Castoldi Debuts New Waterjet for Large Vessels

Castoldi has launched the new Turbodrive 600 H.C.T. waterjet geared for large vessels.

The largest in the Castoldi range to date, the new waterjet is equipped, like the other models of the range, with an integrated gearbox (certified for heavy duty ratings), with hydraulic clutch, that with its numerous gear ratios allows a match with any engine on the market.

“Our aim is to supply to the customer with not only the waterjet but a complete package that incorporates the propulsion with integrated gearbox and clutch, a dedicated control system to manage also the engine and eventually the interceptor integration, directly installed on the waterjet unit. We design and supply also the matching kit to the engine according to the customer’s requirements,” said the company's general manager Giacomo Castoldi.

“From a technical point of view, especially on large vessels, our integrated gearbox represents a unique advantage that allows to create compact installations with considerable savings on space, weight, and cost,” Castoldi added.

Apart from the integrated gearbox, the Castoldi waterjet is equipped with all bearings oil lubricated, impeller shaft protected within a housing and the advanced patented Clear-Duct unclogging system to back-flush the intake while opening the protection grid.

Castoldi said it has built all the exclusive technical characteristics of the H.C.T. range into it, creating, after four years of studies with advanced CAD and CFD software, a complete and easy-to-install propulsion system that allows compact applications, considerable savings in dimension, weight and cost.

The steering and reversing actuators have been designed to manage the high forces involved with one hydraulic cylinder dedicated to the steering nozzle and two hydraulic cylinders controlling the movement of the reversing bucket to allow rapid and efficient crash-stops in every operating condition.

The waterjet is made with a Duplex micro-cast stainless steel impeller and titanium liner, and has been toughened using an anti-corrosion hard anodising treatment protecting the aluminium alloy components and cathodic protection by sacrificial anodes.

The Turbodrive 600 H.C.T. is controlled by the ACES electronic system that can be supplied with several extra features such as position keeping, smart anchor, unmanned interface, autopilot integration and hybrid power.

These waterjets can operate seamlessly in sandy, dirty and shallow waters thanks to the movable grid protecting the water intake, the impeller shaft rotating into a protective housing (not in contact with the water) and all the bearings lubricated by oil, the manufacturer said.

Castoldi is also well known as a manufacturer of luxury tenders for the superyacht industry.

“When we entered this market, 25 years ago, most of the tenders were equipped with stern drives or outboards and there were very few companies manufacturing waterjet driven tenders.

“On the contrary, now most of the tenders are equipped with waterjet drives and this propulsion system is well known and appreciated by crew and owners. We believe we have played an important role in this trend change with our production also taken as an example by our competitors,” Castoldi said.