Jet boats for hunting?

[Big Bucks]

Hey guys I'm thinking of getting a jet boat for hunting and fishing and was wondering what company and boat do you guys think is the best ? Fuel econ , tuffness , size , durability ? And are there any sites out there that sell used ones? I would be going up the muskwa and on the fraser alot with 4 people . All you jet boat experts it would be great to here from ya . Thanks

[Vansmasher]

If you can afford to put fuel in a jetboat and learn how to run boney rivers..... its the ultimate hunting machine.

For toughness..... try an 'Outlaw'

[tuchodi]

Outlaw out of RedDeer makes a good boat and they have a good web site to check out both new and used boats. It sounds like you will be having quite a load if you are having 4 people in your boat most of the time. That would reqiure aprox a 21' with a larger motor like a 350 with an American Turbine Jet, Kodiac Jet or a Hamilton Jet. Second you have to decide what you will use it mostly for, if it is fishing on the ocean you will want a deeper hull with a higher degree on the bottom. If it is mostly for rivers then you will need a bottom that has less degree for skinnier water. If you go with that large a boat to accomidate 4 people most of the time you will limit yourself to the larger deeper rivers or when the water is really high you could make it up the smaller rivers but when it is hunting season the water levels are usually lower. The muskwa in the fall is big enought for larger boats but a lot of the smaller rivers flowing into it can be quite tricky when the water is low just ask a few guy's last year that sunk or totally ruined their boats on the Tuchodi, a $50000.00 boat became worthless in a few seconds not to mention the injuries to some of the people in the boat they were lucky they never lost any lifes. It would be nice to have a boat that would do oceans and rivers but they just dont make one for both so you will have to compromise.

[Big Bucks]

Thanks for the info guys , so it seems outlaw is the way to go .

[ex bc guide]

Cascade in chilliwack usually has a few used boats kicking around.
Learn your boat before jumping in it and hittin the skinny rivers, boat accidents are happening more and more.

[Jetboater]

Big Bucks,
it really depends on where most of your boating is going to be done, if it is strictly northern BC then a an Outlaw is a great boat, but if you want a boat for the lower fraser and Harrison with a bit of nOrthern Hunting then there is a lot of companies that can accomodate what you are doing,
I rig quite a few of my Thunder Jet boats to be able to both, adding plastic and extra reinforcing is easy to do...

[1899]

I was looking at boats a while ago, and my friend helped out. He built his own 23' with a 400" sbc. As mentioned, with 4 people you need a good sized boat, with plenty of power. This means LOTS of fuel. To do it right you need to either a: have a shop and skills like my friend or b: be prepared to spend lots of $ on the boat and operating costs. I guess it also depends on how far you want to go up the river. All the way to Tuchodi Lake? Just a little ways?

[mark]

If your looking for something WAY under 50k, Ive got 2 boats for you to choose from, both 21's very suitable for 4 guys and gear. Nothing wrong with either one, except they arn't shiny and new!
Heres the links, PM me if you want more pics or details. It is an awesome way to hunt and fish!
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=22772

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=21370

[270WSMGB]

Outlaw definetly makes a fine boat, but I would investigate Omineca Marine. They will Taylor make anything you want and steer you in the right direction. By far One of the toughest boats out there.

[Avalanche123]

I'd love to own a jet boat for hunting. Fortunately I have a few good friends that own them and I get to take advantage of their generosity.

I have certainly seen a few wrecks though by folks who lacked the experience and got in over their heads (literally) with them.

[Big Bucks]

Ok then , what do you think is the best engine to go with a 19 foot boat , probably going to carry 3 guys maybe 4 ? Is northriver a good company ?

[Jetboater]

Big bucks I would look at a 350 carb if I were you for the hunting purpose, easy to work on a parts everywhere, North River builds a great boat! Personally I dont like the spray line they put off, it is right past the front windsheild, and they seem to require more RPM to plane.... best thing you can do is test drive a few boats you are looking at , compare them apples to apples,try to stay with a steel trailer as they have a better carrying capacity,

[tuchodi]

I would also stay with a carb 350 as blacktail said. North River boats are built well but I wouldn't own one as from my experience they don't seem to plane as big a load per horse power as some others but as blacktail said try a few differant kinds.

[pinestar]

Try an AlliCraft boat very tough.