I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.

I really like the new Yamaha SR230 jet boat but I am not sure whether that
would be a good choice for the bay waters. Is a jet boat still an option in
rougher waters like that of the Chesapeake bay and will it be a decent
performer in the salt water? This seems to be such a great boat with nice
seating and a decent size.

Any advice or things to think about?

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.

I really like the new Yamaha SR230 jet boat but I am not sure whether that
would be a good choice for the bay waters. Is a jet boat still an option in
rougher waters like that of the Chesapeake bay and will it be a decent
performer in the salt water? This seems to be such a great boat with nice
seating and a decent size.

Any advice or things to think about?

A little more info would be nice. The difference between Annapolis and
Havre de Grace or the C&D canal (all in MD) is astounding. If you're
near the Solomons, the rules are entirely different than all the above.

In other words, WHERE in MD?

Yes, we're sailboaters, but we raft up with a bunch of powerboats many
weekends.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

Havre de Grace

Thanks,
Scott

"Jere Lull" wrote in message
...
whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.

I really like the new Yamaha SR230 jet boat but I am not sure whether
that
would be a good choice for the bay waters. Is a jet boat still an option
in
rougher waters like that of the Chesapeake bay and will it be a decent
performer in the salt water? This seems to be such a great boat with
nice
seating and a decent size.

Any advice or things to think about?

A little more info would be nice. The difference between Annapolis and
Havre de Grace or the C&D canal (all in MD) is astounding. If you're
near the Solomons, the rules are entirely different than all the above.

In other words, WHERE in MD?

Yes, we're sailboaters, but we raft up with a bunch of powerboats many
weekends.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

"Jere Lull" wrote in message
. ..


whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.

I really like the new Yamaha SR230 jet boat but I am not sure whether


that


would be a good choice for the bay waters. Is a jet boat still an option


in


rougher waters like that of the Chesapeake bay and will it be a decent
performer in the salt water? This seems to be such a great boat with


nice


seating and a decent size.

Any advice or things to think about?



A little more info would be nice. The difference between Annapolis and
Havre de Grace or the C&D canal (all in MD) is astounding. If you're
near the Solomons, the rules are entirely different than all the above.

In other words, WHERE in MD?


Whitespc wrote:


Havre de Grace

Thanks,
Scott


In that case, a jet boat should be just fine if it's otherwise okay for
your needs. The Flats rarely get really rough because so much of the
area is only a foot or two deep. In a pinch, you can run to the nearest
island or shore to park it while a squall line comes through.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.
....snip...
Havre de Grace

A coupla comments, just FYI.

Good points of jetboats are that they are shallow draft and pretty
dependable. OTOH, they get bad gas mileage. They are easily yanked
around by skiers boarders, tubes, etc. They're not very roomy.

Our family of four decided that an open bow tournament skiboat was the
best decision for us in circumstances similar to yours. You can buy a
decent used skiboat for the price of a new jetboat. They ain't real
good in rough water; but you probably ain't out doing family
watersports when things are rough.

My $.02,

Frank

On 22 Jul 2003 23:18:24 -0700, (Frank and Ronnie
Maier) wrote (with possible editing):

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.
...snip...
Havre de Grace

A coupla comments, just FYI.

Good points of jetboats are that they are shallow draft and pretty
dependable. OTOH, they get bad gas mileage. They are easily yanked
around by skiers boarders, tubes, etc. They're not very roomy.

Our family of four decided that an open bow tournament skiboat was the
best decision for us in circumstances similar to yours. You can buy a
decent used skiboat for the price of a new jetboat. They ain't real
good in rough water; but you probably ain't out doing family
watersports when things are rough.

My $.02,

Frank

FWLIW, I went through the same exercise and ended up with an 18.5'
SeaDoo by Bombardier. It is also an open bow boat, quite broad in
beam, with a hull which seems to be perhaps a bit better optimized for
a jet boat. Our first day out on a lake we ended up coming back to
dock into relatively heavy water, 4' waves with wind-driven rain. It
handled remarkably well. The power plant is a 200 hp 2 cycle Merc,
not what I would have picked, but the 40 gallon gas and 2 gallon oil
tanks give us plenty of range.

--
Larry

L.M. , where do you boat? You mentioned a lake......

I am interested in hearing how a jet boat would do in the salt water and in
the bay or heavier waters... any ideas? Any other negatives or positives
you can tell me about the jet boat option versus the standard cuddy or
bow-rider?
"L. M. Rappaport" wrote in message
...
On 22 Jul 2003 23:18:24 -0700, (Frank and Ronnie
Maier) wrote (with possible editing):

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used
for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and
day
trips.
...snip...
Havre de Grace

A coupla comments, just FYI.

Good points of jetboats are that they are shallow draft and pretty
dependable. OTOH, they get bad gas mileage. They are easily yanked
around by skiers boarders, tubes, etc. They're not very roomy.

Our family of four decided that an open bow tournament skiboat was the
best decision for us in circumstances similar to yours. You can buy a
decent used skiboat for the price of a new jetboat. They ain't real
good in rough water; but you probably ain't out doing family
watersports when things are rough.

My $.02,

Frank

FWLIW, I went through the same exercise and ended up with an 18.5'
SeaDoo by Bombardier. It is also an open bow boat, quite broad in
beam, with a hull which seems to be perhaps a bit better optimized for
a jet boat. Our first day out on a lake we ended up coming back to
dock into relatively heavy water, 4' waves with wind-driven rain. It
handled remarkably well. The power plant is a 200 hp 2 cycle Merc,
not what I would have picked, but the 40 gallon gas and 2 gallon oil
tanks give us plenty of range.

