Jet outboard didn’t fly
Propulsion Research Inc’s 1956 advertising claim to have produced “America’s first production line jet-propelled outboard” turned out to be somewhat spurious, but nevertheless their Starling P-500 Jet Troller was among the first of its kind.
Marketed to fishermen wanting to navigate in weedy shallows and safety-minded swimmers, the 5hp single-cylinder trolling outboard dispensed with a propeller and replaced it with an enclosed turbine to provide “super hydro thrust.” It failed to create much of a stir and the company gave up its sales thrust a few years later.