View Full Version : Running a jet on 15' Smokercraft?
fishonthebrain
12-30-2006, 07:29 AM
Has anyone installed a jet outboard on a Smokercraft Alaskan or similar style boat? Did the boat handle ok. It's time to get a new outboard and I'm trying to decide if it would work to install a jet on the boat. The boat spends most of it's time fishing coastal rivers and lakes. It would be nice to have the jet when on the coatal waters-no more sweating bars. However not sure how the boat would handle; whould it be worth the trade offs? Any advise?
ondarvr
12-30-2006, 03:49 PM
Yes, a good friend of mine has a 13' Alaskan with a 60/40hp pump on it, it works very well. If you haven't run a jet boat before they will all feel odd at first, it just takes a little getting use to. You need much more HP with a jet to get the same, or at least similar performance and a 6 gal tank of gas won't get you very far.
troutski
01-03-2007, 05:56 PM
I have a friend that has a 15' SmokerCraft Alaskan with a 25hp bigfoot pump and loves it....he does go thru some fuel though. You can always hear him coming form down stream,a bit louder that a prop. He fishes the Umpqua River and says "he will never go back to a prop".
Chuck
Rubber Boot
01-03-2007, 08:02 PM
I had one that I put a 2 stroke 50 Merc on.....loved it but it was a bit underpowered. A friend of mine has one with a Yami 40 hp four stroke. I have been with him on th Lewis in water that I would be afraid to put my supervee into....Go for it you will love it!
KingFisher85
01-04-2007, 07:04 PM
Go for it! I like the 2005/6 yamaha 40/30 4 strokes
NWaddict
01-06-2007, 01:48 PM
I've ran pumps on similar boats up in AK when we ran out of flatties and I really didn't like it. The boat was very squirrelly. Hard to explain but it would want to get away from you pretty easily while on step. I'm not entirely sure but I think it depends on where the boat planes out at and how far the deep vee front runs back. It think it is that deep front vee that catches water and makes the boat handle so poorly.
Sounds like others have had good luck w/ them, so maybe it was just the boat I was running. I think it was a lund or something similar.
-Dom