Bought a jet boat- now what?

[Jason R.]

I just bought me a 14/48 alumaweld with a 2 stroke Suzuki PU40- boat has the jet transom and is a flat bottom. So... I mainly bought this rig for the motor- and I think I got a decent deal all told. I think the motor is a 1990. Its got a new liner and the guy just sharpened the impeller. Boot looks decent and the motor starts really well. Only ghetto part is that he sort of fabricated a shift linkage- but it works. Might try to get a stock one.
The boat is pretty beat to hell but it only leaks a little bit. My plans right now are to fix up the boat a bit (paint, fill in some screw holes, maybe a plywood floor) and sell it and the old trailer. Is a 16/48 a good size with a 40/30? This is my first jet outboard and I bought it to run the Little Red mostly. If I do get a 16/48, can I just get a jack plate to get the right height? Thanks.

Also, would it be worth it to try to fix this old boat? It has the typical jet boat damage- dents, welds, cracked welds etc. Any general advice for a young moron?

[Phil Landry]

I would shed the 16' and get a longer boat. not that you will need it in the foreseeable near future, but you need to float higher. In lower water you won't get enough clearance to run as shallow as you would like without hitting every shoal full speed, then ripping up the bottom even worse. More length means the motor weight, and your weight is dispersed better, crucial if drift fishing. Aluminum will not slide off rocks like you want it to and produces a louder "wave slap" than fiberglass. The grooved and riveted bottom hampers you as well.

Did you get the drive shaft inspected on that motor? That's one of the more expensive things to replace. Use 2-4-C on that thing after EVERY use.

Just my 2 cents, your milage may vary!

[jtram]

Before you do anything, run what you have. See what you do and dont like. 16 ft will be nice but better to learn limits with a beat up boat then upgrade once you know what you want. Jack plate may or may not get you high enough, make sure it will before you drop the coin. An aluminum weld shop can probably raise the transom cheaper, maybe. ENJOY!

[Jason R.]

I would shed the 16' and get a longer boat. not that you will need it in the foreseeable near future, but you need to float higher. In lower water you won't get enough clearance to run as shallow as you would like without hitting every shoal full speed, then ripping up the bottom even worse. More length means the motor weight, and your weight is dispersed better, crucial if drift fishing. Aluminum will not slide off rocks like you want it to and produces a louder "wave slap" than fiberglass. The grooved and riveted bottom hampers you as well.

Did you get the drive shaft inspected on that motor? That's one of the more expensive things to replace. Use 2-4-C on that thing after EVERY use.

Just my 2 cents, your milage may vary!

Thanks. Its a 14- but I know what you mean. I didn't inspect the driveshaft (not sure how I would with your typical CL boat exchange) but I did drive it quite a bit- and it gets up and goes. Does about 26 upstream which seemed pretty fast to me. I've found that I'm kinda anal about my equipment so I don't know how long I can live with the banged up boat. I really just bought this rig for the motor. Thanks for the advice- need to get some of that grease- can you get that at an auto parts store?

[Jason R.]

Before you do anything, run what you have. See what you do and dont like. 16 ft will be nice but better to learn limits with a beat up boat then upgrade once you know what you want. Jack plate may or may not get you high enough, make sure it will before you drop the coin. An aluminum weld shop can probably raise the transom cheaper, maybe. ENJOY!

Really good advice. I'll probably run this one as long as I can stand it. There's really nothing wrong with the boat besides a small leak and aesthetics.

[jtram]

Sounds like a hella river boat, im jealous always wanted to run a jet on the LRR, props take a beating down there.

