pro and con of jet motor

[bluerock bass]

I've been looking for a used boat seen a couple in my price range,but they are jet boats. Is there a huge difference with speed, power, or general performance. I fish mostly lakes or ponds under 300 acres with club trip to the local river.Thanks, Jeff

[Way2slow]

Are they jet boats or have outboards with jet drives, huge difference between the two.

Huge difference in performance of a jet drive and prop drive. A 40 hp jet drive performs about the same as a 25 hp prop drive. Manuvering as idle and slow speed also sucks with most jet drives. If for just fishing lakes, I wouldn't have a jet drive.  For the river trip, depends on the river.  I've seen bunches of rivers I could run my 20 boat with 225, and others you have a hard time in a 14' jon with a 9.9

[mikesjet]

 I do have a Jet outboard on a modV and I love it on shallow rivers like the juniata and susky.  I also take it on lakes.  I like the best of both worlds even though long runs on the lakes are a pain the dupa.  Fuel consumption is very high, there is on average 30% reduction of effeciency between prop and jet.  As was said earlier my no wake speed just so I can maintain some reasonable control on lakes, the motor is turning 2000-3000rpm.  Also high speed manuvuers will make you wet your pants.  It will turn in but too much and you will skip like a rock since you do not have a skeg in the water and don't cut the throttle in hopes of saving yourself. (last statement, don't ask)There is no trolling with one either that I can see.

 As for running skinny water.....it is all in the size of your jewels!!  I for a fact know that I can, at full plane, naviagate 6 in. of water.  However, I will no way in hell try it unless it is the only way out of somewhere.  No brakes, can't turn as well to me without knowing a body of water like the back of my hand i wouldn't do it.

 It comes down to priority.  What do you want to do most?  I run rivers mostly and can not afford two boats so I run what I have.

Sorry this is long,  

Mike

[bluerock bass]

Thanks, The lakes I fish are all no wake but it beats using your trolling motor. I'm looking for a 16 to 17 mod v jon boat or a bass tracker style aluminum. I have a 17 ft nitro and when I did river tx it was great . Now with 4 kids and family life the big money tx are taking a backseat. so I started my our club and it's been great. thanks for the info....Jeff

[urp]

Had a 50 on my Tracker which was rated at 35. Uses much more fuel than a prop. Terrible low speed turning. If you're not river running, don't do it.

[riverfisher]

I would love to test one of these out say's all it needs is 3 inches of water!!

http://www.riverpro-boats.com/

[DEISWERTH]

I have a 90/65 jet.  All my fishing is river fishing except for 1 week in Canada on a lake. All the above is true, but that is all I know, so it is no big deal to me. I love mine, but if all I fished was a lake w/no wake, I probably would just buy a small prop motor.

[Way2slow]

What actually makes a much better, all around boat is a tunnel hull with hydraulic jack plate.  They will actually run in shallower water than a jet drive and you still get all the performance and low speed handling of the prop drive.   They are not quite as fast as a similar jon but can't everything be perfect.  

[sodaksker]

I too am also interested in a jet boat, so I will bump this back to the top hoping for some more feedback.  Thank you to all of you who have already commented.

Rob

[Matt Fly]

My family has been running jet outboards  for over 35 years on the Rio Grande on the Texas Mexico river.

   You get the right outboard matched to the right jon boat with proper weight distribution, you can plane through the most shallow waters.

     Outboard jets don't do well in heavy vegitated areas.    We fish waters that haven't seen hooks in the water in a long time.    There may be some floaters come through and fish the river, but that rare.    

[retiredbosn]

I prefer river fishing, but due to the shallow characteristic of my local river I have been fishing lakes.  But after seeing the riverpro video and set up I would love one of those.  I am definitely looking into a jet propelled boat of sometype for my river fishing, I want to get back on the river bad.  My only concern is the hull thickness on some of the quote unquote shallow boats, like the roughneck for instance .100 of an inch, think I would like more thickness and prestressed aluminum.  Lot of rocks in the river I run.

[Matt Fly]

We have seen a few more hoover/air boats on the Rio Grande, they have to fish parallel to the banks, they don't maintain steerage way to place the nose of the boat into canes and maintain position to tie lines in and under the canes lying over the water.

   They'll climb the falls easy, but once your off the gas in moving current, you have loss of steerage way.

    The only place to get jets for years was out of Cali. at San luis Obispo.     A cracked shoe in the 90's for a 40 hr was 500 bucks.  

    Not cheap to maintain if running rough waters all the time.

We do run some rough water and climb some falls, and that takes big cajones.    Funny, the older I get, the more aluminum I squeeze from the sides every trip up and down the river now days.