Any Jet Boaters out there?

[pse&remington]

Looking into jetboating and came across these two boats, Ive heard about other builders out there but have yet to see anything in video that comes close to either of these. Anyone that can show me a video that would steer me to buy something other than one of these. Or you got any comments regarding someone getting into river jet boating, please let me know, thanks





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpR926L_f3I

[pse&remington]

here is the other boat I was speaking about.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0JCPN2LD-4

[trigger]

thats awesome thanks for sharing

[digginsweatinswearin]

What kind of a price range are you looking at, that Harbercraft is around 50 new

[digginsweatinswearin]

I assume you're looking to use it for hunting so its going to have to be tough, look at the Outlaw Eagle site or the Firefish site.

[pse&remington]

Ya looked at their sites before, but no proof of toughness. These boats can jump rocks, logs and even land. Now thats a boat.

Lets see an Outlaw or Firefish doing that. In the videos I see them pass bye a few of these boats that appear to be stuck

[pse&remington]

someone suggested riddle marine in a pm, thanks they do make sweet boats and are reasonable. again around 50k once you add it all up, but custom. Anyone up North in a Shuman or Outlaw that can send me footage of these boats taking abuse like the above.
Someone must have video footage outhere!

[Rock Doctor]

I have a Shuman Boat, several friends also have them, and a few Wolf Made here as well.
Not sure where you intend to go, or what you want to do, but I never saw any abuse to those boats in the vids posted. More like an every day trip up the Tuchodi, or Gatho.
The HC is a nice machine
I don't know about the SJX, but if you spend much time bumping off rocks with a boat like that, your teeth are going to end up rattling around the bottom of the boat like Chicklets, lol

Of course I try not to damage mine, but I do hit the odd rock. Here is a look at the Gatho in high water



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HCjxWHp_fc&feature=youtube_gdata_player


RD

[sako_300]

Ya looked at their sites before, but no proof of toughness. These boats can jump rocks, logs and even land. Now thats a boat.

Lets see an Outlaw or Firefish doing that. In the videos I see them pass bye a few of these boats that appear to be stuck

No offense but you clearly don't have much experience with jet boat builders/construction standards... might be worth looking into some specs. Stringers, bottom thickness, material, etc.

That said, I don't really know if you're serious in this post.

[MtnBoy]

If you are wanting to buy a jetboat to jump rocks, logs and even land then any boat you buy will not last long. Most of the boats can do this but you will be doing damage each time and you will get stuck eventually. I pulled a boat out of the bottom of the Tuchodi one year just like that one in the video.

[nap]

No offense but you clearly don't have much experience with jet boat builders/construction standards... might be worth looking into some specs. Stringers, bottom thickness, material, etc.

That said, I don't really know if you're serious in this post.

Nailed that one the head, anybody can shoot a boat over a sand bar with enough speed, nothing on those videos an alicraft, outlaw, firefish and or an omineca couldn't do if thats what you wanted to do. I have watched all that I have mentioned have perform, on a river not just in a video, RD mentioned he runs a shuman, and watching his videos, I would look at one of them. I think you have some homework to do. Just Saying!!

[ryanb]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybxy8N1Ohag&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is what I drive. Firefish snapper.

[pse&remington]

obvious statement on the home work NAP, what do you think i am asking. no one around here in squamish seem to be running boats like this so I never get to see or have hands on experience. by the way you have a boat nap? or are u just.........

[pse&remington]

Alright the real questions I have at this point is

what is the diffrence in a wider hull?

is a 200 sport jet sufficent for running an 18 foot 2guys and gear?

whats the difference in fuel for an 18 ft with a 200 sport jet as to an 18 ft with a 350 and a hamilton 212?

Is the lighter sport jet going to be the right choice or am I going to be running to high of RPM and overheating?

If you can help and answer any of these it would help me in my research, thanks!

[Rock Doctor]

Lol, remind me not to buy a boat from Ryan,:-D

RD

[300wsmXboltKiller]

maybe get good deal on his firefish :)

[pse&remington]

wow ryan nice, now thats how you treat a 50k boat!

That was exactly the kinda video I was talking about, but be seriously what sorta shape is your hull in?

[bridger]

wider hulls give you better flotation and allows you to reduce the overall length which is important on small rivers with tight corners. lots of guys up here run sport jets, but they are noisy and some of the guys wear ear muffs when running. sport jets are a little better on fuel than a 350 but don't have the power. most guys up here run 18 to 22 ft boats with 6 or 8 ft bottoms and seem to prefer hamilton pumps. best advice i can give you is to talk to kevin willis from river jet adventures, great guy and knows as much or more about running northern rivers as anyone. just remember as others have pointed out jumping logs and gravel bars is something you want to avoid no matter how cool the video.

