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Jet boats. Any opinions or experience?
On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 13:13:05 GMT, wrote:
Due to my requirements of shallow draft, light weight and relatively
plush interior, I find myself looking into jet boats as a likely
purchase. My questions are as follows:
Does "jet boat" mean "jet drive" and what exactly does jet drive mean?
No - it's basically a high speed water pump, in one end, out with a
great deal of force at the other. Harry mentioned a turbine and while
it's not exactly a turbine, the idea of taking a large mass of medium,
in this case water, and moving same through a small exit opening with
great force is similar. Remember the old trick of putting your thumb
over end of a hose to make the water exit with some force? Same
concept only mechanical.
Is a jet drive fairly straightforward in maintainability? Can marine
mechanics in a podunk Florida fishing village work on these?
Well, that's kind of problematic. I hang out occasionally at a dealer
who services just about anything and they will not work on jets -
period, end of discussion. The reason is that parts can be a problem,
there aren't a lot of them in the area, motorcycle/snowmobile shops
can and do take care of them, etc.
Your best bet is not a marina, but a motocycle shop believe it or not.
At least up here that is.
Living on a large sound in the Gulf, just how much wave action can
this boat take before it becomes unsafe?
Any sea condition that you feel is unsafe, is unsafe - that only come
from experience. With experience, you will be able to gage what is
safe and what isn't safe for you.
As a guess, I would think that anything over a foot or so is going to
be iffy for you, but that kind of depends on the style of boat, how
much deadrise, etc. Whole bunch of factors.
Good luck - have fun.
Later,
Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
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"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."
Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653
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