[Phil Landry]

Holy smokes... a 40/30 on a 14 foot will absolutely fly upstream... you aint got no boat in the water hardly when you are up on plain. Please let me revise my advise here... and please don't take this as all negative. At 14', with that many horses behind you, and the dead drift weight with a motor that big.... you are losing all the advantages of having a jet. A 20' boat with a prop will be more effective than you can be. At that short a length, and all the weight on the butt end, the only speed you can run in lower water conditions (and no, i aint talkin about anything near dead low) is full throttle. Shallow drive is useless in this scenario. Due to traffic, waders etc... you can't run full throttle all the time.

i am not trying to rain on your parade, but you will have severe limitations and safety hazards in a rig of this sort. That is more motor than I run on a 20 and half foot fiberglass Supreme. You have a lot to consider before launching this thing:

You have to have an easy, quick, and effective bow mounted anchor system... and be smart about where and when you drop it. if you are not able to securely control the force of an anchor catching to a fixed upstream position that will not falter on the grip and angle... you are going to put yourself in the instant of terror followed by wet, cold, problems... especially in a shorter craft.

You have to have some form of drift control. Chains are unsafe and damaging to the river bed. A trolling motor limits your clearance going through shoals and is a hazard. Don't think you're just gonna use this to shoal hop and wade... thats an enormous waste of a jet outboard and then you still have to combat fish with the other waders that got there.

Aluminum and short... you won't even be able to push this boat through shoals with that much weight concentrated and the ridges, rivets etc... its gonna stick to everything.

I don't know a dang thing about suzukis... but if you want an inspection and assessment of the motor, shaft, and jet pump unit, I know the guy. He could also fix that shifter issue and possibly match you up with a used fiberglass hull.

Bottom line... be careful. I know you have fished the river and seen it. Until you have run a power boat in all kinds of different water conditions, hit every rock once, learned the channels, know what your boat can and can't do plus know what your craft can take punishment wise... you are simply rolling dice.

Again... not trying to be negative nancy, but you have a lot to consider before dropping this rig in on the Little Red. Sure, on the one constant unit running these days you shouldn't hit anything, but current magnifies implications DRASTICALLY. Be safe.

[Jason R.]

Thanks phil. I agree with you on all that. I previously had a Shawnee with a 9.9 that I ran on the LR a lot. I sort of know the river. I have planned on a bigger boat this whole time. I'd really like another fiberglass trout boat. But I got this whole rig for cheap (way less than 2k) and the motor was worth the price I think. Good point about the back end weight hampering a drift Though this two stroke is only about 150 pounds. Hopefully I can find a better boat to put this motor on. Thanks for the advice man.

[Phil Landry]

good deal man... just wanted to make sure you were not a total greenhorn and had visions of grandeur that might lead to injury or worse!

If you want an inspection done on that motor and want to pick my pahtna's brain about what he might know about a used fiberglass hulls that might be available give him a call. He is in Heber and is the only dealer in the area for "Outboard Jets" the only manufacturer of jet pumps and parts. He converts props to jets for folks and does repair work on the jets themselves, impellers, drive shafts etc etc. No matter what company makes the motor, the jets themselves are made by Outboard Jets and distributed to Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, Yamaha etc etc. He sells boats and motors, both new and used too, so he is good at knowing what a motor is worth etc.

R&R Longboats - Ebb Estes (501) 206-5765

[Jason R.]

good deal man... just wanted to make sure you were not a total greenhorn and had visions of grandeur that might lead to injury or worse!

If you want an inspection done on that motor and want to pick my pahtna's brain about what he might know about a used fiberglass hulls that might be available give him a call. He is in Heber and is the only dealer in the area for "Outboard Jets" the only manufacturer of jet pumps and parts. He converts props to jets for folks and does repair work on the jets themselves, impellers, drive shafts etc etc. No matter what company makes the motor, the jets themselves are made by Outboard Jets and distributed to Mercury, Evinrude, Johnson, Yamaha etc etc. He sells boats and motors, both new and used too, so he is good at knowing what a motor is worth etc.

R&R Longboats - Ebb Estes (501) 206-5765

Thanks man- I will call him if I need to get this motor checked out. I am a greenhorn but I am a super cautious greenhorn.