Well said, Mike.

Over on Carlyle Lake, though, it's known to be brezey and water can
chop and swell with a gust of wind.

It's beknownst that some really low profile Jet boats have gone under
there, because of "torpedoing" when the water drops right out from
under neath you and you bullet the next wave with about 4 feet of water
heading over the bow. The nose drops, the wave is high, and the boat
heads right for the bottom.

Of course, I suppose that can happen to about any craft with the same
type fo profile.



MGG wrote:
Hi Duke,

I have a Yamaha SX230 HO, and couldn't be happier with it. When I was
looking for a boat to replace my 19' I/O, a jet wasn't even in the
equation...until I saw the rear deck setup of the Yamaha. Take a good look
at it on their website. The rear deck is very cool, and very functional.
It's a fabulous family boat...big, beamy, and loads of storage, which is
what we were after. Besides that, the top end is just over 50mph (GPS), and
it accelerates like a rocket.

The downsides you read are true. It's gas hungry, but not as bad as some
would lead you to believe. We go out maybe 3 times a month, so it's really
not an issue. If you boat every day, that it could hurt the wallet.

It does handle wierd, but compared to what? It just depends on what you're
used to. I had an I/O for a few years, and whenever I drove my friends
inboard, I thought THAT thing handled wierd g. That said, I did want to
improve the slow speed handling, and found a product called Cobra Jet
Steering Fins that did the trick. They bolt on to either side of the jet
nozzles, and now the boat handles much more like an I/O (even in reverse).
It was a quick fix for less than $300. Hell, you could probably make your
own, but you'd need a plasma cutter to cut the stainless steel.

That's my 2 pennies for whatever it's worth. Good luck with your decision.

--Mike







"Duke" wrote in message
news:ifmhg.9463$3i3.523@trnddc08...
Hello all,

I am thinking of getting a boat towards the end of this year. My wife and
I have been looking at the Sea Ray, Maxum, line up in the 20 - 22 foot
range. We have also looked at the Yamaha and the SeaDoo jet boats of the
same size. The only difference I can really see between the two are the
engines. Both types pretty much offer the same amenities. On the plus
side for the jet boats I see they have more horsepower (assuming standard
engine) and weigh about half as much as a conventional boat. However,
when out on the water you don't really see that many jet boats as compared
to the thousands of conventionally powered boats.

Is this because they have just not really caught on or is there some
underlying factor that I am missing ? Are the jet engines not as reliable
as the more conventional I/O engines ? Anyway own one that would buy one
again ?

Thanks for any insight,

Duke