Bill Hamilton had an idea for a jet boat that could travel upstream quickly after getting tired walking back upstream. [1] He developed prototypes and tested different designs with challenges like an ineffective pump. [2] With the help of an engineer to improve the pump design, Bill achieved his dream of a fast and agile jet boat. [3] His revolutionary jet boat engine design became commercially successful with demand in New Zealand and overseas, providing employment and allowing for faster river travel.

1. 15 May 2014
WALT identify key steps in the innovation process.
[It’s like finding each piece of the magic wand]

2. The Hamilton Jet
Researched by Room 4

3. The Idea By: Tupou, Ala, Evelyn and Andrew
• Describe the idea.
He wished for a way to boat upstream quickly.
• What was the opportunity, the need or the problem that
prompted the idea?
He had fun coming down the river but got hot and tired from
walking back up the hill.

4. The Process By: Jordana, Mataele, Paris and Brandon
• Describe some of the elements in the process of turning the idea into an
outcome.
• He decided to try. He tried different ideas and made prototypes. He went
into his shed and spent time designing, working, testing, drawing
blueprints.
• What challenges were faced?
• Some people didn’t believe it would work – they thought he was crazy for
trying.
• He used a centrifuge pump but it was too slow to work well/ quickly.
• Bill didn’t know how to fix the problem with the pump so he hired
someone new.

5. The People By: Gloria Najeer, Abby Rose and Johanna
• What skills, knowledge, abilities were important?
• An ability to engineer.
• A skill to design something new.
• Collaborating and sharing ideas - working together.
• Who was involved?
• Bill Hamilton was the inventor and George Davis was the
engineer who helped him improve the pump.
• The factory workers and engineers.

6. Communicating their Idea: By Peter, Valo, Abby Rose
• How did Bill Hamilton communicate his jet boat idea to people?
• He sent his son Jon to jet boat the most greatest rivers known to
man. The other person who helped was Sir Edmund Hillary when
he boated up the Ganges river. Every newspaper and TV in the
world talked about his invention.
• Why was it important to communicate with people?
• To share his idea, because he wanted people to buy his boat; for
other people to adopt his idea.

7. The Outcome By: Everyone
• Describe the outcome.
• Bill achieved his dream of making a fast, agile jet boat. His idea
was really successful and everyone wanted to use his idea.
They used it for bigger boats too.
• Was it developed from a new idea or is it an improvement of
an existing idea?
• Bill Hamilton’s jet boat engine design was revolutionary!

8. Impact on Society By: Issac, Valo and Johan
• Is the product commercially available?
• Yes. It was noticed by society and people demanded more jet boats
and the factory grew. People wanted them in NZ and overseas.
• How has the product made a difference to people’s lives?
• Now we can use huge Hamilton Jets for high speed work, ferries,
speed boats and racers. They even use them for tourists wanting to
have fun.
• Lots of people got work in the factories.
• People are able to travel faster on rivers.