--
Larry

"L. M. Rappaport" wrote:

On 22 Jul 2003 23:18:24 -0700, (Frank and Ronnie
Maier) wrote (with possible editing):

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and day
trips.
...snip...
Havre de Grace

A coupla comments, just FYI.

Good points of jetboats are that they are shallow draft and pretty
dependable. OTOH, they get bad gas mileage. They are easily yanked
around by skiers boarders, tubes, etc. They're not very roomy.

Our family of four decided that an open bow tournament skiboat was the
best decision for us in circumstances similar to yours. You can buy a
decent used skiboat for the price of a new jetboat. They ain't real
good in rough water; but you probably ain't out doing family
watersports when things are rough.

My $.02,

Frank

FWLIW, I went through the same exercise and ended up with an 18.5'
SeaDoo by Bombardier. It is also an open bow boat, quite broad in
beam, with a hull which seems to be perhaps a bit better optimized for
a jet boat. Our first day out on a lake we ended up coming back to
dock into relatively heavy water, 4' waves with wind-driven rain. It
handled remarkably well. The power plant is a 200 hp 2 cycle Merc,
not what I would have picked, but the 40 gallon gas and 2 gallon oil
tanks give us plenty of range.

--
Larry


I thought two cycle engines are 'out' cos of the high pollution?
Even my lawn mower is 4 cycle!

On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 11:02:47 -0400, "whitespc1"
wrote (with possible editing):

L.M. , where do you boat? You mentioned a lake......

I am in Colebrook, New Hampshire, on the border with Vermont, and just
10 miles south of the Canadian Border. We have a lot of lakes up
here. So far we have tried Lake Francis, First Connecticut Lake, Lake
Umbagog (also partly in Maine), Maidstone Lake (in Vermont). If it
would just stop RAINING, we will be going to Lake Memphramagog (partly
in Vermont, mostly in Canada), and several more large lakes in Maine.

I am interested in hearing how a jet boat would do in the salt water and in
the bay or heavier waters... any ideas? Any other negatives or positives
you can tell me about the jet boat option versus the standard cuddy or
bow-rider?

I can't tell you anything substantive (yet) about a jet boat in
sal****er - although we are planning to take a trip with it to Bar
Harbor in late summer.

I prefer the hull design of the Sea Doo over the standard bow rider.
Up here the standard bow rider seems to mean Bayliner, Crestliner and
some Glasstron. The Sea Doo seems to do much better in rough water,
although freshwater "rough" is a FAR cry from sal****er.

A jet boat has no transmission - it is an engine connected to a pump.
It turns by directing the jet out of a steerable port. To reverse, a
semi-circular half-pipe like affair is lowered over the pipe.
"Neutral" consists of the pipe half-lowered, so part of the stream is
directed forward, and half back.

The boat handles very differently at low speeds. In this regard, it
is very much like the old inboards - sluggish. To help, Bombardier
has added an interesting featu when you are moving slowly and turn
the helm to an extreme, the motor is temporarily sped up to help
"kick" the boat around. On plane, the boat handles much like other
craft, except that it can turn extremely sharp.

I picked a jet boat as the lakes up here tend to have a lot of
submerged rocks. Lower units tend to cost $1000 to replace. I picked
motor vs. sail as I've spent far too much time becalmed at the far end
of a lake.

This is my first jet boat, and I've had it only a few weeks. Prior to
this and over many years, I've had two small outboards, an 18' Century
Coronado (inboard) back in the early 60's, a 26' Chris Craft, a 38'
twin screw Hubert Johnson (incredible boat), plus several sailboats,
from a Sunfish, Dexter Dart, up to an older 36' or 38' Morgan (I
think). I grew up on Long Island, and have sailed quite a bit in and
around Bermuda. I am definitely not an expert, I just love boating.

--
Larry

The Yamaha SR230 that I am considering is a 4 stroke:

Environmentally-minded Innovations
By employing proven technologies, Yamaha delivers significant reductions in
emissions output and noise levels without compromising performance and
reliability. These technologies include:


a.. Yamaha MR-1 Four-Stroke Engine - Yamaha's first sport boat four-stroke
engine is one of the cleanest, quietest, most fuel-efficient engines ever
introduced.

b.. Yamaha Sound Suppression System - This system of integrated noise
reduction components targets the three common types of noise: 1.) intake
noise, 2.) exhaust noise and 3.) noise from vibration.

"Terry" wrote in message
...
"L. M. Rappaport" wrote:

On 22 Jul 2003 23:18:24 -0700, (Frank and Ronnie
Maier) wrote (with possible editing):

whitespc1 wrote:

I am interested in a powerboat for the family. This will be used
for
running around the Chesapeake bay in Maryland, skiing, tubing, and
day
trips.
...snip...
Havre de Grace

A coupla comments, just FYI.

Good points of jetboats are that they are shallow draft and pretty
dependable. OTOH, they get bad gas mileage. They are easily yanked
around by skiers boarders, tubes, etc. They're not very roomy.

Our family of four decided that an open bow tournament skiboat was the
best decision for us in circumstances similar to yours. You can buy a
decent used skiboat for the price of a new jetboat. They ain't real
good in rough water; but you probably ain't out doing family
watersports when things are rough.

My $.02,

Frank

FWLIW, I went through the same exercise and ended up with an 18.5'
SeaDoo by Bombardier. It is also an open bow boat, quite broad in
beam, with a hull which seems to be perhaps a bit better optimized for
a jet boat. Our first day out on a lake we ended up coming back to
dock into relatively heavy water, 4' waves with wind-driven rain. It
handled remarkably well. The power plant is a 200 hp 2 cycle Merc,
not what I would have picked, but the 40 gallon gas and 2 gallon oil
tanks give us plenty of range.

--
Larry


I thought two cycle engines are 'out' cos of the high pollution?
Even my lawn mower is 4 cycle!