Opinions on jet boats
 

My friend is bent on buying a new jet boat, What do you guy's think about the new one's? I seem to recall that they didn't live very long in the past, what are the common issues, and is Yamaha the far and away leader? He really like the Chaparral Vortex.

A propeller is more efficient than a jet boat.

From http://www.boatingmag.com/boats/jet-...rndrive#page-6

Yamaha has certainly been the powerhouse for a long time. I believe Seadoo got out of jet boats, but they provide the power for Chapparal and Scarab boats. I don't think you can go wrong with Yamaha or Chapparal. I don't know enough about the Scarabs, but their offerings are pretty minimal as far as different models. Both Yamaha and Chapparal have multiple models, more than I actually knew about until taking a look.

I have toyed with the idea of getting one as my next boat. I think it will end up being a pontoon but I would have no issues buying one.

I owned a Yamaha bowrider
 

It was a nice quality boat, Yamaha has very reliable engines for there Jetboats and the fit and finish is excellent. The big benefit is the reduced draft and lower cost of repairs if you do run into rocks. I believe the Yamaha jetboats are as efficient as conventional inboard/outboards. The biggest issue I had was low speed maneuvering and docking with the jet drive was challenging vs conventional prop. I did get use to it...

Great article, Thank you.

I am interested to hear if they have improved. I had two and both had engine problems. I loved them except for the issues they had.

Jet boats tend to have "flatter" bottoms..... They don't have that sharp Vee that you need to cut thru the Winni chop & slop.

If he is bent on a Jetboat.... make sure he sea trials one off the Weirs or in the Broads on a busy Saturday in the summer.... or on a day when the wind is blowing out of the North-Northwest.

My guess is he will re-think his plan!

Woodsy

I've tried to talk him into a large tri-toon,you may be right when he actually drives one. most of the dead rise seems to be 19 to 21,

or you can make a ridiculous bet and tell him "I told you so" when he hates the boat and has to pay up! ;)

Don't get me wrong, jet boats are awesome in the right setting... calm rivers, lakes & ponds.

Woodsy

Several years ago I had a 16 foot SeaRay jet boat with a single 165HP 6 cylinder and after that I had a 20 foot Yamaha with two 135HP motors.

They were fun on a calm day but rode rough and used considerably more gas than an outboard or an I/O. How rough was the ride? My 15 year old niece was in the front seat of the 16 SeaRayder and when we went over a wake she broke her arm. (Explain that to your sister, her mother, in California) :)

I agree with the handling difficulty too. It takes a while to get used to and it will never be as easy to dock as an outboard or an I/O.

I am glad I did it for the experience, but I wouldn't do it again. A pontoon boat is a much better choice.

All the comments here sum the issues up pretty well.... Jet Boats where and never have been setup for rough water. The idea of a jet drive is for shallow water use.

Having said that, if a person is hell bet to own one, they need to look at the larger models if they plan to use it on Winni.

The early jet boats from MFG. like searay, etc. where all small 16' or so, and they had no place on the big lake during busy weekends, unless you wanted a wet and wild ride. Yamaha, and others started making some in the 20' to 25' range and they rode a bit better in the rough water, however will still bounce pretty bad at high speed do the nature of their design.

Yeah, I guess every boat is a compromise, Have you heard that before? Is there a ski or tow boat under 24' good in rough conditions, That's the answer I guess.

Sea Do no longer makes jet boats however I believe they sold their designs to Scarab! If you compare the two manufactures the hulls are virtually the same. The Scarab brand though has improved a lot on the quality of the boats vs Sea Do. A Lot nicer fit and finish on the new Scarabs. Chapparal obviously are great boats and do utilize the Sea Do power plant. Glastron also offers a jet boat with the Sea Do Power plant as well. My problem with those brands is in fact the Sea Do power plant. From what I have heard they are just not reliable. If you get the supercharged engine there is a yearly service that needs to be completed which is extremely expensive, I think over 1k. Anyway, If it were me I woud go with Yamaha all day! Their boats are well designed and the engines are very reliable with out all the added service requirements in order to maintain warranty. I believe they have a much bigger deadrise than the others which will make for a smoother ride! Anyway just my 2 cents!

Pretty much the same deadrise for Chaparral as Yami, but I believe the others are lower. Supposedly the annual maintenance Isn't what it used to be, Again on the Chaparral, at least that's the claim. Thank you.

Does price matter?
 

So, the problems are: flat bottom, poor maneuverability, rough ride. One company has solved all these problems:

Here's a beautiful deep-vee jet drive. Twin Yanmar diesel engines, jetstick control, so no handling problems 35 knots top speed. Draws 22 inches.
I would love this jet boat. There is a Hinckley at MVYC; beautiful lines.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2018...3#.WQIITfkrJII

No price listed, but I saw several used Hinckleys for less that $500K. One 22 year old for less than $200K.

That is one beautiful looking boat!! Love the lines of it!

Dan

....Mitt's new boat is a jet?
 

Looking at the stern power outlet in the photo of Mitt's new boat, it looks to be a jet.

