Jet Drive for 1960 Buehler Turbocraft Boat
date: label: date made
content: 1960
name: label: maker
content: Turbocraft
notes: label: Description
content: The Buehler Turbocraft Company was founded in 1959 by George Buehler to build small boats using a then novel propulsion system – a water jet. The concept had been developed several years earlier by others, including Sir William Hamilton in New Zealand. In this concept, instead of an engine driving an external propeller, it drives a powerful pump which takes in water and shoots it out at high velocity through a nozzle in the transom of the boat. The nozzle can move side to side for steering. A significant advantage of the concept is that it allows operation in shallow water where a propeller could be damaged by contact with the bottom. The images at the left show one of Buehler’s drives from 1960. The internal components are visible in the cutaway side of the unit.
label: Description
content: Mr. Buehler adapted the jet drive to small, recreational boats. His early 18-foot boats used powerful, V-8 automobile engines to power the pump. In July 1960, four of these boats completed a run up the dangerous waters of the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River. The Buehler Turbocraft Company is still building jet boats in 2022.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Indiana, Indianapolis
label: place made
content: United States: Indiana, Indianapolis
label: Associated Place
content: United States: Indiana
topic: label: Subject
content: Engine
label: Subject
content: Engineering
label: Subject
content: Maritime
label: Subject
content: Boats
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Buehler Turbocraft Company through George Morrison
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TR.318282
label: catalog number
content: 318282
label: accession number
content: 233773
objectType: label: Object Name
content: inboard engine
label: Object Name
content: jet outdrive for marine engine
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 14 in x 46 1/2 in x 11 3/8 in; 35.56 cm x 118.11 cm x 28.8925 cm