[2] Tracks are typically designed for spectators, and racing is fast and loud, with boat motors usually powered by V8s developing well over 500 hp.
[4] Margaret spectated jet boat Marathons which Pat competed in, but wanted to see more of the race, suggesting a smaller, more condensed track.
Events were originally held in the same natural braided rivers that had inspired Sir William Hamilton to develop the jetboat, but when the sport was introduced to Australia in the mid-1980s, permanent artificial courses were used—and this is now the norm even in New Zealand.
There is now a world championship under the auspices of the Union Internationale Motonautique,[5] with hosting rotating between New Zealand, Australia and the U.S.A.
The strakes provide "traction' by stopping the boat from sliding sideways across the water when turning at high speed.