new dude/ boat opinions

[BONES]

I have been reading Ifish for several months now and really appreciate the knowledge and dedication
of all who participate.

I think I am going to make the jump into some debt and buy a new or used boat. I am looking hardest at Northriver, Alumaweld, and Weldcraft. I want a windshield boat in the 18 to 20 foot range. I am leaning towards merc sportjet but would like to hear from someone with some knowledge on them. Should be a little different than my 15' Smokercraft!!! Glad to be on board!

[brshooter]

If you have lots of time on your hand, check out the infamous North River thread. Here is the link

North River Thread (http://www.ifish.net/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=002616)

I have a North River 19' Sportster with the 175 Sport Jet. I really love the boat. It does everything I need. You will get many different opinions on boats. Ask 20 people and get 30 answers. Good Luck on your quest.

[Salmonator]

Oops, beat me to it.

[ 01-27-2002: Message edited by: Salmonator ]</p>

[Grass Hopper]

Is this your first jetboat?? A sportjet and pump is one unit if you create any sdamage you have to replace the whole thing unlike an inboard jet. Two seperatr units. When your sportjet impellor wears out you replace the whole motor. If you are learning you want to run lots of shallows you might consider an outboard jet. Foolproof in clogging and you can replace individual parts if you have any trouble. A sportjet runs great but has !/3 the warrenty of a true inboard and a lot less horsepower. Great for the experienced guy. but if you are hard on it it will not hold up for the lifetime of the boat.

[jet]

Where is that old monster... The North River thing?

Jen should put a permanant link to it on the home page. Tons of good opinion there and some actual facts.

Jet~~

[Idahobidcaller]

There are a lot of pretty boats made for jets, but there is only one that is built right. Wooldridge Boats, Seattle. This family has been running rivers longer than most. The patriarch of the family had license to run any part of the Rogue, and he was the first to run Idaho's Salmon "river of no return" from Riggins to Salmon. Class III and IV rapids by the dozens. Many have begun to copy the current designs.

[WaterDog]

HHMmm, I guess a “real” jet boat needs to carry around that extra 1000 lbs of cast iron just for the fun of it. And I guess any boat with and outboard pump is not a “real” jet boat. Oh, and a “real” jet boat must burn 9-12 (or more)gal/hr just because it it’s supposed to. :rolleyes: I also don’t see how if the pump is damaged for some reason why you have to replace the whole thing? :whazzup: The motor mounts from the inside and the pump from the outside, therefore they are TWO (2) separate units. :whazzup: What do I know, I’m a cracker anyway. :tongue:

There are pro’s and cons to both. Just do your home work and go for a ride. As mentioned, the North River thread has some good info. There are other topics as well, just do a search.

Whatever you do don’t let any salesperson BS you into something you don’t really need or want.


Oh, Welcome aboard! :smile:

[Fish Hunter]

Grass Hopper, can you explain why you would need to discard the whole sportjet motor when the impeller wears out? I was told there is a $300 replaceable wear ring in my 2001 175hp. Could you enlighten me?

[BONES]

brshooter, thanks for the link. That is the discussion I am looking for. I have alot to ponder. A new boat is no small investment! I am going on Wednesday to drive a boat with 175 sj. If they have the handling and durability it seems a good option. Less weight, more room I wish my bathroom scale had that to offer! :shocked:

[Deleted User]

Knuckles, I was in your shoes a year ago.... I had a 15' Smokercraft and went to a 21' North River. I have the 350 PFI with Hamilton 212. Your in for an absolute treat!! Nothing handles better and its a blast to go from 50 to 0 by slamming on the "Breaks". You cant go wrong with North River.
Seriously consider what you get. You dont want to be looking for a bigger, faster boat in a couple years. Get everything you want and if need be, you can extend the payments out to 15 years :shocked:

[Dr Strangelove]

