Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

[Thajeffski]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

i sucked up a used diaper once in my honda jetski.....that was gross to clean out.

 

[QC]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

Thanks for sharing . . .

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

I have no use for a pump, unless its to spray water onto the beach....

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

probably the best part... no water pump impeller that will randomly fail on you!

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

probably the best part... no water pump impeller that will randomly fail on you!

no, but there are reports of hoses with cheap clamps on them falling off........of all models

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

no, but there are reports of hoses with cheap clamps on them falling off........of all models

yamaha's and older seadoo's are the only ones I'm aware of that had hose problems. Hoses were too short, got old, and pulled off.

Owned a couple merc based jetboats, no hose problems! (or actually any problems for that matter)

 

[bryan01601]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

I would not be afraid of a yamaha jet boat. They have some of the most reliable PWC's on the market and use the same MR1 engines in the boat you are talking about. This set up has been proven for many many years. Less moving parts = less things to possibly break. As for having 2 engines as far as I am concerned 2 four cylinders compare in maintenance cost to a v8. I swore I would buy a yamaha jet boat for alot of reasons and one of them being I could do all of the maintenance including winterizing myself. I ended up buying a used Four Winns with a 5.7l Volvo Duo-prop. I love the Four Winns but would never even dream of doing the yearly maintenance myself. Many people say the jet boat is harder to control / dock at slow speeds I would not say it is more difficult just different. Once you learn how to control the boat properly you can actually turn it 360 degrees in one spot with very little forward or backwards motion. You can put one jet in forward and one in reverse. There is a company that sells aftermarket trims to mount to the jets that make it handle better in power off scenarios. Given the opportunity to buy an I/O or a yamaha jet boat and everything else being equal I would buy the Jet boat.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

Yes, it's really not that hard to handle - I'd say even easier than a typical I/O or outboard single engine.

 

[mcgonegalm]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

Just go to yamahajetboaters.com and so a search for jet vs. I/O. They might be a little biased toward jets but there is plenty of good information on the site.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

wish i had a video to post of what you can do with a jet at low speed...

last week i approached a double slip (about 20 feet wide, boat is 17 feet long) head on in the middle. Once I was more or less dead center, I stopped and rotated around the center axis to face out, and then slide straight over to the right and tied to the dock. There is absolutely no way I could have done that on any conventional boat without twin engines and thrusters. (and this was a single engine jet!)

 

[Sikiguya]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

A lot of the people are providing honest feedback but they are dated feedbacks. Technology have really advance on these boats and for the most part, they rival many of the prop boats in their pros and cons. Some of the differences have been grossly exaggerated.

Gas usage. While they may use a bit more gas then prop, it is nowhere near what some of the proposed numbers. I have a 44 gallon tank in my Seadoo Utopia(a 20 footer with twin engine(310hp). We were up at a cabin in northern Wisconsin. We used the boat probably 6 days of the 8 days we were up there and I was on empty when we pulled it out.

Ability to manuever. The jet boat doesn't really have a reverse. It has to propel to go forward or reverse. It is a little learning curve. However, with patience and practice, it is just like anything else(like backing a trailer for the first couple of times). Same principle applies. You can do things with this boat that is pretty neat.

Practicality. Jet boats have evolved. They have gone from 4 person jetskis...which I think are probably about the size of the jetskis produced today..to actually bowrider type boats. They have all the features as the prop boat.

Sucking power. Just kidding...but frankly, the jet boats, at full thrust, can pick up a softball size rock from 3 feet down...but that is at full thrust. Yes, we have to be careful where we go...ski lines, etc. However, that is the same as prop boats. My buddy with an outboard explain that it too can get issues if it sucks up weed into the cooling lines.

Wear ring/impeller. I had a situation last year where it suck up a transom strap that some idiot left submerge on the boat ramp. Cost of repair was about $400. That was wear ring replacement as well as repair on the impeller. That is probably on par or better than a skeg or prop replacement.

Fun. There is nothing like the handling ability of a jet boat. Go for a ride in one...you will be really surprised how it is ability to change dramatic direction in a split second.

Now for the cons.

Noise. The jet boat is a bit louder than a prop boat. I compare the difference of a 4 cylinder car vs 6 or 8 cylinder car on the highway.

Quality. Yamaha and Seadoo have lighter gelcoat on their boats and gelcoat issue is a problem. I love my boat with the exception of the gelcoat issues.

Go to a jetboat forum like Seadooforum to get more info on jetboats.

 

[QC]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

Jet boats have evolved. They have gone from 4 person jetskis...which I think are probably about the size of the jetskis produced today..to actually bowrider type boats. They have all the features as the prop boat.

Just a clarification . . . there have been popular, and large jet boats around forever. This one is probably 30 years old:

 

[Sikiguya]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

I stand corrected. My reference is the perception most people have of jet boat is the version that evolved from jetski. The above mentioned boats have been around and there are some really neat video on youtube of these boats racing!

By the way, the military just added one to their fleet!

 

[mad obsession]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

upsides, no prop issues, downsides, no prop to change holeshot

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

upsides, no prop issues, downsides, no prop to change holeshot

upside, no NEED to change prop, tons of holeshot! Jet pumps are a little bit wierd compared to a prop drive. Slip no longer applies, and forward speed/load has very little to do with the rpm. (if you hold a jetboat stationary, it you be able to get very close to your normal WOT rpm)

but.... all that said, you can change out impellers for different ones just like a prop. Not as big of a selection in some cases, but you can definitely tune it some.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

upside, no NEED to change prop, tons of holeshot! Jet pumps are a little bit wierd compared to a prop drive. Slip no longer applies, and forward speed/load has very little to do with the rpm. (if you hold a jetboat stationary, it you be able to get very close to your normal WOT rpm)

but.... all that said, you can change out impellers for different ones just like a prop. Not as big of a selection in some cases, but you can definitely tune it some.

He is 'smoking' right!

Impellers come in different pitches, just like props. I have change the pitch in my PWC several times to get what I was after.

Happy boating (jet, or prop)!

 

[hubbard53]

Re: Upsides/downsides of Jet Boats

yeah, you should do some research on your own - a lot of "traditional", old-timer info on jetboats it sorely outdated.

I've got one of those gas-guzzling, loud, maintenance-ridden, low performing, poor maneuvering jetboats - the Yamaha SX230.

Great boat; wouldnt trade it for anything in the same price range. Fuel injection (no carbs), dual throttle, amazing maneuverability - even at low speeds (there is a learning curve though). I do all maintenance and winterization myself - change the oil, pump some grease, charge the battery. Easy.

Suck something up? Well, if it got through the grate (those softball size rocks won't fit through), you immediately know due to cavitation. Keep yourself dry but pulling the plug from teh cleanout port and remove the offending object. Put the port back and you're good to go.

Fuel comsumption? These days it is no more than a comparably powered outboard.

Oh, and another good "pro" to the jets - no props to cut yourself or others.


Like I said, there is sage advice here but sometimes outdated - do some reseach yourself - a good place to start is http://www.yamahajetboaters.com. Yes, we're biased toward jets but objective nonetheless... if you're in teh right area, you may even get a demo ride offered

Good luck!