[Husky7mm]

Are those ugly but interesting "sport jon" boats available in canada? Pretty cool to be able to put an ATV in there..... What kind of money do they run, they look really basic.

[Farmer001]

Here looks like product testers especially like around 12:30. Looks like fun though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09OOKKs6jM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09OOKKs6jM)

[nap]

pse, My boat is a 20' Omineca, 12 degree with a 6'bottom with 9 stringers, full uhmw from front to back. At 4500 rpm which is where I run on step with a full load. 4 guys with all our gear for a week. I like to have some extra fuel left over for the just in case moments. The 350 boats will definetly get you there quicker in the big water, but up the small skinny rivers you can only go so fast running safely. At 4500 rpm I am going through 7 american gallons per hour. I built the boat and welded every inch of weld. If I were to build another it would be the same length, wider with a 10 degree hull, That would let me run just a little bit less water. If you pop into my photos you will see a picture of my rig there. What ever you decide you will have a great time.

[Dirty]

This is the boat for you by the sounds of it...
http://meanchicken.net/webmain/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=8161

[Mugger]

Go to some big water or a bad judgement and you will sink the front end into the water and you are done.

[Little Red Man]

Nice footage Rockdoc, and great tune too!! Me and a buddy went up the Gatho years ago for an elk hunt in his boat. The water was skinny as it was, and he made the fatal mistake (very experienced pilot, BTW...you may even know the fellow) of coming down the wrong channel. All I hear from him is "Holy shyte, hang the f*&ck on!”. We came up against a log jam, and with no room and not enough water to turn around, he PINS her (something about, if in doubt, apply more throttle). Well we hit the jamb going 9 0, and fly what I think is about 10 feet in the air, spin around, and land on a gravel bar. WOW!!! That is something I will NEVER forget, and was certainly a lesson learned. I think I would have preferred to stop the boat, and winch the sumbitch for a couple days, than ever do that again. There was a dent punched in the bow of about the size of a basketball, but no hole. We managed to continue our hunt after that, but were a bit more cautious. IIRC that was a Lynx Tuchodi he was running at that point in time. I could not believe the boat survived that episode without a hole punched in it. Certainly NOTHING I would ever try with my Harbercraft. I think he runs something similar to a Tomcat now, which is all good and fun, but do not believe it can take as much weight. Regardless, a trip I will NEVER forget. The worst of it was, the jump spilled the last of our coffee and Bailey’s reserve.

[nap]

Great video Ryan, thanks, I'll throw fuel in for a ride like that any day.

[nap]

Here looks like product testers especially like around 12:30. Looks like fun though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09OOKKs6jM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l09OOKKs6jM)

Upper mcgregor and jarvis creek is one of the greatest days to be had on a sunny day, great video.

[ryanb]

I can't take credit for that video. It's not mine. Just saying I have the same boat.

[valleyHunter]

ask jetboater

[The Dude]

There's an 800 lb Gorilla in the room.
I hope others see it.

[sako_300]

I can't take credit for that video. It's not mine. Just saying I have the same boat.

I want to watch the video of the guy coming back down the river... anybody can hit the gas in shallow water...

[pse&remington]

Thanks nap for all the info and dirty nice find on the boat, ya thats kinda what I want, I THINK? If I get a boat build someone put me onto firefish and they are canadian, nice boats.

[browning]

Don't forget about Alicraft. Steve Ford is a great guy with lots of advice, awesome service and builds a heck of a boat to fit all your needs even if you don't know what they are yet! I boought a used 18' alicraft w/175 sport jet and have taken it back to add some more goodies, like full teflon and keel strip and new floor. I have only had it for three years now but love the way it handles and performs in the water.

[BCRiverBoater]

Ya looked at their sites before, but no proof of toughness. These boats can jump rocks, logs and even land. Now thats a boat.

Lets see an Outlaw or Firefish doing that. In the videos I see them pass bye a few of these boats that appear to be stuck

Firefish has a video of Steve (owner) running one of his demo boats. This video shows his boat going places that I have never seen on Youtube before.

Firefish, Shuman, Outlaw, Alicraft, Omineca are some of the toughest boats you will find on any Northern River. Just because you have one or two videos it means nothing about selecting a boat. These boats are all tough but you need to look at a lot more before making a choice on a jet boat.

All of these boats can be a ton fo fun when empty. I do not hesitate to jump gravel bars and logs when empty. But with a weighted boat in the fall, you do not want to be hitting bottom. What does no damage to your boat empty with cause severe damage if you are heavy. And no one likes to unload a full boat and carry the gear in order to lightened the boat to push it off the dry gravel bars.

[BCRiverBoater]

Thanks nap for all the info and dirty nice find on the boat, ya thats kinda what I want, I THINK? If I get a boat build someone put me onto firefish and they are canadian, nice boats.

