Don't got to show no steenkin Gyroscopes!
Shoo, Ash. Did the experiment with a bicycle once [had been reading science fiction -- remember Commodore Grimes?] Clamp bike frame in vise with front wheel off the ground and free; spin wheel, then rotate handlebars. Bike leans!
Happens the precession couple is just right to help get the thing leaned over. Nifty, wot? -- hard to believe a two-wheeler [well, awright, a simulation] would work right without that force in the mix. And my son's Rice Rocket has a front wheel that's, well, heavy. Rubber tough enough for tires will do that. Plenty of gyro-thingies without needing RPMs in four digits.
But for Christian's machine -- front "ski" needs sortofakindofa complex shape, IMO -- relatively flat in front, descending to a deep V in back; good place for the intake of the water jet, if a good flexible coupling can be found. Back one a little bigger -- idea is, front ski is only partially touching; you want the area in water contact to have the same bike mass / square whatever on both skis. Rear needs a pretty deep skeg, I think. -- and steering won't be by the handlebars; this is gonna be a "lean-only" machine, more like a hang glider than a bike. Let the front ski move against a spring for turns, but it still needs handlebars for the coolness.
Not to hard I think to hide enough voids in the frame that it barely floats. With engine air intake well elevated ["swimming jeep" :-) ] it at least doesn't go full fathom five with each wipeout.
Three, at least, Christian. This is sounding like more fun all the time. Need to get details nailed down, PERT chart properly colored in for delivery next Memorial Day [traditional beginning of summer here in the Untied Snakes..]
