jet boats

[brohymn2]

went and looked at some jet boats the today, ive been researching them off and on for the last little while, anyways wondering if anyone has experience with weldcraft jet boats?

these boats caught my eye

http://coachworksrv.com/index.php?area_id=1002&page_id=1006&page_element_id=68&item_id=93&LIMIT68=0#element68

and

http://coachworksrv.com/index.php?area_id=1002&page_id=1006&page_element_id=68&item_id=96&LIMIT68=0#element68

im looking for something that I can fish the nsr, Athabasca, and pembina for walleye and sturgeon, and still be able to take it on a lake if I so wish to

thanks

[CanadianBadass]

That Black Boat was the one I was also Eyeing up , Been looking at boats for awile, And weldcraft, Thunder Jet and Hewescraft are the boats that have caught my eye, but I have not pulled the trigger on anything yet ..

I found an older model Hewescraft , Had an 80's Blue retro interior, but The haul was lined with 1/4" Puck board, and had a really nice Outboard Jetdrive on it, would need some Love and Shining but in river ready condition. It was only 9000$ ......

looked like this one, but a little nicer.... and had two way bench seats

http://www.liveauctionworld.com/1994-19-foot-Aluminum-River-Runner-Hewes-Craft-with-90-HP-Yamaha-Jet-Drive-single-axel-Easy-Load-Tr_i8950361


So its hard to bite the bullet on a 55,000$ weldcraft when I can get a bunch of good years out of this oldie I found...

Still unsure of what I will get though !

[brohymn2]

man that's not a bad deal. ya 55k is a lot of coin to drop on a toy but hey you only live once

[ESOXangler]

I guess I Shoulda got a job in the army hahaha! Check out bratt out of sylvan too!

[The Reel Deal]

i'm not a jet boat owner but have spent a fair bit of time in one. I prefer an outboard with a jet leg, WAY more room in the boat, and its lighter.
also if you get stuck or suck up a bunch of rocks and lose propulsion, you can get them out much easier by just trimming up the engine and work them out with a pry bar.

[brohymn2]

I guess I Shoulda got a job in the army hahaha! Check out bratt out of sylvan too!

ya this will hopefully be my retirement gift to myself when I get punted

[EZM]

I looked at jets when looking for a new boat last year ....... Weldcraft and CustomWeld were the ones that stood out for me.

Strong, full bead welds, heavier construction (pockets, rails, cross members, etc...).

This is something the Hewescraft, at least the new ones, did not have.

The trailers are also way stronger.

I know they are more money but these two brands are really solid and have a great reputation.

[brohymn2]

hewescraft alsohas a .160 bottom

[EZM]

Typically advertised hull and sideboard thicknesses are equal ........ this is what the average consumer looks for.

It's the cross members, rails, decks, corner pockets that are different it seems.

look at the way they afix their cleats, finish the bow, attach the nose and stern rings ....

then look at the trailers ........

I thought the Customweld and Weldcrafts were very well constructed compared to many other brands.

[brohymn2]

Typically advertised hull and sideboard thicknesses are equal ........ this is what the average consumer looks for.

It's the cross members, rails, decks, corner pockets that are different it seems.

look at the way they afix their cleats, finish the bow, attach the nose and stern rings ....

then look at the trailers ........

I thought the Customweld and Weldcrafts were very well constructed compared to many other brands.

cool ill keep that in mind next time I look

[Dale S]

When your buying a jet boat, first thing to do is know what your going to use it for. If your going to run big rivers and a few lakes over the season. Custom Weld, Weldcrafts, and Harbercraft type of boats work well. But if you want to run skinny water, jump gravel bars, hammer rocks and get to those fishing holes the bigger boats can't get to. You need a small light weight boat.
I spend every weekend on the Oldman River. Which has a flow of around 50 m3/s. in mid summer. My 16' Outlaw Lynx weighs 1800lbs dry. Makes it easy to push out, when your stuck on a gravel bar. And you will get stuck if your running skinny water. The Outlaw boats have the thickest bottom on the market. I have hit lots of rocks. All it does is leave a little teflon on the rock. Just watch any youtube video of jetboats running skinny water. Not many are Custom Welds or Harbercraft. An AO member here the Rockdoctor has some good video of running skinny water.
But my boat does not do well on the lakes. It's not good in the waves. That's a nice thing about a river there a no waves.
IMO Outlaw Marine have the best jetboats around. You get what you pay for, because these boats are not cheap. A new, loaded 16' Lynx is around $70000.

[TROLLER]

Been thinking about a jet for some time now.

Only thing holding me back is the way they perform on a windy lake. \I sure would not want to be at the far end of Minnewonka when the wind comes up.

As to rocks getting into the jet, buddy of mine has some sort of handle he stomps on and it clears the rock.

[BlackHeart]

Stomp grate. A very important addition.....no end of troubles without one. (I know)

My thunderjet with 14 degree bow handles rough water better than most boats.....but its design is more for rough deeper water specifically the snake river........the rougher it is the more fun......nothing like busting through waves and spray all around. Went out on cold lake and fished when most were coming in to shelter. Was entertaining trying to stand and rig up without falling. We were downrigging, all at the back.....at times it looked as if the bow was up 45.

