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Topics - firefly

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Boats For Sale / 77' Centurion, 18' 6" circle boat

« on: September 16, 2007, 03:45:44 PM »

1977, 19ft. Centurion jet boat with 1994 Hardin Marine 460 BB Ford. Pump is a Berkley JC-A with manual place diverter. The boat is an old CIRCLE BOAT racer which i hear is starting to become popular again. The hull is in good shape and still has the original gel-coat on it. However, somewhere along the line someone put automotive clear coat on it and the clear coat is flaking in some spots. It has a double axle trailer in OK shape, needs new side bunkers, not sure on the make of the trailer. Used all this season at El Cap and the river and ran like a champ, did 68.5mph(handheld GPS)on smooth water. Took it out on Labor Day and the fly-wheel broke, other then that it runs great, i just dont have the time or the space to work on it and i wana step up to something bigger. Below is a list of the stats:
HULL:
77' Centurion(circle boat)
18' 6" in length
seats 4, interior in PERFECT shape
Berkley JC-A jet with manual place diverter
Engine:
94' Hardin Marine 460 big block
Holley 650 carb
NEW edelbrock RPM Performer Manifold
Bassett "twsity" headers

If you have anymore questions please email me and i will get back to you. The boat is located at my house in La Mesa however im only there a couple of days out of the week so if you wanna come check it out please be serious and dont flake. This is a great boat to fix up a little during the winter and have screaming for next summer or maybe you wana get into circle racing?

Check it out at sale-424167572@craigslist.org. I have more pics i can send via email.

The Parker Strip / Memorial Day anyone?

« on: May 21, 2007, 10:54:08 PM »

Im headin' to the strip on Thursday morning and staying till Sat. or Sunday then heading up to Laughlin for a few. I am gonna be staying at La Paz County campgrounds, anybody else heading out to Parker and if so, where ya stayin'?

Engine Mechanical / Electrical / RPM's?

« on: April 06, 2007, 11:26:48 AM »

Just curious to see what RPM's you guys get your boat up to and what the "safe" level is. I understand that most, if not all our motors are built a little diff. i.e. diff performance parts, ford, chevy, olds.

Last weekend i got my 460 up to 4800 rpm, she was really moving but im worried that this might be a little to much and that i might be creating more damage then the fun is worth. She seemed like she wanted race around at 4000 all day long. My best guess was that at 4800 we were probably going about 60-65mph with 2 people on board and less then half fuel and no other gear in it.

My 460 is a Hardin Marine engine with Bassett twisties, Holley 750 carb, and Edelborck performer rpm manifold. As far as internal performance enhancements i have no idea, the guy i bought it from hadnt said anything to me about it. I run a Berk jc-a pump. It does have a stock ignition system in it.

Do these numbers sound right/add up to you guys?

The No Wake Zone / Cleats or no cleats?

« on: April 04, 2007, 01:59:08 PM »

I was thinking of putting small 4" cleats on my boat to tie off to the dock, hang fenders and what not. I notice though that alot of jet boats dont have cleats. Is it sacreligious to do this? I dont have a bad ass paint job so im not worried about that aspect of it. For the guys that dont have cleats, what do you guys do or how do you tie off?

I was also gonna install a bow light so i can cruise at night at the river, bad idea?

The No Wake Zone / First time out!

« on: April 01, 2007, 07:21:24 PM »

So i was able to take my jet boat out for the first time today at El Capitan. It was just like all of you said, super easy to launch/recover, easy to handle and man, what get up! Talk about instant throttle response! WHAT A BLAST! It was pretty easy to figure out the different settings for the place diverter at diff. speeds. The only thing thats gonna take some getting used to is low speed manuvering at and around the dock areas and such. The more i do it the better i'll get at it. There really wasnt much reverse, even when i gave it a little gas. I guess im just used to a little more control with outdrives/outboards, big deal...jet boating is where its at! Thanks to everybody here who responded to my posts, marcsrollin and hotrod56cars, i really appreciate all your responses and advice.

The only thing i noticed when i came back and was cleaning it was that at the rear of the engine i noticed a bit of oil spray. It kinda looks like it started where the engine hooks up to the pump and went up to the back of the air scoop. It wasnt a heavy spray but it was enough to give everything back there a very light coat of oil. Im guessing this isnt normal. I cant really tell where it would be comming from. Would it be comming from where the engine hooks up to the pump? When i had over at JP Marine Joe checked everything and didnt see anything wrong but im sure he wasnt running at the constant RPM's i was today.

Any ideas/suggestions?

I was thinking about reving over to JP Marine tommorow with the boat and have Joe take a look and get his opinion.

Engine Mechanical / Electrical / Octane rating?

