Features & Benefits
A Paradigm Shift in ASV Performance & Capability
Jetyak performance is unmatched when it comes to data collection in the near-shore or polar waters too shallow, energetic or dangerous for underwater vehicles or manned operations.
It's basic design principals are based around enabling researchers to quickly mobilize to a study area (whether across the street or around the world), and safely and effectively execute high-consequence missions - often capitalizing on specific events with limited time horizons. Typical examples include pre or post-storm survey deployment, areas experiencing energetic flows, or any condition where the ideal response is measured in hours - not days or weeks.
A skeleton crew is all that is needed for complete operations. Two people can mobilize to site, set up a ground station and shore support, refine mission planning based on actual site conditions, launch, survey, recover and perform data QC prior to demob.
Jetyak not only gives researchers the ability to get in the water quickly, it gives them the best chance of successful data collection on the first attempt. If transported by air, a Jetyak can be fueled and oiled at any gas station, and any minor damage that may have occurred during shipping can often be repaired on the beach during the pre-launch checklist. This greatly reduces instances of scrubbed or aborted missions or the collection of incomplete or erroneous data.
Jetyak has been designed for maximum time on the water. Post-mission, it can be quickly be cleaned, inspected, and readied for rapid re-deployment. Spare parts are modular and easy to stock and replace.
Long Endurance with Minimal Tender
The benefits of Jetyak's ease of operation and extended mission duration becomes particularly apparent during the planning and deployment of offshore missions. Jetyak can be quickly launched from a research vessel and can stay out on the water for hours. This puts a minimal burden on vessel operations, which can continue to support an array of other operator-intensive mission activities, with only minimal interruptions to tend the Jetyak. The inherently low-intrusiveness allows researchers greater flexibility to piggy-back on missions as secondary payload and still complete the mission with complete data without risk of disturbing primary mission operations.
Modular Assembly and Ease of Transport
The Jetyak hull is modular; its three sections can be knocked-down for transport and reassembled in minutes. It's also easily transported & deployed by 2 people. No need for an extended support crew or even a boat trailer, as the three hull sections can be quickly disassembled for shipping then easily re-assembled prior to launch. Jetyak can also be shipped by standard commercial air carriers (as either baggage or cargo) simply by draining gas and oil. This makes it much easier and safer than generating hazmat paperwork for transporting LiPo batteries by air.
Ease of Launch and Recovery
There is no requirement for a calm water boat launch - Jetyak can be power-launched at high speed into rough conditions right off the beach. The jet drive also allows multiple options for recovery depending on beach conditions and payload configuration - including controlled grounding - without concerns of damaging propellers or rudder components.
User-Expandable
Instrument and sensor payload mounting in the hull midsection attaches to standard 80/20 rail. This is a widely used modular rail system, and can be modified for future Jetyak expansion with a large selection of fittings, hinges, locks, rollers, etc. Custom equipment mounting can be locally constructed from thousands of 80/20 components and quickly assembled and integrated to the hull without welding or additional marine-grade finishing.
In addition 1 7/8” OD Speed Rail fittings are included for hoisting the Jetyak, as well as for mounting sensors and other instrumentation systems (eg winches)
Power to Perform
One of the drawbacks with many small vessels in this class is the lack of adequate power. They may perform adequately in flat water but simply lack the capability to effectively operate sophisticated payloads in many unprotected open-water environments.
Jetyak is powered by a 9.5hp 4 stroke engine and has been used successfully in conditions that have rendered other vessels ineffective, including holding accurate survey transects against 8kt river currents.
Under normal survey operation, it offers plenty of reserve to be rapidly powered out of hazardous conditions then quickly returned to autonomous mode once the hazard has cleared.
High Agility
Low speed surveys can be interrupted as quickly as the operator can react, allowing high-speed jet-drive maneuvering to avoid obstacles or threatening waves, then switched back over to computer control to return to transect and resume normal survey operations.
This gives the operator complete situational control during mission deployment, resulting in minimal impact on data collection and maximum vessel safety.
Proven Propulsion
The Jetyak platform is designed to handle the most punishing mission conditions. It utilizes a proven commercial 4-stroke engine and jet drive. A standard 10% governor provides faster power delivery and higher top speed with greater survey vessel stability and much longer endurance under in highly energetic waters compared to electric drives. It also eliminates the charging, storage and transport of Li-Po batteries, and the inherent hazards associated with working around exposed propellers.
And the CH395 engine is built from the ground-up for durability and reliability. A forged steel crank and cast iron cylinder liner, automotive-grade head gasket, hydraulic lifters and Stellite® hard-faced exhaust valves with Tufftride-coated stems for the ultimate in zero maintenance and long wear resistance. An electronic starter provides effortless starting in all weather conditions with remote start, kill and restart capability. All backed by a global network of more than 13,000 Kohler dealers stocking spare parts to minimize field downtime no matter where you are deployed.
Opensource Waypoint Navigation
Jetyak leverages the open source platform Audupilot for vessel navigation & servo control along with a MAVLink protocol based operator interface. This allows for a variety of open-source graphical mission planning and control front-ends.
The standard configuration provides control of vessel autonomy and track generation, and the operator has an at-a-glance map view of the desired track, real-time vessel position, distance to waypoints and vessel speed. The open source platform allows advanced users to easily generate custom dashboards to suit specific mission requirements without incurring additional costs.
Where users already have ArduPilot interfaces in place for their UAVs, the same basic tools can be used for Jetyak. This is particularly ideal when users have to hastily execute a mission due to a narrow weather window - autopilot tool familiarity allows for quicker plan generation with fewer mistakes.
Real-time Data Communications
Jetyak employs an RT communications typology designed for maximum reliability in the marine environment. Vessel manual override is via a proven Taranis X9D 2.4 GHz Handheld RC transmitter at the operator basestation and and onboard L9r RC receiver. Vessel position is communicated to the basestation mission planner from the onboard Pixhawk autopilot via an RFD 900 MHz long-range serial antenna. And the connection between the onboard science PC and the basestation is via a 2.4 GHz 100 Mbps WiFi transceiver. These antenna are co-located in a single clear Acrylic tube with a pivoting mount, which provides connectivity status via LEDs and allows for quick deployment and storage.
This allows the operator to track the vessel over planned transects and quickly assume manual control as required, then toggle back to autopilot to resume the mission. It also allows the researcher to monitor real-time data streams for coverage and QC purposes to ensure the expected data is being collected, and make any in-mission corrections. Operator and researcher can monitor their respective data streams from separate basestation PCs for maximum productivity. And because everything is stored onboard - mission plan, config parameters and all collected data - transient comm drops do not affect data integrity - the data stream resumes once the connection is restored.
Ease of Maintenance
Whether making spot repairs on the beach, performing routine post-mission cleaning or winterizing a system Jetyak has been designed for easy maintenance. Items such as fouled carburetors and damaged linkages or servos are normally field-serviceable with just basic hand tools, and if no replacement parts are on hand they can usually be readily procured locally. This translates into less scrubbed missions due to failure and more time on the water.