Best jet boat? (looking for opinions)

[Grand Larsony]

Haven't seen a thread on this topic, but I'm planning to purchase a used jet boat in the spring to compliment my 1989 Sea Ray 300 Sundancer cruiser. My budget would be $3-4k or so, and I'd be looking for something reasonably nice, clean, and well maintained. No projects for me.

Some folks have told me that used jet boats are a complete waste of time, they're unreliable, beat on, abused, and VERY expensive to keep running.

Is that really the case? Are there any out there that are solid and somewhat dependable? I'd have my mechanic do a good once-over before purchase, but I think I'd stop short of a full marine survey (which I've always done on larger boat purchases).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated... especially if there are good\bad experiences with specific makes\models\years of jet boats.

My alternative plan would be to bump up the $$ and get a pair of jet skis. Budget would be about $8,000 max. Is this a better plan all around or still not enough $$ to get two fairly good machines?

Thanks much!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Best jet boat? (looking for opinions)

Some folks have told me that used jet boats are a complete waste of time, they're unreliable, beat on, abused, and VERY expensive to keep running.!

The first thing to do is ask these people which jet boats they have actually owned. 99% of the time they don't have any personal experience at all.


Beyond that, your budget might be a little low. I'd stay away from the smaller sportjets 90/95/120's, as well as the older dual engine seadoos. Anything other than that will make a nice reliable boat. (I'm biased, I currently own a sugar sand merc 175hp sportjet. That engine is probably one of the most reliable jetboat engine ever used.) The boats I'm seeing in that $3-$4 price range are usually the small sj powered craft, obviously going to vary widely by location.



You can do all kinds of searching on here, I've written quite a bit about the pros/cons of jetboats.

 

[glengold]

Re: Best jet boat? (looking for opinions)

My dad has a 1969 Cheetah Jet Boat with a small block Chevy. Its a great family lake boat. My mom always liked the fact that there was no prop. My dad made a big swim deck out of teak. Like I said it made a great family boat that would pull ski's and tubes easily, look bad *** (lots of chrome) and blast a rooster tail 100 yards.

I currently have a center console for saltwater fishing but would love to have a classic jet boat with a big motor in the back to go with my lake house.

 

[profade]

Re: Best jet boat? (looking for opinions)

The first thing to do is ask these people which jet boats they have actually owned. 99% of the time they don't have any personal experience at all.


Beyond that, your budget might be a little low. I'd stay away from the smaller sportjets 90/95/120's, as well as the older dual engine seadoos. Anything other than that will make a nice reliable boat. (I'm biased, I currently own a sugar sand merc 175hp sportjet. That engine is probably one of the most reliable jetboat engine ever used.) The boats I'm seeing in that $3-$4 price range are usually the small sj powered craft, obviously going to vary widely by location.



You can do all kinds of searching on here, I've written quite a bit about the pros/cons of jetboats.

No matter what you get, water test it and have the pump checked out, you can dump a ton of money in impeller and wear ring, etc.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Best jet boat? (looking for opinions)

We meet up with several families in a sheltered cove most Sundays. Boats range from 19' to about 36'. Half of the cruisers bring their jetskis along as well. One has a jetboat.

The jetboat sits at anchor all day. Everybody takes turns ridiing the skis. I've been in it a few times and it didn't impress me. I'd rather be out on the Doo!

You're right about condition and maintenance. Mom and Dad take the cruiser and the teenagers take the jetboat. Many ARE beat to heck. Impellers and wear rings suffer badly. Weeds and flotsam can put you out of commission in a hurry. While the boats have a gadget to clear weeds, sticks are another issue. Its easy to clear a jetski, but the jetboat may need to be towed home.

Don't get me wrong, jetskis are beat to hell and suffer the same mantenance problems. The trick to finding a good one is buying one from a mature adult (aka old person like me....LOL).

IMHO, Yamahas are the most bulletproof, so if I was buying used that would be what I'd buy. But Seadoos are the most fun! That goes for jetskis as well as jetboats. If you just want to have fun, stick with a 4-stroke engine (a newer one) and stay away from twin engines.