« on: March 29, 2007, 08:10:45 AM »

Just curious, I have a Hardin Marine 460 BBF, on the engine identifier tag it says to use 94 or higher octane. Obviously here in California the highest pump rating is 91, what do you guys do get it up to that?

Do you put in 91 and and then put in a bottle of octane booster? or...

Go to a gas station that has racing fuel, like Trick racing gasoline? or...

Could you just use 91 and suffer a bit of performance without damaging the engine?

or something else?

One other question i had with fuel, do you guys fill up your tank when in storage to eliminate condensation and water build-up in the tanks? We used to do this with our helicopters in the military. I ask this cause when i had it checked out and tuned up, the mechanic pulled a little bit of water out of the tanks, he said this was probably from condensation.

Engine Mechanical / Electrical / Temp. gauge reading?

« on: March 22, 2007, 10:25:45 AM »

I just got my boat back from the shop the other day and i was running it at work here to see how it ran. I had the water hose hooked up so it had the cooling going on. My question is, when i started it it cranked right up and the temp gauge came up to about 100 after a mintue. It took another 2 minutes for it to go to 140. However, right after that it climbed rapidly up to the limit on the gauge of 240 in about a minute. Its a 460 with basset twisty headers. JP Marine tuned it up and readjusted the carb, when i picked it up Joe at JP Marine said she was running good.

Is this the normal operating temp? or is it climbing that fast because the jet is not taking in serious amounts of water like it would on a lake?

What temps do you guys run at?

One more question, when i had it running at idle at work i noticed when i looked into the nozzle of the jet that the impeller was not spinning. It was my impression that it would still turn even with the engine at idle. Or is it that it needs to be sucking in water for it to be spinning.

Sorry for all the rookie questions, im just trying to get the best understanding of how things work but i know the best learning platform is taking it out to the lake and actually doing it.

The No Wake Zone / Jet Boat ops. 101?

« on: March 20, 2007, 03:09:31 PM »

I just got my boat back from Joe at JP Marine in Lakeside, looks like they did a great job. They finished it ahead of time and did a couple of "extras' i wasnt expecting like cleaning the bilge area and such. Thanks marcsrollin and hotrod56cars for recomending them!

Ok, so, im gonna be taking my jet boat out for the first time. I have only dealt with outboards before so this is my first time dealing with lots-o-engine and jets and the way they work. Now, i do understand the "way" they work but i have never actually done "it" before. So i guess what im looking for is the basic specifics to jet boats(its a 19' centurion flat bottom).

Is there anything i should do differently when launching/recovering the boat? i.e. when to start in the water, idiling? Its my understanding that there is no such thing as neutral?

When i do get going where do i set the place deverter at? I have a 460 w/ berkley jc pump. Is there a spot i should have it when at slow speed? cruising? balls to the wall?

Any info, tips, do's and dont's would be greatly appreciated. Im hoping to take it out to either San Vincente or El Capitan this weekend to get the feel of everything before i run out to the river.

Help me out fellas!

Engine Mechanical / Electrical / San Diego area jet boat shops?

« on: March 10, 2007, 08:02:34 PM »

I was wondering if anybody knew of any good jet boat mechanic shops in the San Diego area. I live in the East County area. The boat is a 19' Sanger flat bottom with a 460 BBF and a Berkley jc drive. Personal experiences and references, good or bad, would be much appreciated. Thanks everybody!

Gelcoat / Paint / Fireberglass Repair / Boat Cover for my Sanger?

« on: March 10, 2007, 07:57:57 PM »

Hello to all,

This is my first post on here but i have been checking out the site for the past couple of months in anticipation of buying a jet boat for this summer as a present to myself for getting passed my rookie year as a firefighter. Well, i have! I bought a 78' Sanger flat bottom with a 460 BBF and a berkley jc drive. While this is the third boat i have owned this is my first jet boat, i guess i got jealous of all you guys at the river shootin' those huge tails and watching your cheeks flap in the wind from going so fast.

My first and main question is: I would like to get a cover for it, one that will fit snugly and hopefully be able to tow with it. Its an 18'6", with bassett "twisty" headers sticking out the back like a pair of howitzers ready to rumble. I dont have gobs of money to spend on a custom cover so i was just wondering if anybody else uses anything different, like a standard boat cover for v-hulls that you would buy at your local boat store. Also, if anybody has an extra cover or knows of someone who does that would be willing to part with it please let me know. Im located in San Diego but of course would be willing to pay any shipping costs.

One more question: Does anybody know of any good jet boat mechanic shops in the San Diego area? Im in the East County. I have found a few but would love to hear some personal references or experiences.

Sorry this is so long but im VERY sure you will be hearing from me more on tech and other questions as i seek the advice of you guys who have been doing this for awhile. Thanks again everybody!

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