One of the guy's in my office has a Malibu and it is my understanding the are true inboards (not jets or i/o's). The transom pictured has a "Surf Gate" system hanging off the back of it so you can control the wake and surf off of it and that is what you are seeing. If you look in front of it (i.e. toward the bow) you will see the propeller and shaft.

http://www.malibuboats.com/innovations.html

That is a beauty, I think he's maxing out around 80k, so he'll be a little short. On the up side though, Chaparral owners claim they have vastly improved the low speed maneuverability.

.... no worries, kids, it's a jet!
 

A spinning motor boat propeller can very quickly slice and dice your arm, leg, and head, and a jet does not have a spinning propeller. Seems like a jet would be a big safety improvement for a water ski boat ...... no worries, kids, it's a jet!

That could not be more false. Jet drives don't have an propeller, but they do have an impeller.

Jet drives can be quite dangerous in a couple different ways. First of all, they work by sucking in water through an intake grate to the impeller. Hands/feet can be sucked in to the grate.
Another way is the jet propulsion itself. It sends out a high volume of water with great power. If that jet stream hits your body, it will leave bruises etc. And if it hits you in the wrong places (ie: body cavities), it can kill you.

As is the case with ALL power boats, kill the engine if anyone is in the water near your boat.

On a water ski boat equipped with a jet, it still seems like any danger is a lot less than a slowly spinning propeller. Is pretty common for a water ski boat to be close to a skier in the water, close to the back of the boat, when getting in and out of the boat, or positioning a fallen skier for another try. With the slow motor speed in setting up a skier, it seems like any danger with a jet is greatly reduced, plus there is no danger because there's no whirling propeller.

A jet has no propeller present in the water, nearby, spinning around to make an injury.

Definitely not a jet. Malibu boats are V-drive or straight inboard depending on if they are wake or ski only boats. The bulk of their boats are V-drive.

In a v-drive, the engine is in the back of the boat. A shaft goes forward to a gearbox, which then transfers the power to a shaft going aft to the propeller. This keeps the floorplan open, unlike a true inboard where your engine is in the center of the boat.

Looking at the photo in the other thread on Mitt's new boat, I don't see a propeller. Does it have a whirling propeller present in the water? It seems like the danger of a whirling propeller and people present in the water close to it is eliminated with Mitt's boat choice. No propeller = no safety problem..... or at least, a great increase in safety for people close by, in the water.

You must be looking in the wrong place - it has one.

http://www.onlyinboards.com/App_Them...to/413421.jpeg

Fatlazyless
 

Look again at the photo of Mitts new toy. I see the propeller at the end of the shaft. Look at the stern and just to the right of the gold rudder hanging down there is a propeller.

Fatlazyless
 

The propeller on a straight inboard ski boat is deep, under the hull behind the rudder. Look at the photo of Mitts new toy again. The skier would have to swim under water under the swim platform that extends beyond the stern or consciously extend their foot or leg very deep under the swim platform for there to be danger of being hit by the propeller.

Maybe Mitt picked this type of stern drive because it seems that it has a higher level of safety for young water skiers with regard to the propeller, or non-propeller?

Mitt's Malibu is an inboard v-drive boat. Not a stern drive. Both v-drive and direct drive ski/ wake boats are inboard boats.

Fay's
 

Fay's has a sign up advertising "Chaparral Jet Boats". Don't know anything about them , just thought I would pass this on...

Dan

That's where we first saw them, Fays was at the NH boat show. After a quick education I personally like the Chaparral a little better, But they are a tad more expensive but have a tad more HP. But I would consider a fully loaded Yamaha for about 10 G's less, Both seem to be great boats that have come a long way to fix there quirks. My kid's may be able to talk me into switching for a few years, One is 22 the other 17, so I think the boat would get a lot more use than my tri-toon. when I started looking into them for my friend my wife said this would happen. We'll see.

Better keep the 'toon. The kids will be out in the jet boat all day by themselves.

Jet Boat Demonstrations
 

Fay's Boat Yard in Gilford is holding jet boat demonstrations this weekend, May 6 & 7. 🚤

There are a lot of people here that have opinions about jet boats but have never owned one, at least not a modern one.

I have owned several prop boats and a 24" Yamaha jet boat and I can tell you that most of the criticisms of jet boats do not apply to modern designs. The Yamaha was low maintenance and had the fuel efficiency of a regular prop bowrider. It also handled the lake chop just as well because the deadrise and freeboard was comparable. The lack of outdrives meant a much more useful swim platform and a safer platform for water sports.

Only downsides were it was a bit noisier (I think that has been fixed now) and low speed manourverability. Aftermarket fins can improve the latter.

I suggest everybody try one for themselves. An experience with an older 2 stroke seadoo or Yami is not in any way representative of current state of the art. In ten years, I estimate that at least 50% of all new boats on the lake will be jets. Yamahas are already outselling all other bowriders by a wide margin.



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I agree with HIG. We have a 2011 24' Yamaha and we all love it, once you get the hang of it it's easy to control especially with dual engines.