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Boats and Hoes....prop vs jet boats

15K views 147 replies 36 participants last post by  montecarlo33 
#1 ·
Gents who has had both a prob and Jet boat(yamaha, Sea doo) and what did and didnt you like about each. Im looking at a Yamaha AR210. I have never owned a boat before and wanting something good for inland lakes. My wifes JK rubi is only good for around 4k lbs towing so Im limited to 21ft or under boats.
 
#2 ·
I have only had a prop boat. In my experiences of inland lakes, i am guessing a jet boat would work better since there is less chance of bottoming out. But that is purely my speculation as I don't have any experience with a jet drive.

As far as towing with a JK, I personaly would be nervous doing antything over 14' due to probable weight ratio issues. But that is just me as I can get nervous at times hauling a 20' with an Excursion. (I know I am a pansy ass when towing). :sonicjay:
 
#3 · (Edited)
I like jet drive for a pure cruising boat, with 4 people or less. If you want to tube, I think its about the best.
Cons for jet drive is they suck more hp to get the same performance and they tend to be rougher rides in waves (not always). My experience is with the 14 and 18ft Seadoo jet boats, nothing newer than 2004ish either, so newer boats with more hp and better design might be better. And don't forget that with 2 engines comes with double the maintenance.

Prop drive boat are my preference for skiing and wakeboard, and for a boat when you have 4+ people.
 
#6 ·
Seaweed, mud, sand will eat up your impeller in a hurry. We have two wave runners on my Fire department, and we go through impellers in a hurry. People get the idea that the thing can run in a foot of water. What is forgotten is that you need 2-3 feet so you don't suck shit up.
 
#5 ·
My aunt and uncle have one of the sea doo's, they are pretty fierce. I have seen a lot of jet boats living on the yellowstone, they excel in the rivers.
 
#7 ·
Jet is less efficient per HP than prop.

Jet + :
Shallow draft operation, throttle response, fun factor, most jet boats well laid out for day tripping, easy maintenance

Jet - :
Susceptible to weeds (can be an issue in inland lakes), less efficient per HP than prop, most jet boats have low freeboard (i.e. "sides") limiting them to small lakes/calm water

Prop + :
Simplicity, more efficient per HP than jet, prop easy to change/swap if damaged or to change pitch for performance, wider variety of hull styles


Prop - :
Potential for prop/lower unit damage in shallow water, need to be concerned with lower unit in addition to engine/powerhead

Outboard + :
Reliable, simple, most made in last 20+ years are oil injected, lightweight, best on sub 19 foot boats

Outboard - :
Well and mount can waste some space, can be cold-blooded

Stern drive + :
Easy operation, powerful, generally quiet, reliable, can be more fuel-efficient

Stern drive - :
Most work to lay up for offseason, same shallow water issues as outboard,
 
#11 ·
lol....well I sold my Z06 today and the wife has been pushing hard for a boat. I wanted a tractor with mid mount mower for cutting the grass and found a good deal on a zero turn....then I wanted to pick up a cheap skid steer for house projects/winter driveway cleaning but decided its cheaper to get my neighbor to bring over his kubota to help....now looking at the boats.

I have never owned a boat before but there are lots of lakes around us and it looks to be a good time on the water.
 
#10 ·
I am a prop guy myself. The little 14' jet boats are fun. Larger ones I observe are slugs. Jet boats are not as good for any type of tow behind recreation. IE tube, ski, wakeboard. Many of the jetboats are dual engine because a single engine can't compare for performance.

I tried to talk my neighbor out of a jet boat. He bought one anyway and loves it. shrug..
 
#14 ·
When I was 14 I had a friend whos parents bought him a single engine seadoo jet boat. My old man's '67 slickcraft with an il6 180 merc i/o waxed it in every aspect.

That thing was slugish out of the hole, would spin out on tight turns, took waves like shit, etc. But for a couple of 14 year old kids, we had a riot with that thing.
 
#89 ·
When I was 14 I had a friend whos parents bought him a single engine seadoo jet boat. My old man's '67 slickcraft with an il6 180 merc i/o waxed it in every aspect.

That thing was slugish out of the hole, would spin out on tight turns, took waves like shit, etc. But for a couple of 14 year old kids, we had a riot with that thing.
Got any pics? :d:
 
#18 ·
I like "real" jet boats,think big block with a berkley.I have no use for sea doos or sea doo style jet boats.In my opinion they are in efficient,over priced and anoiying as hell,but I live on a lake.
I love the sound of a big block,small block, a big outboard on a checkmate or bass boat is great. Listening to jet skies all day sucks donkey balls.
My freinds and I who have lived on/around the water all consider jet skies/ jet boats mosquitoes.You just want to swat them.It seams you can not ride a sit down or jet boat in the open water,you must do tricks and stuff as close to other boaters as possible,to show them how cool you are.Obviously this isnt everyone,but it is the majority.
In my circle you get little respect for anything jet powered that doesnt have a big block,unless it is a river boat,that is a totally different deal.

I like big outboards,and big blocks in that order.A jet is probobly fine,just not for me.

