thrust-vectoring.

From the in-boat camera view at the end of the video, you can see him using a wheel to steer the boat.

irish44j wrote:

carguy123 wrote: I want to know what kind of steering mechanism they use to be able to turn that quickly and precisely.

waterjet. possibly with independently-acting thrust reversers/diverters. Driver is possibly even using a joystick (think fighter plane) rather than a wheel to steer, which is how he can do it so fast. A lot of modern naval fast patrol craft actually use joystick controls as well. I've been on a few much larger/heavier waterjet-powered workboats and its amazing the kind of maneuvering they can do.....stuff like go 30 knots and then do a complete 360* spin without actually stopping, just using thrust-vectoring.

It's a jetsprint boat and clearly uses a steering wheel as seen in the video. The hull design is what helps with the fast steering in addition to the waterjet nozzle. Here's a nice excerpt from the USSBA website (yes the US has a sprint boat series!) on the experience of being a passenger in one, written by Jim DeFord & Jeff Schlagel:

"In my years of reporting and photographing motorsports, I have had the great fortune to have been given rides in an SCCA 450hp Subaru rally car near Shelton, Washington and two laps at Portland International Raceway in the Petersen Motorsports 2004 Le Mans class winner Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Yes, those were both incredible rides that would please any adrenaline junkie, but riding in a USSBA sprint boat makes those rides little more than going to the grocery store for a half-gallon of milk on a Sunday morning with Grandma at the wheel. Right out of the box your breath is taken away as you accelerate off the start line. As your pilot comes to the first corner you see the bank get closer and closer and you wonder when they are ever going to slow down for that extremely sharp corner that you can barely see! And they do not slow down! You grit your teeth and exhale hard as you experience the incredible g-forces and it’s that way through every straight and every turn. You’ve heard the term: Racing like your hair’s on fire. This type of racing is exactly that. Your lap is over in less than a minute and you’ve hardly even breathed. Your adrenaline is maxed out, your legs are weak and your hands are shaking. You will never forget this moment. If you can ever swing a ride in a sprint boat, do it. You will not regret it."

The full containment racing seats and incredible rollbar structure aren't for show: 0-80 mph in the 2 second range and cornering at 5-7 g's....all while running in a snaking 3' or less deep ditch filled with water....yeeehaawww! Basically its autocross on crack and steroids....