Crafty Australian dad builds a jet-ski ride for his family in backyard garden

Australian dad Jacob Strickling built a family jet-ski ride in his garden. Like many countries around the world, Australia is taking social distancing measures to flatten the curve of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Strickling decided to build the DIY ride for his two children so they would have a new activity while away from school. 

“During this time of social isolation, I thought it would be fun to make a jet ski (Sea-Doo) ride in the backyard,” Strickling captioned the video, which he shared on his YouTube channel “Make Science Fun” with over 49,000 subscribers.

A science and engineering aficionado, Strickling creates and shares STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) videos aimed to “excite, engage and educate” his viewers. 

To start this exhilarating engineering project, the creative father bought a Sea-Doo jet ski online. It was motorless, inexpensive and lightweight, making it ideal for the task. He and his son, Samuel, removed the Sea-Doo from its trailer and used a tractor to drag it onto a tarp. Strickling then built planks around the tarp to create the base of a shallow pool. Next, he poured a mix of water with blue food coloring into the pool. 

To make the ride move, Strickling attached one end of a long piece of timber to the rear of the jet ski and the other end to a motorized rotating arm. For a more immersive experience, he placed two fans and a hose next to the ride so water would splash on the riders as the wind blew through their hair. 

You can see Strickling and his two children having a blast on the homemade Sea-Doo ride in the clip above. 

If you enjoyed this piece, check out this dad who made a “ski slope” in his family’s backyard.

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