PLEASE WHAT EVER YOU BUY

Send your kids to boaters safety,and go your self.I grew up on the lake,been boating my whole life. It blows my mind how you can buy a boat and use it, with no training in michigan.I have draged bodies out of the water because people write the check for a boat,but have no clue what they are doing on the water.
Fyi when at the boat ramp. The idea is to park out of the way,prepare boat and passengers with all gear.Then launch the boat as fast as possible,and get out of the way.
I am still amased by the ignorant/inconsiderate people at the ramp.It is entertaining to watch the noobs load their new boat,or drop it on the ramp,rip off outdrive etc.
 
#21 ·
Much truth here. I also grew up on a lake and moved onto a lake after marriage as soon as we could. There are a lot of uneducated idiots out there.

RE your discussion of jet skis, when we were skiing competitively, we hated them. Now my kids are moved out and I have a standup and my wife has a sit down. They see way more use than our comp ski boat. I find the standup gives me plenty of exercise. I don't find the folks on the standups nearly as dumb as the newbie who buys a high powered sit down and starts flying around the lake at 60+ mph the day after he got it. BTW, women are still the worst drivers.
 
#20 ·
The seadoo and yam's are both great. I have a seadoo challenger 180, which is 230 horse supercharged, single engine. It does everything well, Yamaha is good too, but they don't supercharge any of their jet boats which isn't all bad in the hopes that they live a long time. I haven't found any towables it won't pull just fine . They both are very family friendly boats. Oh and if I were u, I'd buy more boat then u think u need.
 
#24 ·
My thoughts are kinda mixed on a boat in general down here. I could 100% see it if you lived right on a lake, had a dock somewhere, or knew someone where you could dock it. But for us I look at it as something that's going to sit in my driveway 90% of the time. To go out and enjoy it I have to hitch it up. Make my way to the boat launch. Deal with a big line up just to get in, assuming you can even get in. Deal with finding a spot to park the empty trailer. Then enjoy it for a few hours and do the reverse of that whole thing all over again to go home.

For me it comes down to it being just more of a hassle than the enjoyment I would get out of it is worth.
 
#31 ·
I had one of the small sea doo speedsters with the twin rotax engines . It was a freaking Blast to fly around in . It would do about 60 top speed and you could turn on a dime. Just before it would spin out it hooked so hard it felt like it was going to flip.:sonicjay: I could submarine the thing too ! I loved taking it out in lake Michigan in the small craft warning weather and jumping the shit out of it. My buddy and I would put helmets on and triple jump waves or just before takeoff turn the wheel and fly backwards off waves :thumb: it was a gas hog a tank of gas in 2 hrs at wot. I also broke at least 8 ribs in the thing from being a lunatic! I agree with the crotch rocket analogy I also never needed to pull anything to have fun ,the boat just was fun by itself. The engines were pretty reliable too . If you want a real boat buy a prop boat if you want a crotch rocket on water buy a jet boat . By the way the new bigger single engine ones are more like real boats but not as insane. Good luck deciding !:thumb:
 
#32 ·
Jet boats = Dumb. I like water sports, power, handling. All things that prop boats are better at. If you want to go up rivers or just putz around on the lake then get a jet boat. I really hate that you must be under power to turn them too. Ohh and they dont have brakes.
 
#35 ·
I think many of u do not understand what these modern 21foot jet boats act like . They arent like the little speedsters, they do not not not spin out. That's a trait of those small early ones, not the niew ones. They also handle great, mine corners amazing, and the no throttle no steering is unnoticeable.
 
#37 ·
A friend of mine has a 20 ft aluminum bass boat style boat with a big johnson motor with a jet drive lower unit. its not too bad to steer at low speeds but it can go in water thats only inches deep. he only runs it on the yellowstone though.
 
#40 ·
I know a guy that has a 21' Checkmate with a 350 merc outboard on the back. Holly shit that boat is stupid fast. I fell in love with it two summers ago and have been wanting somthing like it ever since. That 2 stroke did not seem to use very much gas either. Someday... Good luck on your boat hunt. BOAT= Bust Out Another Thousand.
 
#41 · (Edited)
I know a guy that has a 21' Checkmate with a 350 merc outboard on the back. Holly shit that boat is stupid fast. I fell in love with it two summers ago and have been wanting somthing like it ever since. That 2 stroke did not seem to use very much gas either. Someday... Good luck on your boat hunt. BOAT= Bust Out Another Thousand.
No, no you don't please try again. I hate when people post stupid fucking shit they don't know anything about.
 
#45 ·
In my boat? 2.5 GPH at idle. Approximately 35 GPH at wide open throttle. I usually could get about an overall average of 3-5 mpg if I remember correctly. In scott's boat I am not sure, I think he was running twin 502's with superchargers at a few pounds of boost, somewhere around 1200 hp total (can't really recall). His boat would run up over 100, then again it was also 32 feet with 4 times the horsepower of mine.
 
#52 ·
The happiest days of a boat owners life is the day he buys his and the day he sells it. With that being said I have owned a few boat. I started with a fourwinns 245 sundowner. Then to a fourwinns vista 258. Then after that I bought a scareab 34' with twin bbc. Now I have a alumacraft 165. Always had strictly pleasure boats now that I have a fishing boat it's my favorite.
All I can say is for your first boat buy used. Never buy new they loss tons of cash the first year. If you decide it's not your thing you can get close to what you paid used. If you buy new. Say it cost 40k new after a year you might get 25k if your lucky.
 
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