Question for V-8 jet owners

[ISeeFish]

Today I put down a refundable deposit on a new Thunder Jet with a 305 Chevy.I didn't have a chance to test drive it, as it was well after closing time.I test drove a 175 sportjet last week and it performed well, but it is a two-stroke with the smoke an fumes. Naturally I'll be test driving the boat before buying, but would like to here from some small V-8 jet owners (the 305 in particular)on the performance and satisfaction of this combo. Thanks Jay

[jet]

It really depends on how long/heavy your boat is. Personally I would go with the 350 if the boat is 21ish. I have a TJ with the 350 and my buddie has a 305, when it is loaded he could use a little more power. What pump are our looking at? Hamilton or Kodiak I hope.

Jet~~~

[ISeeFish]

Jet - It's a 19' Luxor with I believe a Marine Power pump.

[5-Cents]

No one ever complained about too much horse power! :wink:

[BrionLutz]

ISF,

I think you are making the right choice going with the 4-cycle on the 19'.

I got the 240SportJet with my 19' NorthRiver, plenty of power but smokey and noisy...had to get rid of it.

Compare the weight and hp of the 305 Chevy to the 240 Sportjet, see what the HP to weight ratio is. My performance was good with the SportJet so if the HP/WT ratio is the same for the 305, you are probably in good shape.

Brion

[ISeeFish]

5-Cents - "No one ever complained about too much horse power!" Very true, but everyone complains about spending too much money.

[jimh]

I have a 325HP V8 350 with American Turbine SD-309 in mine. My boat is a 20 Custom Weld Cobra SE and weighs approximately 2700 lbs. I've had zero problems with having enough power with as many as 6 people (about 1000lbs) on board.

BTW, if you plan to go in rougher water, either plan to slow down quite a bit or buy trim tabs. It is a much better ride if you use more of the V in the front of your boat.

[Mr. Carp]

You ever consider going with a Yamaha outboard instead of a noisy inboard? :grin: Less maintenance, much better peformance and more efficient IMHO. Besides, that way you don't loose all of that valuable fishing space and won't need hearing aids in 10 years. :wink:

Besides, I want to see you try to pull start your inboard when the batteries are dead. :wink:

[ISeeFish]

Mr. Carp - I was under the impression inboard jets are more efficient. I checked the Yamaha website and the biggest jet is 80hp and I would imagine very spendy.

You've got a good point about not being able to rope start a V-8.... maybe push start it?

[Finn-icky]

Just from my experience and humble opinion, if you can aford the 350 you should go that route. The smaller motor may have enough, but it will be working itself hard under heavy load conditions. The 350 would probably use slightly less fuel as a result. Also, anyone with an inboard should have two batteries and a switch to select either or. What was mentioned about rope starting an inboard is true if you don't have enough sense to double up on the batteries. Then again if you pack a kicker around with you, they can get you out of a jam provided it is sized large enough for your boat. Congratulations on the new boat purchase. I've experienced the feeling a few times and it was just as fun the last time as the first.

[Green Machine]

Hey Carp..........Whose motor has been in the shop lately!!! :grin:
Go with the 350. I'm not sure if you have signed on price yet, but Sigler's will come down on price. They have 90+ boats in stock and tell them you don't have to buy from them. Last year they couldn't get the 305 in stock and gave the 350's at the same price. My friend had one and the mileage is not that much better on the 305. Plus I would think about a different pump. The Marine Power is new, may be fine I don't know, but has not had the years of testing like the American Turbine and Hamilton and Kodiak. The AT 209 should also be the same price as the Marine Power, plus the clean-out for the pump is outside the boat. Good luck and let them know it's a buyers market. They DO NOT want to loose your business.

Green Machine

[ISeeFish]

Green Machine - I may have been mistaken on which pump the boat has because it does have a top clean-out.

I have considered the 350 which is a $1500 upgrade or $2500 for fuel injection, then horse power shouldn't be an issue, it's fully self contained cooling system and self winterizing {I guess the manifolds are self draining).

