So I have a creek behind my house and when it floods it typically gets up to 6ft and at some parts it can be at 2-4ft when flooded. I've seen about 5 other jetskiers go past my house when flooded and was wondering how low the water can be and still be safe to run jetskis in the water.
Minimum amount of water to run a ski in
- Thread starter 3262bk
- Start date
- Status
Ok,,, I believe the manual states nothing less than 4 foot and even then, you should not rapidly accelerate at that depth as the sucking from the pump can pull rocks from 4 foot away.
That said, if you are cruising and on a plane, you can probably be in 2 foot of water. On the flip side, if you are in 2 foot of water and at idle, do NOT touch the throttle as you WILL suck in whatever you are over.
When I was deployed we used some small high speed combat boats with deep shaft engines. The props were 30 inches deep into the water. When we were alerted of an issue, I use to cruise over and area that only had 14 inches of water in it at low tide. When on plane, the boat rode with only 6 inches of the hull in the water. So,, I would get up to about 50 or 60 MPH and take a sudden right turn over the coral bed and never had an issue.
The key is, KNOW what depth is where. You will have to be at an idle is you start at slow speeds. But you can cruise over shallow water if you are on a plane.
This is all from experience and you will need to learn your personal environment and experiment as you go.
That said, if you are cruising and on a plane, you can probably be in 2 foot of water. On the flip side, if you are in 2 foot of water and at idle, do NOT touch the throttle as you WILL suck in whatever you are over.
When I was deployed we used some small high speed combat boats with deep shaft engines. The props were 30 inches deep into the water. When we were alerted of an issue, I use to cruise over and area that only had 14 inches of water in it at low tide. When on plane, the boat rode with only 6 inches of the hull in the water. So,, I would get up to about 50 or 60 MPH and take a sudden right turn over the coral bed and never had an issue.
The key is, KNOW what depth is where. You will have to be at an idle is you start at slow speeds. But you can cruise over shallow water if you are on a plane.
This is all from experience and you will need to learn your personal environment and experiment as you go.
Sportster-2001-951C-Stock
Well-Known Member
Yep, this is correct ^^^ I "jump the spit" on plane in about 12 inches of water with my boat, it's an all large stone bar I often can't drift through without dragging bottom. Haven't caught anyone in a stern drive following me yet, they know better.
- Status
