My first time in Blythe was the resent event there. I am told Fridays can be low. I was there Saturday and water was high nearly everywhere. Heading up River just past the 10 bridge is an island right in the middle of the river. I recommend staying left of that island until you get a good look at a couple of obstacles prevalent on the right. Just past the island the river heads around a bend to the left, and I noticed and followed other boats that stayed very much on the right side of that turn going either up river, or duplicating that wide turn coming down, now way left. I suspect during low river conditions the inside of that turn is shallow. After that turn it seemed to have deep water in the middle. I didn’t go far up river. Another member told me down river was deep, so I primarily went down from the Cove. Staying in the middle and watching / reading the river for ‘dark water’ is how I did it all the way and even past McIntires.   The river is very pretty and seemed like WAY fewer boats and skis then say Bullhead / Laughlin. Making for good smooth water. Give Google Maps in satellite view a look to see the river pretty good. Hope that helps.


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Thanks for the info on the water.
Just curious, can anyone launch from the Cove even if not staying there with a launch fee or day use fee? I tried calling but there was no answer. Thanks!


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In my experience with dual tanks, and because the fuel is sucked up a tube instead of gravity draining out the bottom, a simple tee connecting them both will NOT drain each equally. Due to any slight variation, fuel from the tee will drain from the tank of least resistance pulling some from the second tank, but not evenly. With these same tanks in my boat one would drain completely, start sucking air, while the other tank was 3/4 full. Without the ability to at least manually shut the tanks off to force one or the other, a simple tee setup didn’t work for me. While there is a truck style electric tank switch in the automotive world that is VERY tempting to use to electrically switch tanks, it has some issues too. One, the fuel feeds of that unit are really not big enough for good fuel delivery, meaning you could starve the engine at wide open throttle, and more importantly it is not ‘marine’ rated.   On a boat, especially carburetored boats, the fuel system is super important and should be primarily focused on safety for you and your passengers when you design it, just like any current boat builder selling you a new boat would. This really leaves making an investment in the Imco Fuel switching valve. Electrically operated via a switch installed up near the driver, and with fuel flow capacity greater then what almost any Jetboat needs, plus marine rated, that one you overcome the price barrier, you will not regret your decision.  This fuel switch also works best when a fuel sender is installed on each tank, because it has the ability to read the tank selected letting you know on the river what’s what with fuel levels before you get caught. I had it done by the experts at Place Diverter, and I enjoy it each time I go out. Google Place Diverter, talk to Tim and schedule it up. You won’t regret the safety and results.


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I did Lake Powell last year out of the bull frog marina. Two things about the lake.... The lake is at elevation....so on the first day I thought something was wrong with my boat because it seemed way down on power. It was my first trip so I was concerned about getting lost, and being able to navigate the long distance from bull frog to rainbow bridge. (The must see of the lake) so I paid $10 for an iPhone app that allowed me to use the app to constantly monitor where I was on the lake to my exact location. It used the GPS function of the phone with a google map overlay and a "red dot" that tracked my every move on the lake. Does NOT use cell phone to work, no cell signal was needed. Loaded with mapped destinations of things to see on the lake and their exact location made it the best $10.00 I ever spent. There are no lake trail markers to guide you to these sites so I kept the app opened connected to my sig lighter at all times all day. Really useful, as I also used it to find gas on the lake. The best part.....they just updated the app, and now it is FREE. Also, lake is really down so escalante is pretty short, a far cry from when my Dad explored it in
the 70's. The lake uses bouys to mark the deep parts of the lake, which doesn't always mean "the center". Powell is different at the bull frog end because it acts more like a really wide river. I did not experience any large waves even with houseboats running around. Elevation can cause it to get cool in the evening so bring jackets. I went in July and we did get a storm come through at the end of daylight coming back to marina. I think Bull Frog is under construction this year due to low lake level. Get out to every cut in to explore..... Super cool to see shear cliffs over your head. Bring GoPro if you have it. Lots of good opportunity to use. Get out early as there is lots to explore. Have a great time!



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Another pic

Lookin at those PICs, the "bottom of the boat" PIC looks a lot like mine.

I figure it's too much time on the beach, not enough time on the water!

And when on the trailer, it kind of bothers me that so much daylight comes through the bottom when peering into the ski locker, if you know what I mean....

Who fixes that kind of trouble in the San Fernando Valley?

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind when driving a jet boat that I learned:

I found that idle RPM and full forward on the control arm, do not produce a speed SLOW enough for docking encounters. For slow speed maneuvering near the dock, use the forward / reverse control lever between neutral and 3/4 forward, to control forward speed enabling the boat to just inch forward, occasionally into reverse, so the boat goes slower then idle full forward.

Steering in close proximity to other boats and the dock require some understanding of jet dynamics, in that the jet pushes the rear of the boat around to steer. Much like a forklift with the steering wheels in the back. Very unlike a car which steers with the front wheels. The difference is dramatic when you consider that when turning a car the rear wheels follow a track circle TIGHTER then the front wheels, while the Jet boat, has the track circle LARGER in the rear when turning.

When snuggling up to the dock in parallel you should practice how your boat reacts when you want the rear or the front to snuggle in.
When in full reverse and with the wheel turned all the way to the left, you suck the back in left, but the nose goes way right, but if you then push the direction control lever full forward, the nose goes left, but the rear goes way right. Can be very weird the first time doing it, and I found that practice without a river current helps; like on Lake Mohave at the floating potty. It makes a good practice site to figure this dynamic before pulling up to the fuel pump at AVI, or the loading dock at the end of the day. Then add current like at the dock just outside of the launch area at AVI, and the thrills really begin!.  I was amazed at how hard I grip the forward / reverse control arm, just to get the boat to do what I want, because of all the tension you feel in trying NOT to damage the boat when approaching.

When pulling anybody with a rope in the water, be super mindful of what the rope is doing especially during slow speeds. Generally, it's a bad idea to leave the helm with the engine idling even for a few seconds to help someone at the back of the boat, because it is so easy to suck the rope. Keep a serrated knife on board, because a razor blade takes forever, and may NOT cut the rope wound around the shaft, but the knife will. The area in the pump you have to maneuver around in, to cut the rope is tight at best near impossible at worse, an I found that the broken handle steak knife works pretty good. I got one from the 99c store in Laughlin, so nothing fancy. I broke the handle to make it shorter and give more "sawing" room.  (Been there) 

If you suck the rope, know that although there is an inspection hole, if you take that cover off while floating, in an effort to cut the rope, you won't be floating for very long.    Water pours through there REALLY fast, so even beached, you would want the pump side inland.

Hard throttle in shallow water to get the boat going from a stand still, is a No, No, because the boat is forced down in the back, putting the intake close to the bottom, allowing foreign objects to damage the pump as they are sucked up from the bottom. Rocks and sand do damage, Reeds act like ROPE, and floating plant stuff clogs the intake grate. If the boat seems fine, but you give it full throttle and it seems to do nothing for your forward motion, try stopping the engine and dropping your self into the water at the back. Take a deep breath and drop below the water pulling yourself toward the intake grate of the pump. You will probably find a huge pile of plant debris that you can clear away from the grate. This has happened to me several times, and this does the trick.

Although the Jet is a simple mechanical pump, it sure seems like it is easily damage by ingesting anything but water. Forget rocks, even sandy water can be a huge problem, and although I thought I was being careful, I have had to rebuild the pump 3 times in 5 years because of fun on the river. Now, I am on Mojave for fun.

Anyway, boating is a lot of fun and a great family adventure that creates good memories.
As long as you are mindful of these things, good times are bound to happen in a Jet Boat.