Cost is starting to limit how the boat can be outfitted. They have recommended upgrading to a dual axle trailer ($700) because with a full tank of gas, a kicker & gear it's at the single's limit. Then there's a welded kicker bracket $400(seems awfully high) & a 8hp high thrust Yamaha with electric start & tilt ($2400). Oh, and tax looks to be $1900 or more.


So, there comes a point where you have to say "I don't want to pay no more", which led me to the original post. I hope the test drive will make the decision easier and not harder.

Please keep the posts coming, they.re very helpful.

[ 08-17-2003, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: ISeeFish ]

[jet]

Remember the Marine power pump single stage is basically the same as the American Turbine. The Marine power 3 stage the same as the Kodiak. Kodiak is a older design from Hamilton. Kodiak is located in Tualatin and Hamilton is based in Australia.

IF you need parts and the bite is on, you need parts fast, local parts can be a plus.

If you can not tell I do have a Kodiak and love it. If I did it again I might buy the Hamilton as it is a newer design, But As a matter of fact Kodiak just came up with a new pump so it might be a toss up.


Now that you have pump confusion, sorry.

The 350 would be the better choice.

Jet~~~

[jet]

I have considered the 350 which is a $1500 upgrade, Yes... skip the Fuel injection to save dollars.

They have recommended upgrading to a dual axle trailer ($700)... as must with the weight and safety issue. The best part is ther is no wiggle wagle from the trailer.Hopefully it is a welded Tricker as they fit the TJ better than the Cheeze loader.

Then there's a welded kicker bracket $400(seems awfully high)... One of the best investments, There is a trough on the bracket for bait and other wet items

8hp high thrust Yamaha with electric start... The group all loves Yamaha mortors. I think you can get a non-current Honda for about $700 lesss

Jet~~~

[Tacklebuster]

Skip the fuel injection and stick with the carb. A double axle is the only way to go. If I had to do it all over again I would have spent the extra money. I have three years on my boat and go through a tire every 14 months. Honda'a and Yamaha's are great motors if you have the extra money but Nissans run just as well for less. I have had mine for three years and have only have to pull it twice to start. The kicker brackett is a must. I got the same one and they are great to throw bait in and run the river to de thaw.

I have a Weldcraft Renegade which is a cookie cutter to the TJ in my opinion. The 350 is very popular but the 305's are good also. I opted with the 4.3 Vortec (225 hp) inboard and am very pleased with her. I get plenty of power and is better on the Texaco card. I take three to four people with me and will run with the V8's on any day. A few of you have seen me on the river and can vouch for that.

Good luck to your best day of your life. Actually you get two of those, the day you buy and the day your sell or trade in to upgrade :grin:

[Seefood Man]

Iseefish; You got mail :cool:

[willierower]

Go with the 350, If you can swing it get a Hamilton 212 pump. If not, got with an American Turbine. You can rebuild an AT minus a new impeller for about 150 bucks. Also, with an AT pump you can install a Place Diverter which tilts the nozzle up or down for trim.

I just rode in a 21' Jet boat powered by a Chevy ZZ4 motor running a legend pump with a stainless "A" impeller and the boat runs in the high 70's to low 80's at 5000 rpm. the ZZ4 is a 355 horse small block.

[Silver Hilton]

I, too, wish I had gotten a double axle trailer, and my boat is plenty light (boat and trailer total is about 2300lbs). I also wish I had gotten trailer brakes. They are much cheaper at original purchase than after the fact.

[wambam]

don't skimp on horespower,305 is good the 350 is just a little better, don't hagle over the pump unless you are planning on running very large and powerfull whitewater, otherwise the 212 hamilton is just an expensive option you will never need, just ran the lower rogue, from gold beach to agness, 4.3 and at309 did awesome.and it was very shallow.shop around and do not get that deer in the headlights thing happening to ya, good luck. :cheers:

[ISeeFish]

So far the general consensus is to go with the 350, upgrade to the dual axle trailer and add the kicker bracket. At a cost increase of $2600 it looks like I'll have to solicit donations...anyone?...anyone?

