Boeing Jetfoil (built by Dave) by John Cooper

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	John Victor Cooper

Boeing Jetfoil (built by Dave)

Taken on the Thames about 40 years ago.
I really cannot remember when.
For a while they ran a service from Tower Bridge to Ostende.
Possibly built by Dave Beedon.

other sizes: small medium large auto

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Guest		05-Nov-2013 18:28
Dave, I too was a 'mere cog' with Jetfoil in the 80's,on the London/ Oostende , Dover Oostende and Newhaven/ Dieppe services. We also had problems with poor manufacture I recall, eg poor bearing assembly at Seattle leading to the near loss of the forward foil flaps. Identified by a repeating clunk in the wheelhouse. It would have "spoiled my day!" Otherwise a fine vessel, if complicated, great fun to handle when all was going well but just too costly and small for the local gales. nb we had plenty of room in the 4 liferafts! John

Ian Dalgliesh		03-Jun-2012 17:22
It would never have got a Board of Trade listing; look it's only got two liferafts.Had it met an iceberg,everybody would have drowned.

Hernan E. Enriquez		07-Apr-2012 08:43
Thanks for the image John and thank you Dave for the fascinating story, now I know why I have never seen one!

John Cooper		07-Apr-2012 03:08
Dave, no such thing as a "Mere Cog". Remember for the want of a nail a horseshoe was lost. Modern version, for the want of a cog a foil was lost. I stand by my title, Built by Dave.

Dave Beedon		06-Apr-2012 08:16
Thanks for the plug, John, but I was a mere cog in the vast Boeing Marine Systems (BMS) machine that designed and built the commercial boats (as in your picture), which were called "jetfoils," and the military boats, whose designation was "PHM" (Patrol Hydrofoil Missleship). The hydrofoil technology was impressive, as was the top speed and smooth ride of boats using it, but a combination of factors doomed the application. The hydrofoils were expensive to produce---some major parts were machined from big blocks of titanium. They required regular, careful maintenance to remain operational and some operators skimped on maintenance, which led to problems. They were sometimes damaged when encountering debris: a submerged log could put a hydrofoil out of commission, required extensive and costly repairs. If I remember correctly, BMS was constantly dispatching engineers to customer sites to help repair the things and I think BMS kept a couple of spare hydrofoils at the factory to speed up the replacement process. Because they were expensive to operate and maintain , the jetfoils were expensive to patronize. In addition, the market for them was extremely limited, which ruled out a large production. I think there were only about six customers world-wide for the jetfoils. All the military hydrofoils (called PHMs) were taken out of service years ago. I doubt that any jetfoils are still in service, as there is no technical/engineering support for them. The technology deserves a prominent place in the Museum of Fascinating but Impractical Inventions.

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