I think there is such a thing as sufficient power though- which might not be the maximum for which the hull is rated. All depends on what you expect out of your boat. My Tracker was rated for 90 or 95 but got by fine with its 50 for my purposes. It planed quickly and hit around 30 or a little better wide open. Throttle back and cruise at 26 or so. Most of my fishing was done where I didn't need to make long runs.
Got the Speedster. The price was fantastic. It is about 90% as good as was my best hope - so lots of compounding and buffing. Lots of little broke stuff (latches, tabs, this and that.) There is a biggie, however.
After we made the deal, but hadn't brought it too me, he made a video of him starting and revving it up to show it runs good. Seems to run great - and he did about $700 to $1000 in damage doing it - if I have a shop take care of it. Most boat motors much not be run out of the water with water muffs (runs water out of a hose thru the motor. He didn't do that, but it wouldn't matter if he did. The pump itself is what cools the seal for the drive shaft into the pump. With no water, it is rubber running against metal (a metal pressure ring). The seal will fry within seconds. Minimally it will cause the impeller to cavitate badly by sucking in air. Worst case? Boat/PWC takes on so much water it floods the boat.
I'll have a dealer go thru the entire jet drive, and while doing so replace all components that wear, plus will have them go ahead and replace the motor mounts and make sure he aligned the motor exactly when he put it back in. That also will take out that seal. I figure all in all about $1K. But then it's good for at least 150 hours. These are not long life setups due to motors and jet drives meant for maximum horsepower at minimal weight. A 3 cylinder 1.5 3 stroke turning 8600 RPMs - possibly continuous - isn't a 1,000 hour usage set up. Since rarely will we push it hard, should get at least 200 hours out of the pump and 500+ hours out of the motor if he did it correctly.
Anyway, have ordered an OEM new bimini (most opt not to have one), all new OEM seat covers and vinyl, a fitted cover, replacement steering wheel, hatch locks, and some other odds and ends. I'll also probably de-badge it - removing all the decals all over it. All in all - 4 weeks with half of that just sitting in a shop.
Will post a picture after the license numbers are off it.
im lookin for a ship of at least a hundred feet in length, a couple of diesel engines. if you have any to give away. harrrWe live up an estuary/canal leading to the Gulf of Mexico, with rivers everywhere around here. I have a lot of boats and have had a lot more. I've probably given away at least 10 - all running - for free to get rid of them over the last few years - ranging from 4 personal watercraft (jet bike/boats), two 40+ foot twin diesel cabin cruisers (one a fishing style hull), a 32 foot twin 454 big block Sea Ray speedster, a 32 foot twin 6 cylinder inboards cruiser, a 9 foot little boat with a 5 hp outboard on a trailer with center steering station, and a picklefork trimaran drag boat hull (that I can think of off the top of my head.) All but the 2 big cruisers included the trailer.
I still have a 52 twin turbo cat 1980s diesel Cigarette, my Bass Tracker and am restoring a 1960s 12 foot "Ski Bird" 2 seat little race boat (turning out to be it far worse condition so it is a total strip down to the bare hull, removing half a century of multiple different color paint, and repairing all the hull and floor damage. If any of you are into boating I'll put up pics thru the restoration. I had forgotten I had bought it along the road for a few hundred dollars on the trailer with an old Evinrude and then just parked it in the weeds (becoming invisibly overgrown.) I like how it looks and thought it would be an easy quick clean up - not a total strip down to a completely empty bare hull with virtually nothing reusable.
Surprisingly, the motor runs perfect - though looks like hell. Most people would have considered this a scrape/junk hull. But it is quite unique and rare. When done, it will weigh a total of under 500 pounds running a 2 cylinder 2 stroke 60 hp outboard, which will give it a terrifying top speed of around 60 mph. In a 40 footer on smooth water that isn't that extreme. In a 12 foot 500 pound boat with you inches off the water it is. I figure it a 2 month project - if lucky.
My best boat has been the cheapest. My 17 foot bass tracker. I stripped it totally about 4 years ago. Put in an aluminum floor, a new 30 hp outboard, rewired it all, new seats and buffed out the hull to a mirror finish (that lasted about 3 months). That boat always gets me home - and I've been trapped with a boat full of people many miles offshore out in the Gulf in water so rough there were no other boats out - even the big 30+ footers had headed in. But we were on an island way, way out there and didn't notice the wind really kicking up.
Quite an exciting challenge struggling against the wind and tide with 4 foot white caps coming in at a 45 degree angle - in a boat that has less than 2 feet freeboard in the front - and less than a foot in the rear. No problem. I actually enjoyed the challenge, but I was driving and the others seemed a mix between being miserable and terrified. LOL
Probably going to add a 4th boat for personal boats. Probably have a couple more boats laying around somewhere.
So... are any of you boaters?
An update.
Just sold my 26' Islander to a young couple here in Virginia Beach......for a loss again like my last Islander, I got tired of the slip fees every month, and I'm getting too old to be climbing all over the boat in 3-4 foot seas.
Been looking at one of these lately for a retirement present in 11 months:
View attachment 67269803
An update.
Just sold my 26' Islander to a young couple here in Virginia Beach......for a loss again like my last Islander, I got tired of the slip fees every month, and I'm getting too old to be climbing all over the boat in 3-4 foot seas.
Been looking at one of these lately for a retirement present in 11 months:
View attachment 67269803
im lookin for a ship of at least a hundred feet in length, a couple of diesel engines. if you have any to give away. harrr
The largest I gave away was a twin diesel 45 footer. Old GM 2 stroke diesels. Last forever. The fastest was a 32 foot Sea Ray Pachanga with twin 454 inboard/outboards. It'd run about 55 to 60 mph, depending how it was loaded.
The bigger the boat the more fuel they take. LOTS and LOTS of fuel. A boat with twin 300s is lucky if it is getting 2 mpg running WOT. Big boats eat money and time working on them MUCH faster than little boats - a lot.
I still get out on my 13' Ocean Kayak Prowler when the Puppy Drum are in the grass beds at the inlet. Late summer I'll use it to go after salt water Speckles.
View attachment 67268238
Myself, I would never buy a used jet boat. Like I talked about earlier, the very nature of them tempts their owners to run the crap out of them. Add to that in rough water the intake can such air and the engine over revs every time that happens and you're talking something that often has a short life.
Rotax is ok. But there are a lot of newer engines in very lightweight class that have eclipsed them in power now days. For an application like you describe, a Honda 1800cc V-6 would be a great light weight power maker
I am a big Pearson nut. Currently I have no floating money pits in ownership. But I would probably jump all over a good Countess Ketch or ahh...another 530.
I've been salivating over the Friendship 40. One of these days, I'm gonna have to take the plunge.
All that is accurate. But I'm replacing basically everything anyway with a particularly stout custom build engine. But you are correct. The also consume far more fuel and can easily get jammed up sucking up crap and have a limited top speed. There is almost no steering a slow speeds for lack of a rudder.
People tend to run them and jet skis WOT continuously, the motors are short life etc. All newer ones come with rpm limiters however.
What they can't do is chop up manatees or people in the water.
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