Hi, all:

I'm new to the forum, but I grew up with a boat in the family (a big, fat Glasspar tri-hull) and have been a long-time hot rodder and fan of hot rod boats. At 43, I'm seriously thinking about picking up my first jet boat for water skiing on the river and a couple local lakes, so I'm interested in hearing any and all opinions on various makes and models of boats out there. A buddy of mine had a Kona Makai for a lot of years, and he loved it. I've also heard good things about Coles and Sangers, but I honestly don't know which brands/models are worth considering over others. That said, I'll just throw out some dumb questions and hope that I get a few responses:

1) Are there any brands/hulls or hull types that I should AVOID? Are there certain ones that are widely regarded among the community as poorly constructed and thus not worth dumping money on? I've heard mention that a "full stringer" boat is better, and while I know what a stringer is, I don't know why a full stringer bottom would or wouldn't be better other than stiffness, durability?

2) Are there any jet pumps out there that I should avoid, due to reliability, lack of parts or other issues?

3) Ditto for motors? I see a lot of boats with 460 Ford and 455 Olds power as well as BB Chevy power, but not a lot of Mopar-powered boats.

4) Is there anything that I should really pay attention to that I'm not mentioning here?

I appreciate any opinions that anyone would care to offer. Like I said, I'm just trying to get a quick education here before I actually start going to look at some of the boats I've been spotting on craigslist and elsewhere. I guess I'm looking for a guru!

Cheers,

SR

 

Thanks for the response. Surprised to hear your thoughts about Olds power seeing as how there seems to be a lot Olds boats out there. I would think a 455 would be pretty decent if you weren't trying to spin it past 5 grand.

Anyone have any thoughts on Challenger and/or Bahner hulls? I'm seeing quite a few of them available.

No doubts, as I'm here to learn what I can. I have no problem steering clear of Olds engines. If I find a hull that needs an engine I'd consider a big block Mopar first, because I have a garage full of 'em, both B and RB.

Great info regarding the steel or aluminum tanks. I didn't even know about fiberglass tanks being used in these boats, but I can see where that'd be sketchy. In my old flat track racing days we used to have to be caredul of what brands and types of fuel we ran because some of the additives could delaminate the fiberglass tanks. At best, you'd end up with clogged fuel filters. At worst, a two-wheeled barbeque!

Berkeley is the better of the pumps you named. One of the biggest reasons is the availability of parts from mild to wild. I'm on my 3rd project. The thing I've learned from it is figure out what you want and hold out for it. The right boat/deal will come along. I lucked into a deal on a tunnel v hull and i'll never go back to regular v hull again. The ride and handling are worth the wait and cost. In my research, I've found that it's cheaper to go fast with BBF vs. BBC. You can build a 547ci Ford that'll make 600hp on pump gas for about $6000. You can't even build a 540 Chevy short block for that. I was and still am a Chevy man but I accept the facts. My boats will be Ford powered.
Just my humble opinion.

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I lucked into a deal on a tunnel v hull and i'll never go back to regular v hull again.

stc, what brand and model hull is it? I'm curious to know about various brands because I really don't know squat about any of them. From what I've gathered so far, there don't seem to be too many brands that are widely regarded as not worth owning

Motorhead68

The Baker is similar to Placecraft Tunnel. Here is a pic of it when I bought it. Very dirty and oxidized. I'm working on the oxidation issues lol.

Nice looking boat. So does anyone care to enlighten me as to the differences that make a Jacuzzi WJ more desirable than a YJ, and what's wrong with a Panther jet?

The YJ and panther are axial flow jets. They are good for getting big boats out of the water because they move large volumes of water. They also do not respond well to added horsepower. Can't add a place Diverter or really any aftermarket parts to these.

The WJ and berk's are mixed flow jets. They move less water but create a lot of pressure. Hence why they are the performance jets. You can add place diverters and a variety of aftermarket parts to these berk's. Really only a place Diverter to the wj though. They do make adapters to bolt berk aftermarket parts to the bowl of the jacuzzi wj. Droops, wedges, diverters, etc...

I'm gonna let my fly down and admit just how uneducated I am about these things. I've heard the terms "place diverter," "droop snoot" and "wedge" when jets are talked about, but I really don't know what the H any of them do.

Feel free to ask me anything about motorcycles, though!

No shame in not knowing. How do you think I learned?? By doing what your doing. Asking questions and reading threads. Lots and lots of threads. And Getting out and working on and looking at the parts in question.

So basically the "place diverter" is trim for a jet boat. Used to adjust the attitude of the boat in the water. Point it down and the front of the boat will come down into the water making the boat ride more wet (more drag in the water) thus slowing it down. Point it up and you get that bitchin rooster tail and the the front of the boat will lift and ride less wet (less drag in the water) and you will go faster. Every boat has its own sweet spot with the position of the diverter that makes it the fastest where it's not too far down and not too far up. That you have to figure out on your own.

Droop snoots are basically devices that go in between your bowl and nozzle and lower the postion of your nozzle so that it is lower in the water to provide your boat with more lift. Could be wrong on this one so don't quote me. Like I said I have a wj and they don't make droops for those.

And wedges are simply that, wedges that go in between your bowl and nozzle. They can be installed so that the nozzle points up or so that the nozzle points down. Again either way will affect how wet or less wet your boat rides. Resulting in more or less speed. Or just to give that much bigger of a rooster tail from your place diverter.

Hope I answered some of your questions.

Feel free to ask me anything about motorcycles, though!

What's your favorite motorcycles... let's say pre '70 and post '70 

I think I enjoy the classic bikes more, but it's hard to compare the quality and dependability to the newer stuff.

I used to ride an '04 Kawasaki Z1000 but decided to go play in the desert for a while and traded it in on a new quad for the wife.  I'm currently riding a WR450 when I get a chance to get it out.  I've got a couple old Kawasaki A7 twins rat holed in the corners that I need to get back to work on, but between work, the boat and this damn site, I just can't find the time. 

Every couple years a friend of mine has a grand reopening of his museum that I think you would get a kick out of.  Mostly old desert bikes with a mixture of everything cool thrown in for fun 

There are some pics here >>>     http://midsonianmcmuseum.com/index.htm

I rode a wr450 once back to camp when my quad had to go on the trailer.. very similar to wzf450, but the gears seemed closer together.  Different riding a two wheeler in the dunes, found it more comfortable to go straight and bonze through witch's tits than to carve dunes.

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Okay, so I've learned to avoid Olds power and try to stay away from axial flow pumps. But there have to be some manufacturers/brands who've made consistently good and/or durable boats, assuming that they've been maintained properly by their owners, of course. It seems like there are a hundred brands out there, but there to be some decent starting points, otherwise you're just falling in love with fancy gelcoat or a custom paint job, right?

Honestly there are a lot of respectable boat manufacturers out there to choose from. But the greatest boat in the world could be a pile if the previous owner hasn't taken care of it. Like crewchief said check the floor if it has one for rot or water retention. And check stringers for and rot or delamination of the fiberglass from the wood. Condition of all cables. The list goes on and on of things to check.

But some names to start with....in no order
Hallett
Sanger
Eliminator
Hondo
Southwind
Rogers

What type of boat are you looking for and what are you looking to do with it? Speed, family oriented, daycruiser style, or more of a lower freeboard type low pro boat?

You would probably like a 20' Spectra or a 21' Eliminator.