@Workboat: Rolls Unveils New Waterjets

Rolls-Royce unveiled a new range of Kamewa waterjets today at the International Workboat Show, in New Orleans, USA.

Taking more than three-years research and development, the new A5 Series improves upon the popular FF range of Rolls-Royce Kamewa waterjets by providing greater thrust from a waterjet with a more compact inboard footprint.

Geared towards smaller boats and craft up to 25m in length, the A5 series is manufactured from high-grade marine aluminum and available in seven sizes with power outputs between 100kW and 1230kW. The A5 will eventually replace the FF range and size 29 will be first to hit the market.

“The A5 is a completely new product, which is developed on the same design principles as our renowned steel series,” said Fredrik Appel, Rolls-Royce General Manager Product – Waterjets. “All aspects of the product are improved compared to our existing FF series. Overall pump efficiency is improved by 3%. Steering and reversing efficiency is improved by 8% and bollard pull is improved by 13%.

“Besides the propulsion improvements, we have reworked the mechanical design to gain the benefits of a harmonized series, and by this gaining more accurate performance predictions. We have listened to our customers asking for a smaller inboard footprint and adapted the design to meet this by reducing the space by 20%. However, we have also maintained an inlet waterway to accommodate the propulsion improvements.”