I am currently running a Firefish and love it. I would go back to Steve in a second if I built again. You can not go wrong with these boats. He will build anything you want. So if you want some crazy heavy bottom just add more aluminum but his hulls are plenty strong enough as is.

[Buckzilla]

You know these yahoo's?
Also check out Jet Boat Macgregors Part 1.[
I'm guessing we know each other....
Also look into EXACT WELDING in PG for a great boat made from guys who test them hard like in that video.One of EXACT boats in both jet boat Macgegors part 1 and 2.
Wicked boats! Jet boat Macgregors Part 2 was filmed from an 18' ali craft with a 200 SJ. Also a sick boat!
UOTE=Farmer001;1140424]Here looks like product testers especially like around 12:30. Looks like fun though [/QUOTE]

[Buckzilla]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB1zlEiL24U&feature=player_detailpage
Try this one of the the same ALI Craft from Jet boat Macgregors part 2 jumping a log blocking access up the Ryan River in Pemberton.

[Buckzilla]

Also the same ALI Craft with 200 SJ in my avatar carrying 2 bull moose and 3 guys.....

[Buckzilla]

It is my understanding that the same Ali craft has the "high-mark" on the Upper Lilloet River, the Ryan River in Pemberton, and the Mamquam, Cheakamus, and Ashlu in Squamish.
Some water you may know being from Squam. All in one weekend. Splilly talkers broke their nose. fearless captain, indestructible boat. I would not hesitate to buy Ali craft either from what I've witnessed.

[dryflyguy57]

I am currently running a Firefish and love it. I would go back to Steve in a second if I built again. You can not go wrong with these boats. He will build anything you want. So if you want some crazy heavy bottom just add more aluminum but his hulls are plenty strong enough as is.

I second that , built tough . Firefish all the way .

[Kapow]

The Red Deer boys ; Firefish, Outlaw and Brattjet take the cake. Its all about how the bottem is built; stringers, aluminum grade/thickness, uhmw and deadrise. Pump and engine thereafter.

[792]

I would take a look at Riddle marine, more bang for your buck.

[digginsweatinswearin]

I got a price list from Riddle and when you factor all the things that are not included that come standard on the Firefish they only are about 2,000 cheaper and dont have quite the resale value. Real nice boats though, Ben does some unique things that for one reason or another the other guy's aren't doing.

[pse&remington]

Thanks to everyone for all your responses. I have definitely learned alot so far and am starting to understand how the boat is built is whats really the important factor here. Who runs 8 degree bottoms and whos running 12 degrees, and why?
I am just curious can you run your 8 on a lake or do you need a 12 if looking for an allround craft.

[tuchodi]

Neither are good lake performers when there are few waves but the 12 would be a little better. You have to decide where you are going to be doing most of your boating rivers or lakes.

[Kapow]

A variable deadrise will smooth out the chop a lot better since it has more of a v at the front than the back of the boat. The downside is they can be a little more tricky to steer in big rapids and extremely strong currents vs a constant deadrise. You might get an extra 5 minutes before your beverage goes flat with variable too.:-D

[Buckzilla]

Same Ali Craft on mamquam river Squamish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG8-OMjTYYo&feature=player_detailpage

[Buckzilla]

14' Home built jobby with captain Jet boat Jay Upper Macgregors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=r_XeyMumUmE

[Buckzilla]

Ashlu River Squamish . Ali -craft
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UuVIgjWQM30

[ryanb]

Better to have a jet that does the one thing you want to do the most WELL, than a jet that does everything shitty. Figure out what you want it to do and get it built accordingly. Even my 14.5' centre console 8 degree, with no seats, is servicaceable as a pleasure boat for the occasional day on the lake. Not many 22' 14 degree lake boats are going to last long on a shallow rocky river.

[Rugersingle]

Go to the Outlaw boats web page and click on the FAQ tab. Lots of good info on the building, design, and principles of jet boats. As mentioned whats good on the Tuchodi aint gonna cut er on Atlin lake....

[pete_k]

Have a look at the Grey Harbercraft Fastwater at NR. Just below the port windshield where the hull meets the side, there is a huge 4 inch weld burn-thru. It's all bubbled and looks like acid melted it away. It's mostly covered by the chine cap but is still very clearly visible. I'm in the market for a boat. The HC Extreme Duty has alot of the right specs and they start at 50k. But HC quality really has me concerned. I would really hesitate to buy a HC, but that's just me because of that one stupid weld I seen. Could have been a one off.

The Thunderjet Bulldog is a much better craft for nearly the same price. Check some of the Outlaw boats. Then of course there is the smaller outfits like Ali Craft, Shuman who build very nice custom boats. They hardly depreciate in value is what I've found.