Thrustmaster takes on Doen waterjets

This will be Thrustmaster’s first venture into the field of high performance propulsion and in addition to the current range of Doen water jets a new range of jets following the same design philosophy will be developed to extend the performance of the jets to new levels.

Thrustmaster is a leading US thruster manufacturer and currently produces a range of thrusters units which are mainly used for workboat and offshore oil applications. These include fixed and azimuthing thrusters as well as portable units and tunnel thrusters. Thrustmaster operates on a world wide basis and in Europe and America they are also the distributors for the Doen range of jets.

Australian company Doen has been producing water jet propulsion units for the past 48 years and currently offers a range of water jet units that can accommodate power outputs from 100 to 4,000kW. These are designed for application on performance craft in the leisure, military and workboat sectors. The jets from the 200 and 300 ranges are available with electronic joystick control systems for close manoeuvring. All of the jets are based on axial flow jet systems that have been proven in a wide range of applications.

Under the new agreement between Thrustmaster and Doen, the Doen range of water jets will be manufactured at the Thrustmaster plant in Houston and these units will be marketed and supported directly by Thrustmaster in Europe, and North and South America. In 2009, Thrustmaster invested $40m in a 200,000 square foot dedicated manufacturing facility which laid the groundwork for the new agreement between the two companies.

Thrustmaster plans to introduce two new models to the Doen range of jets. The 400/450 Series of water jets will extend the power capacity of the Doen designed jets up to 6400 kW, making Thrustmaster one of only a very few companies worldwide that can offer jets in this wide range of power capacity. This development will add new competition into the market..

The entire product line will be designed and manufactured in house at the Houston plant including all of the mechanical, hydraulic and electrical components. Doen claim that their water jet design leads to simple installation in both composite and metal hulls.

Further information: www.thrustmastertexas.com

By Dag Pike