Please take it from a 1999 19ft North River 175 SJ Sportster owner: it'll do 48mph, easily gets on step with four people, has lots more fishing room than that huge godforsaken V8 box allows, weighs in much less, uses less gas (3-5 gph) at 25mph - the fastest anyone should go if they're watching where the rocks are, is $10,000 less than the 350/Ham212 route, and you can replace the pump unit separately; the motor is bolted on quite visibly. Other options to consider - the 240SJ has a slightly bigger box, uses more fuel, and requires double corner boxes due to expansion chambers to get the hp up. The 200 Optimax is a nice option but the box is wider than the other SJ models, and soon to come out is the 250hp Optimax. Tempting in a 20-22ft model wide beam sled. But of course my garage will only fit a 19footer. Waah. Happy pickings. Doc

[brshooter]

I don't know what kind of financing your are doing on your boat, but we did a home equity line. It is a good deal because you can write off the interest. We were given the opportunity to lock in an amount of the equity line for a fixed period of our choosing. It is currently at 5%. I just wish I knew what Greenspan had up his sleeve for the next meeting of the fed. Rates are good right now, and the tax relief is welcome also. Good luck in what ever you end up with. I have a 2001 19' North River Sportster with the 175 Sportjet. Drop me an e-mail if you have any questions.

[ChinookSlayer]

I was in the exact same position until about 3 weeks ago. I owned a 14' aluminum boat, and moved up to a 20' forward helm sled. I did quite a bit of research for about a year. During this time I had the opportunity to go for rides in two indentical NorthRiver boats. Both boats were 19'. One had a V6, the other had the 175 SJ. The sportjet was OK, but the V6 had a lot more pull out of the hole and about 4mph faster on the top end. I was sold on the sportjets, until feeling the difference.

For the record, I bought a 20' BoiceJet (www.boicejet.com) I was sold on the NorthRiver until I went for a ride in the BoiceJet. Here is the IFish thread for Boice (cut and paste): http://www.ifish.net/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=009366

Before you make the final decision, you need to test drive the boats. That is what sold me on the BoiceJet. :grin:

Have Fun :cool:

[Fishplay]

Do us both a favor and check out my add on the boats and tackle for sale board.

[Deleted User]

The V8 does have a bigger box. I went with the 78"
wide option and have PLENTY of fishin room. I happen to like the 330 horses that come with it. I prefer the rumble over the whine anytime.

[Frozen Boater]

Have you checked out WOOLDRIDGE BOATS fishing machene option? They move the engine ahead two feet with a driveline, so you can walk around the engine cover. You can fish four easy with each person having a place to sit on the engine cover. By the way they won't install the sport jets, they like the v-6 chev 225hp and a two stage, for the small inboards. :cool:

[Straydog]

Idahobirdcaller.....
Your post caught my attention as I grew up with the Wooldridge's in Grants Pass. My mom grew up next to Glen (the Patriarch) when she was a kid.

The Wooldridges have always made one tough boat.

It is however interesting to add that Glen's only "license" to run the Rogue and many rivers was the "kahoonies" to do so..... in those days, he didn't need permits and near the hoop jumping to do what Glen on the Rogue. I am aware he had to get permission to run the Frasier and some others.

For anyone interested, I would recommend the book A River To Run by Florence Arman and Glen Wooldridger.

A point of interest, Glen did his first motoring with a prop boat lifted by a "******* lift" which he invented, built and marketed before the jets came along..... and these were on wood boats.

[Straydog]

Holycow........ can't say jacka$#????????

What a long strange trip it is.......

[TundraIII]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by knuckledragger:
I have been reading Ifish for several months now and really appreciate the knowledge and dedication
of all who participate.

