What are those two little things sticking out in the picture above? They nothing other than twin tubes of an engine fitted kayak.
Waterfall kayaking is no longer going to be a quiet game. From now on you can steer jet powered kayaks. Shaun Baker proved this recently during a race.
A waterfall kayak race was held in the Iceberg Lake. Here the glacier melt runs off to the lagoon. The race course was just two miles from one end of the Lake to the bridge.
World record holder Baker came up with the unique idea of custom fitted engines on the boat. Along with his buddies he fitted a 6 foot long kayak with a 45 horsepower engine. The engine was a Yamaha jet ski engine.
Baker also tried this baby out in the Waimakariri River Gorge of Newzealand. Once the engine was turned on, all he knew was that he was skipping across the water like a stone.
After the tests were done, it seems like the jet ski engine fitted kayak is faster than a speedboat. This is really amazing. However, I can understand this fact. I think part of it is because of the engine they used and part of the speed is due to the compactness of the kayak itself. Baker has set a speed record of 35 mph
Image Links: Popsci