Also went out on Slave went it was blowing pretty good....that was a blast.

The wave oscillation (time between crests) can be different independent on lake and wind speed.....some you slide into the trough and cut the top of the next.....sometimes your hitting them just right....other times theres no speed that will not rattle your passengers teeth.

There is always going to be a trade off in jetboats.....skinny vs waves, load vs speed, size vs weight.

[fickell]

I have owned a 21 foot weldcraft bought new since 07 and we love it 5.7 l 330 hp vortec 212 Hamilton pump all the bells 3/4 hard top stomp grate a must ,sand trap a must ,lots of room handles very good, and yes it is not a skinny water boat .about 18 l of fuel hr running a river it sounds like a lot but you can go a long ways in a hr if you have any questions about the weldcraft feel free the ask me

[The Fisherman Guy]

If you are going to run rivers primarily, Outlaw all the way.

[Dale S]

Some skinny water running. http://youtu.be/BsBE3NJqrkg

[Fishhunter]

This is skinny water firefish boat red deer river I think.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwbj5xmAHo

[Dale S]

This is skinny water firefish boat red deer river I think.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwbj5xmAHo

That's some good driving right there. Someone that's not scared to put the hammer down.

[justinO]

I have a 20' Duckworth, bought it down in the USA got a great deal on it. I love this boat it's built like a tank with so many great features. Air ride seats are a real treat :sHa_shakeshout:

[justinO]

This is skinny water firefish boat red deer river I think.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwbj5xmAHo

Wow that is serious skill right there very impressive. That driver has some Brass @#@@!

[Chisholm77]

This is skinny water firefish boat red deer river I think.http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mmwbj5xmAHo

That's awesome! I didn't know most of that was possible. Would love to have a unit that could do that one day.

[LonelyAngler]

I have a 19' outlaw Muskwa 12 degree,350 chev driving an 312 american turbine pump. I too wanted to be able to do it all, lakes and smaller rivers. The Red Deer, Bow fairly easy but you are going to plow some gravel. I have also run my boat in 6'-8' breaking waves on the lower Columbia(around Portland) a little bit rough, the flatter bottom doesn't cut the wave it rides up them. The biggest problem I have with my boat is trolling. Due to the flatter bottom and high free board it gets pushed around by the wind quite a bit. But it has got a lot better since putting a 80lbs terova on the bow

[QIsley]

These look like they might be good jet boats as well...

http://sjxjetboats.com/index.html

[brohymn2]

was at explorer industries today, anybody have experience with these boats?
prices seemed reasonable

[CanuckShooter]

Stomp grate. A very important addition.....no end of troubles without one. (I know)



It should be illegal to not have one [stomp gate].

Last year I was out working in the front yard, the river was high and the jet boats were doing their annual spring drive bys. I noticed a jet going downstream with four people in it and they were using the kicker to navigate...thought it was odd.

Later I heard the jet was plugged and they didn't have a stomp grate so they tried to go downstream via kicker....they ended up under a log jam and two women drowned.

Every jet boat should have one.

[QIsley]

Explorer boats are great boats... That's what Get Hooked uses on the NSR.

[EZM]

That boat might need a paint job after that trip ..... lol ...... omg

I wonder where he rented that boat ....... bring the boat back to rental place with big rocks and tree stumps in the back .......

[tcarlyle]

I have a 16ft Explorer with 70 HP outboard jet set up with four seats. Great for running the North Sask and trib out west of Rocky. Great on Athabasca or smaller rivers. They will customize your unit nicely for you. Very strong little boats that move nicely on the lakes unless the waves get high. These have the V hull with the polystyrene also for skidding on rocks. www.explorerindustries.com
Ask for Dave Issac, very knowledgeable and he will review your fishing habits and make some suggestions for you.

[dodgeboy1979]

http://www.itetc.ca/prod01.htm

If I had the money to spend on a jet boat this is what i would be looking at. Love the way the bow opens for loading gear etc...

[Snowdog]

was at explorer industries today, anybody have experience with these boats?
prices seemed reasonable

Dave at Explorer built a custom boat with and outboard jet for us at Search and Rescue Dog association of Alberta for our dogs to work from in shallow rivers, great boat but we need to upgrade to motor, go big on the Hp for rivers. Eagle Outlaw in Red deer are fantastic boats

I also run a 7500Lb twin jet landing boat, tip for inboard jets on lakes, make sure you can clean out weeds from the prop shaft and screw from inside the boat/while it is in the water, hitting the stomp grate for weeds wont help at all. My FIL was stuck for 9hrs on a lake after he filled the intakes with weeds and overheated the motors and had to shut down and the wind blew him into a weed bed so he would clean out, start up, suck in more, repeat for 9hrs until a pontoon with an outboard came past and towed him back to clean water. This boat is from Jet Craft in G.P. IIRC