Jet drive outboard rig? Somebody talk me out of it

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 02:02 PM

Living with access to the broad without having to leave me neighborhood has driven me to look into purchasing a jet drive rig. When the water is up a few feet I can navigate a good portion of that river with my little 13ft johnboat and 15hp tiller but it's slow and limited to certain water flow.

I have been looking for a month or so at a few.

Anybody have any 1st hand positive/negative comments?

I'm sticking with tiller steering and maybe 50-60hp motor which will give me 35-40hp with a jet

**RWW** · 12-09-2013, 02:19 PM

i ran one (yamaha 40) for years on the upper broad and catawba. does best in clean water with hard bottom. problems are created when driven onto sandbar or mudbank since the same stuff enters the head cooling. floating trash will collect on the intake grating and slow down performance, like grass at the coast. but its easy to remove from grate. on a high speed sharp turn, the boat will tend to slide sideways. I read about some people adding a skeg to the hull, but I never did. Its nice not to have to tilt the motor up to trailer.

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 02:28 PM

What type of additional services is required for a jet lower unit?

**wooddrow** · 12-09-2013, 02:41 PM

A family friend of mine lived right up from Chesnut hills on Hill trace trail. Probably a mile or so up from you I would say. He had an 08 mercury 25 jet drive on his duracraft he bought for the same purpose your looking to buy one for. He ran it in the river twice and he had me sell it for him due to all the trash, mud, and grass it sucked up. I never ran it, so basing my judgement solely off what he told me. I live up the river from you as well and it's frustrating with all the rocks and such up my way. Canoe and paddle are basically my only option where I'm at. Creek boat works well, just a pain in the ass to put it in and out with our landing slowly washing away.

**Drylok** · 12-09-2013, 02:48 PM

Adding a skeg to the hull defeats the purpose of a jet drive.

Jets consume a good deal of fuel compared to their prop counterparts.

A friend of mine took me fishing up there in his 14 foot with a twenty horse jet drive. His boat was slow but could go just about anywhere. I would not go over fifteen feet if I was going to find a boat for fishing those rocks.

You could throw a jet foot on your existing boat and be good to go for what you want to do.

**RWW** · 12-09-2013, 03:00 PM

yamaha recommends greasing the main impeller bearing after each use. theres a zirc fitting. Thats the only thing on the main drive

**huntinghagen#12** · 12-09-2013, 03:10 PM

I sent you a PM a while back. If you want a good boat for that river, and the Saluda, get in touch with him.

We've gone from the dam to both bridges on the Saluda in less then 10 minutes with that boat, he can run 30mph pretty much the entire run, he slows down to around 15-20 mph to go up the rapids and kicks it up to around 40 on the straight portions. The Broad is a lot less tricky then the Saluda, it would do very well on there.

**Phone Man** · 12-09-2013, 03:22 PM

What kinda boat is this? Dang sure aint a mud rig running 40 and i aint seen many jets that would run that fast either

**B.Miller** · 12-09-2013, 03:29 PM

Word 40 mph is scootin in a jetdrive.

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by huntinghagen#12

I sent you a PM a while back. If you want a good boat for that river, and the Saluda, get in touch with him.

We've gone from the dam to both bridges on the Saluda in less then 10 minutes with that boat, he can run 30mph pretty much the entire run, he slows down to around 15-20 mph to go up the rapids and kicks it up to around 40 on the straight portions. The Broad is a lot less tricky then the Saluda, it would do very well on there.

I got it and thought about contacting him but I really want an outboard setup

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Phone Man

What kinda boat is this? Dang sure aint a mud rig running 40 and i aint seen many jets that would run that fast either

The guy he knows can retrofit a jetski drive to a johnboat hull.

I believe it would hit 40 if it's the right motor

**huntinghagen#12** · 12-09-2013, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by mhogancu

I got it and thought about contacting him but I really want an outboard setup

10-4

Originally Posted by mhogancu

The guy he knows can retrofit a jetski drive to a johnboat hull.

I believe it would hit 40 if it's the right motor

His will hit either 53 mph or 58 mph, I can't remember which one was the high he told me. He did that in a cove on Murray with smooth water. He doesn't run that fast on the rivers.

It's safe, but it doesn't feel like it when you are running up rapids at 20 mph in a boat that is only 30" wide.

**Phone Man** · 12-09-2013, 04:11 PM

Thats pretty bad ass

**Steelin' Ducks** · 12-09-2013, 04:12 PM

You need an Airboat or Hoovercraft.

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 04:32 PM

Originally Posted by Steelin' Ducks

You need an Airboat or Hoovercraft.

Was co owner in an air boat we bought off eBay out of Mississippi 4-5 years ago for 5k. Blew the motor on the broad lastyear. It was perfect just way to loud and difficult to fish out of

**Whaler_Dave** · 12-09-2013, 04:34 PM

What ever happened to the air boat? you sell it?

Nevermind....

**Dook** · 12-09-2013, 04:42 PM

I hunted out of one up in the Va moutains on a river out of one, unbelieveable the shit it will slide over. Chekc this one out, this could, and would be the shizzle. but loud..maybe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Diamond...wer_Motorboats

**mhogancu** · 12-09-2013, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Dook

I hunted out of one up in the Va moutains on a river out of one, unbelieveable the shit it will slide over. Chekc this one out, this could, and would be the shizzle. but loud..maybe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Diamond...wer_Motorboats

Thats badass but they are super loud. Like an airplane taking off loud.