I think I am going to make the jump into some debt and buy a new or used boat. I am looking hardest at Northriver, Alumaweld, and Weldcraft. I want a windshield boat in the 18 to 20 foot range. I am leaning towards merc sportjet but would like to hear from someone with some knowledge on them. Should be a little different than my 15' Smokercraft!!! Glad to be on board!<hr></blockquote>

[TundraIII]

Hey Knuckledragger, Look at as many boat builders as possible. Mass produced factory boats arent always the best quality. Funny nobody has mentioned Alumaweld, probably one of the most common boats on the water, I still wouldnt buy one! Sorry Alumaweld fans... I bought my boat from
Motion Marine out of West Linn. Mark Oldenstadt is the builder (check out his website). Spent months visiting boat builders, liked most of what I saw but Motion Marine builds their boats one at a time
with incredible attention to detail and many of the custom options available I didnt see anywhere else. This boat is truly built for the northwest and I have never regretted my purchase of this boat. My boat is an 18 ft with the 175 sportjet,
direct drive stops on a dime at full throttle, manuevers like a sportscar and it will do 55mph no problem. Customer service after the purchase is important also. You can buy a beautiful boat and then experience living hell trying to get the builder to fix it when you have a problem, really spoils the excitement and can make you question your purchase. When I first visited Mark in his shop in West Linn he was repairing the hulls of two Alumawelds, one of these boats was less than six months old. The owner of this boat got tired of fighting with alumaweld over the failure of the bow of his new boat, not a scratch on the hull. Hey just be picky and TAKE YOUR TIME.. your gonna have to live with your purchase for a long time. Oh and I have to agree with the other posts that the NorthRiver is an incredible boat, with a real good reputation. You dont see alot of Motion Marine boats out there,(although their numbers are increasing) I could have bought from one of the "bigger" builders with more recognition but you might find is that some of the smaller builders will work harder to create a better product and keep you happy..Good luck with your search.

[YellowDog]

ChinookSlayer,

I have been having a hard time deciding between the 4.3 Vortec V6 and the 175 SJ. I have been in a 19' with a 175 and it would do at least 50 mph and was quick out of the hole. I havn't been in a 4.3 V6 yet but was told by the guys at Weldcraft that the 18' Renegade would only do 40 mph and would not pull a skier out of the water? I was also told that the 4.3 Vortec V6 has a reputation for back cranking when you turn it off which sucks water into the motor and will warp the valves and bend your connecting rods.

[Idahobidcaller]

Straydog...
I heard that Glen had been given life permission to run any part of the Rogue in a power boat, even after restrictions were made. Idon't know if that was Ffederal or state. Also when in Idaho to run the Salmon he did it with a tiller 35 HP and a 25 hp backup both with the jack*** kickers. first ran it a year before he told the press, to see if he could

Frozenboater-
Isn't Mariska in Anchorage a Wooldridge dealer? There is a Boat show up there this weekend, I have family that just started work up there

[Straydog]

Oh, Ok, that could very well be.
I was refering to his earlier trips and what you say makes sense and is probably true.

The ironic thing is that knowing Glen, permission was not an element that concerned him a great deal! :grin:

[Nanook]

[ 11-25-2002, 04:04 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[WaterDog]

****** - :rolleyes: I think TundraIII said it all. :wink:

I think it's been mentioned before but if anyone gets a chance, you ought to read, "Rogue River - A River to run". It's about Glen and his life. Great read. :grin:

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: WaterDog ]</p>

[Frozen Boater]

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Frozen Boater ]</p>

[Frozen Boater]

IDAHOBIDCALLER: There is a WOOLDRIDGE dealer here, marita sea and ski. When i talked to Glen last he said your relative was coming up here to work. I will hopefully meet him sometime at the show. The sport jets are few and far between up here since they don't like the sand, gravel and heavy silt we have. Up here we travel long distances to fish and hunt, when you leave the ramp on the lower Susitna you can run for 100 or more miles up or down stream. I run 78 miles one way to a cabin for the weekend, we pack 160 gal of fuel in the boat, 24 classic with a 502cu FORD from ALDRIDGE MOTORSPORTS in Portland, with a Hamilton 241. Most boats here run 212's or the old three stage in a 21-26ft boat, speed is not that important being able to get on step with all of the fuel and gear for the trip. Average trip is prohabily 50mi here, moose hunting we go 350 to 650 one way from the ramp, the only ramp! :tongue: