Help Me Buy A New Boat.

[bheff]

Im now in the market for a new to me boat. It must be able to run rivers and fish on the lake (coves mainly). My first thought is a Shawnee/Supreme. But have been looking at the Blazer aluminum boats. The primary point of the boat will be for fishing. I cant see fishing with more than three people, and most of the time those other two will be my kids. What the pros and cons of the boats listed above? How about jet vs. prop.

Thanks for any info you can throw my way.

[David Unnerstall]

Hey Wrench, how much actual thrust do you lose with a jet?

[Jerry Rapp]

if you want to run rivers, there is only one option. Jet. Then when you run across the lake it will be sounding like you are doing 70 mph, but in reality 30. I have always used the 50% rule on jets. If you put a 60HP on it, you will get the speed of a 30HP.

[bheff]

I know some guys have both lower units and swap it out depending on the water they will be on. I doubt that I can get lucky enough to find someone with both a lower unit and a jet.

There are too many options out there, boats, fiberglass, aluminum, wide, wider, bigger motor, smaller motor, prop, jet.

[fishinwrench]

You loose about 20hp on a well tuned jet pump. More if your shimming is a bit loose.

Being able to swap back and forth between jet pump/ prop requires a jackplate to tune the engine height along with the swap.

Whenever I start to think about THE BEST all around boat (river/lake/ect.) I always end up at a 1648 mod-V jon with a 20hp prop outboard.

[Clay Goforth]

Personally, I think the 20hp or 50% loss estimates are a bit high. I run a 30hp yamaha jet and have run alongside or passed many 20hp prop motors on the river. Also, I have had 2 Supreme boats over the last 16 years. They are awesome boats and if you go with one of those, you can fish the Shawnee/Supreme tournament in the spring every year.

[fishinwrench]

Clay, HP doesn't necessarily transform into "speed".

A prop setup will pull a jet backwards easily, and will thrust the boat forward WITH CONTROL at much slower RPM's, even while pushing a heavier load.

Once you are up and running the jet pump will feed on the momentum of an already moving boat, like a tail-wind..... So being able to outrun a 20hp prop with a 30jet really doesn't indicate that there is less than a 10hp loss with the jet.

[Clay Goforth]

Clay, HP doesn't necessarily transform into "speed".

A prop setup will pull a jet backwards easily, and will thrust the boat forward WITH CONTROL at much slower RPM's, even while pushing a heavier load.

Once you are up and running the jet pump will feed on the momentum of an already moving boat, like a tail-wind..... So being able to outrun a 20hp prop with a 30jet really doesn't indicate that there is less than a 10hp loss with the jet.

I hear what you are saying, but I assume that when people are asking about HP, they are talking about how quickly they can get up and down a river or across a body of water. Of course, you know what happens when one assumes...

[holleybob]

If you decide prop vs jet you may consider welding pods on the rear for better shallow water running.

My dream boat is a 1648 or 1748 center console. no carpeting with pod's on the rear and a 30 hp prop. No carpet. Like a mini bay boat.

I never thought I'd like a center console till I fished out of one.

With kids I like a wider boat vs narrow. That way when they get all tangled up or cant get that knot tied right you can set next to them and help them out.

I'm not sure how feasible that would be with a narrow "river" boat. I guess it depends on the age of the kids too.

[gotmuddy]

the loss is 30%if the jet is tuned properly.