Building a home made PWC Test Tank

[xprider02]

Hey guys just wondering if anyone has ever built a home made test tank for Testing PWCs. any ideas? Maybe a large water tank cut in half? A local marina owner thinks I should make one out of a boat hull haha. I was thinkig of welding one up myself and buying sheets of galvinized steel or aluminum. It cannot be that difficult to build a tank

I own a small shop in southwest Michigan and have to drive 10 miles each way to the lake to test skis. I know testing in a tank will never be the same as a true lake test but it will most deffinitly cut down on the amount of trips to the lake and will in return make more profit for the shop and allow me to not have to close shop all the time.

I might be interested in a used one if anyone is selling one for a reasonable price.

Any serious Ideas?

[JD 1]

Hey guys just wondering if anyone has ever built a home made test tank for Testing PWCs. any ideas? Maybe a large water tank cut in half? A local marina owner thinks I should make one out of a boat hull haha. I was thinkig of welding one up myself and buying sheets of galvinized steel or aluminum. It cannot be that difficult to build a tank

I own a small shop in southwest Michigan and have to drive 10 miles each way to the lake to test skis. I know testing in a tank will never be the same as a true lake test but it will most deffinitly cut down on the amount of trips to the lake and will in return make more profit for the shop and allow me to not have to close shop all the time.

I might be interested in a used one if anyone is selling one for a reasonable price.

Any serious Ideas?

we have a test tank, it is 10years old, its alum. its alot of work to keep up, i dont do it personally but see what it entails and if you want to keep it going year after year be prepared. lol

It does help when it comes to tuning, you would have to reduce the venturi nozzle diameter to balance the power so cavi doesnt come out. It actually works quite well. after acouple of runs in the tank and then taken to water you will figure out what works in the tank and what doesnt. I guess what I am saying its all or nothing, its a strong anode alum tank or its a garden hose. A boat hull on a 300HP ski will crack after time, the amount of bracing on the rear of the tank is important. Also a tank impeller to refeed the water thru out the tank is important, a hoist to lift the ski in and out is a must also.

You might be able to redesign the whole concept for ease of use but all in all its a big project...

[xprider02]

where did you get your test tank from? did you buy it used? I would deffinitly not buy a new one. any idea of what they go for used? I have heard anywhere from under 1000 on up to a few thousand used and around 10000 New.

as far as building one I would deffinitly never use a boat hull haha but I would consider taking like an old tank from say a fuel storage tank from a gas station or something and cutting it in half then adding braces for support and a pool pump. I have seen this done but I have no idea of the filtration system they used or anything.

when you say a tank impeller do you mean like a pool pump and filter or is there literally an impeller inside of the tank redirecting the flow of the water?

as far as a hoist I would use an electric chain hoist on a beam in my shop with my PWC straps to lift it in the tank

how does the system work in the tank to redirect flow from rear to front? is it a pump or like baffles or something that will naturally cause the water to flow?

does any one have any pictues of the inside of there tank and outside to see how it works?

Thanks

[xprider02]

yea that is true. It would be nice to have one though it would deffinitly cut down the amount of times I have to run to the lake. Maybe I should just take the money that would go towards a tank and buy a shop truck that is better on gas then my f 250 that gets 10-13 miles per gallon haha.

[beerdart]

http://www.greenhulk.net/showthread.php?t=96750&highlight=

http://www.cpjetski.com/

[beerdart]

Jet Ski Aluminum Test Tank - eBay (item 150557745223 end time Feb-09-11 13:37:01 PST)

[Gus13letter]

Here ya go. Many already have one of these in their back yard!

[nmpeter]

who's got a tank for sale?
Looking for a slightly bigger one ( big enough for a 2010 RXT)

[RLDOO]

Old dumpster maybe?

[PBPZ22]

Saw this old thread. Actually I'm planning to build something like that to optimize my mapping and don't have to drive for 2h to do a testrun.

Only thing I was wondering. If if put my jetski in the tank, and attach it in a way that the nose would have contact to something soft in the front. Will the pressure put to the hull harm my ski? Going at WOT I would assume quite some thrust/pressure put to the nose.

Regards
Patrick

[K447]

build something like that to optimize my mapping and don't have to drive for 2h to do a testrun.

- jetski in the tank, and attach it in a way that the nose would have contact to something soft in the front. Will the pressure put to the hull harm my ski? Going at WOT I would assume quite some thrust/pressure put to the nose. -

There would be potential damage to the plastic trim around the front of the hull if it is used to withstand the forward thrust. At full power there can be circa 1,000 pounds of thrust from the jet pump.

Also it is important that the rear of the hull be stabilized for side-side thrust. Even a small steering input can push the rear sideways with force.

I have not used nor directly examined PWC test tanks but I would expect you want to restrain the hull from the rear, and probably with multiple attachments between the hull and the test tank structure. Such as both rear tie down hoops. And probably something additional for the bow to keep it stable.

The water turbulence created by the jet also needs to be managed. You don't want aerated water to be drawn into the jet pump intake grate as the water recirculates.

https://youtu.be/RskbWJVjVy4

[steve45]

If you're testing some of the big 'Skis, I'd recommend a pretty strong sidewall. The Kawasaki 310s produce almost 1900 pounds of thrust. I'm sure the other brands are comparable. I wouldn't want one of those things busting out the side and taking off!

One thing you might consider if you're anywhere close to oil & gas production is an old portable mud pit. Those are similar in size to a shipping container, only typically about 5 feet high and perhaps 20 feet long. Very stout corrugated steel construction.

[smokeysevin]

One thing to remember about mapping is that it is load dependent and if you don't have water flowing into the intake of the shoe at the same mass flow, velocity, and even angle, your map won't be correct for the same rpm on the water since the pump is basically operating at a different spot on its pump curve.

Sean