Jet Sled

[alpinetreker]

Hey i'm looking for some advice on what size sled and motor i should be looking for thats big enough for 2 guys and 1-2 animals. I was thinking 16' with 80-90hp. will it work?

[Barracuda]

as long as the boat is designed properly for the intended application that combo will fit the bill . its about design and power to weight .

[792]

Pretty hard to beat a wooldridge alaskan, and get as much hp as you can afford.

[alpinetreker]

thanks, is it possible to do the tuchodi,muskwa rivers with this set up?

[Buckmaster]

I would think you would want 115 hp to be safe and even as much as 200 hp depending on the size and weight of your sled. Should really consider an 18 or even 20 in a woolridge type sled. Anything under 100hp or going to get used up pretty quick with 2 guys and your gear. You need to get up on plane quick.

[Barracuda]

Too big an engine puts to much weight at the back and it's ass will drag so it has to be proportional for the boat, i think suzuki and merc make a 140/150 thats as light as a 90 I like this combo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3EpeXt0xxZE


Those wooldridges 16ft are pretty light even with a load it will get on step in less then half a dozen seconds fully loaded and even before its on step it still wont draft as much as a big boat .
The bigger the boat the more power and weight needed to get equal strength and perfomance.

Our boat is under 15 (kinda a wooldridge clone) and it isnt too small in any way shape or form for two or three people and gear or even a MC with the full load its on step faster then most boats because of the design and fuel consumption is very good also .

You dont need a big boat or tons of power if you look at this video power to weight and hull design is the biggest factor .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXgeruSRK7w&list=ULnXgeruSRK7w&feature=player_detailpage#t=14s




That being said a mid mount ecotec type engine and a hamilton are gonna be the next combo:-D and it may even be smaller .

[sae]

forget the outboard jet ,triple the fuel half the speed . spend a bit of time on meanchicken forum , power and speed are everything a loaded jet boat with 2 guys, gear ,two moose need to go fast to not drag rock on the muskwa , two throttle positions on and more on (downstream)

[Barracuda]

forget the outboard jet ,triple the fuel half the speed . spend a bit of time on meanchicken forum , power and speed are everything a loaded jet boat with 2 guys, gear ,two moose need to go fast to not drag rock on the muskwa , two throttle positions on and more on (downstream)

obviously you know nothing about outboard jets :lol:

[wiggy]

obviously you know nothing about outboard jets :lol:
I have to concur; nothing uses less gas then a good ob and the new etecs are sic;

[1899]

Wouldn't the main concern be fuel capacity on those longer Muskwa/Tuchodi trips? Or does the lower weight, smaller output balance things off?

[Barracuda]

the newer efi outboard jets get very very good fuel economy compared to the old twostroke carbed smokers of yesteryear. power to weight is also better then the majority of the iron block big cubic inch engines that are pushing 2-3 tonnes through the water.

you can find consumption on the wooldridge site and this is another option to look at JBM boats http://www.scottwaterjet.com/news/montana.html

[sae]

if you spent much time on the muskwa you would see almost no o/b jets and next to no woolridges, mostly inboard sport jets and outlaw marine rigs

[sae]

i thought we were talking about outboard conversions not ecotec inboards with an efficient scott axial pump with tight clearences,the use of bigblocks i almost dead with the use of ls-3 gm engines putting out 500 hp at under 400 lbs , my rig gets 7 t0 8 ghp at cruise 34mph ,standard sbc 300hp coupled to an american turbine a impeller, 20 ft boat 6 foot bottom witch allows for a heavy load , my buddies boat 16 ft skiff 225hp merc jet conversion averages 30 mph at 10 to 12 gallons per hour empty , loaded up with guys , empty tank right now.

[Barracuda]

then something is wrong with buddies boat and or his engine .

OB jets definatly get the job done and the new fi engines are fuel sippers . they do have limitations but so do the heavy inboards I have an outboard jet and have been told tones of times it wont go where the heavy plow cows go and funny enough i always seem to end up in the same place and use a 1/4 of the fuel and they always seem insecure and ticked off when a little puddle jumper shows up where there big bad huge jetboat took them :lol:. Most of the others with outboard jets say pretty much the same thing its actually pretty funny .

.


The old bigger better biggest best idea is as lame as ,mullets and air guitar :lol: .

[ryanb]

Pretty hard to beat a sportjet inboard for what you're looking at. Sure the outboard might be more efficient empty, but loaded up with 700 pounds of fuel, gear, people, dead animals and that outboard is gonna SUCK, both in getting the boat on step and consuming fuel. Woolrdidges are a decent boat, but aren't very tough for handling woopsy-daisies.

[Barracuda]

Pretty hard to beat a sportjet inboard for what you're looking at. Sure the outboard might be more efficient empty, but loaded up with 700 pounds of fuel, gear, people, dead animals and that outboard is gonna SUCK, both in getting the boat on step and consuming fuel. Woolrdidges are a decent boat, but aren't very tough for handling woopsy-daisies.

Again its power to weight ,hull design & displacement and the square Cube rule definatly apply to boats when it comes to strength . I agree they do have limitations but not near as many as the big heavy jet boat warriors would have you believe. If a boat is properly designed to be useing a jet it will perfom well loaded on a river in the shallow etc .

For me the perfect boat is a small boat 15 ft or less 3-6 deg aluminum engine ,closed cooling, axial flow pump and a huge fuel tank. I could care less about stereos and heavy seating or any of that other stuff. I would never dismiss the ability of an OB jet and more often then not OB jets perform poorly because the operater has no understanding of it, poor installation,and or poor boat design to begin with.
All of which people have traditionally compensated for when it comes to inboard jets by adding more armour or more power . It like magnumitus or haveing the biggest Diesle truck that rolls coal at every light :lol:

[sae]

just looked it up merc 4 stroke 150 455 lbs dry ,5000 rpm 12.5 gal hour cost about 17000 last i looked. gm ls 3 480hp at 5500 25gals hr cruise 3200 rpm 7 gals hour under 420lbs hmmm power to weight? my boat loaded two moose 4 guys 12 inches of water 34 mph more power same weight oh and gm crate engine 5500 at mopac or 9000 from kodiak marine . the faster you go the the better .and i have heat to defrost my windows and keep me toasty. as for the original quest? outboards work just fine , go 18 ft to 20

[yama49]

420 hp on the ls3, not that it makes that much difference.. Sae whats an aproxx, of your boat weight.. I plan on buying something in the near future..

[Buckmaster]

You will never spin an ls3 to 5500 and make that kind of power in a jet boat. Even with the new 3kw impellars, I believe they sping to 4400 rpm.
There is just something different about driving an inboard jet boat vs an oatboard. You would have to drive both to understand. They each have there place but I find you can carry way more weight in an inboard setup with a 350 ci motor or bigger.
I am having a 20 footer built right now and have chosen to go the 6.0L and 212 route. One of the best combos out there if you ask me.

[limit time]

if you spent much time on the muskwa you would see almost no o/b jets and next to no woolridges, mostly inboard sport jets and outlaw marine rigs

And why is this?
Personally, I like the 17' Alaskan, and see no reason it couldn't get the job done. It seems like theres a lot of hate for those boats. (or is it outboards that are the issue?)

[Buckmaster]

A pic of the build. Have more but can't figure out how to post them.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/thumbs/Bottom.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=27223&title=bottom&cat=500)

[ryanb]

The woolridges and similar just aren`t that tough a boat...they can get the job done but seems like most people taking their boats up that way prefer to have a boat that can soak up the sh*t...cause lord knows...sh*t happens. I hear from folks that have been running their boats up there for decades that outboard sleds used to be popular, but now you don`t see hardly any up there...that should tell you something.

[sae]

that was my point back in the day the outboard was king of light and the 1200lb bb chev was a boat anchor . my boat was 2500lbs of uncut aluminum.. all in about that built , my harborcraft is about 1500 . the ls 3 engine is best coupled to a pressure pump witch can soak up the hp with rpm and not slip at low rpm

[Kapow]

The only advantages an outboard jet has over an inboard jet is that it can be turned back into a prop again, and allows for a bit more space in the boat. It would be cool if evinrude trys to make something like a sportjet.

[alpinetreker]

What about in/out board motor reliability?

[limit time]

What about in/out board motor reliability?

Outboards are pretty reliable IMHO.

If you like outboards like me, check out Explorer boats (made in Alberta). They make some pretty cool outboard sleds 14-16ft. I saw the 14 footer in Dawson Creek this week. Looks tough and has UHMW bottom.