[BrionLutz]

ISeeFish,

If you are looking at a 19' and you are on a budget, you should look at a prop outboard setup.

It should be less money and better performance, less weight. You'd be able to afford the kicker, GPS, etc.

It comes down to how you are using the boat. If you are mostly fishing Willamette and Columbia, Oregon City to Bonneville to Longview, maybe hitting Astoria, Tillamook Bay...the outboard should be fine.

Brion

[ISeeFish]

Brion - I'll be taking the boat on the Cowlitz as well as the places you listed, so a jet is just about a must have.

As far as budget goes, it's more self imposed more than anything. I started out thinking $10000 for a use sled, then I made the "mistake" of looking at new boats (just curious ya know). Now I'm trying not to turn this into a $30000 boat if a $25000 one will do.

[Mr. Carp]

Originally posted by Green Machine:
Hey Carp..........Whose motor has been in the shop lately!!! :grin:
<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Green Machine, When I wrote that, I knew that you would probably bite on that one because we had or little discussion about this a few months ago. :grin:

Only bad thing about talking to people through e-mail is they know stuff like that about you!!
:wink:

[copperhead]

I've got a good idea for you. Buy my NWJet get the horsepower, dual axle trailer, electronics, remote steered kicker, air rides, and save money and sales tax. Just a suggestion !!!!!

[BrionLutz]

IseeFish,

The used boat angle is a good one. Lotta folks not making the payments these days who have nice boats and would love to get out from under. You'd probably get the boat you'ar going to buy and save $5-10K.

Wish I had purchased used on my first one.

I do like the jet for not having to worry so much about the bottom but we do pay a price in weight, speed and efficency. If Cowlitz is occasional and can be done with care with a prop, that would still be the most cost effective/convenient way to go.

On the power, I know if I had not gone to higher power on my jet (dealer and boat builder said I didn't "need" it), I'd be a hurt'in pup so the idea folks are counseling about edging toward higher power is probably a good one.

Brion

['ZZZZzzzzzz']

Hello ISEEFISH:

Another vote for the 350 or bigger. There is no replacement for displacement. I have the Chev 350 HO, carb, alluminum heads in a 20' NR Ranger Sport and if anything I'll go bigger on both boat and motor next time. I definitely agree that you want a dual axle trailer as well.

My 2 cents...

Z's- :grin:

[ 08-18-2003, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: 'ZZZZzzzzzz' ]

[Jettin' Fool]

http://www.northriverboats.com/gallery/thumbnails/accessories/520_pfi_mer_engine.jpg

he he he

Fool :wink:

[Red]

Iseefish,

Hopefully the test drive will settle some things. The model you are looking at isn't as wide or probably as heavy as the sportsman or alexis models of old (mines a 2000 Alexis, do they still have those names?) http://www.ifish.net/uploads/253922230.jpg Take a load of heavy buddies out for your test drive. Sounds like with the trailer already maxed there is no question which to buy. Good luck, you don't have to use all your horsepower, you will never be able to add more without a huge cost. Have fun!!!

[cannonball]

Look hard at a 351 PFI. My old 17 foot with a 302 carb burned more fuel than my current 20 foot with an Injected 351. Maintence is also mutch lower on a FI motorand they are easier to start on theos cold days.

Yes, the 350 puts out more HP,but the 351 puts out more torque and gets out of the hole a bit faster.

[salmonfever]

go with the bigger fuel injected engine. Assuming you put in the matching impeller/pump, you can run at a lower RPM, and still have power in reserve when you need it. I am getting about the same economy out of a 496 fuel injected on a 22' boat that I used to get out of a 351 carb motor on a 21' boat, and now cuise at 3000 rpm, instead of 3300 rpm

[BonkBonkBonk]

are boat 305s as poopy as car 305s?

[Mr. Carp]

Look at all that wasted space....... :wink:

[jet]

yes, Red they still use the Alexis name

Jet
Alexis Supersport

[Grass Hopper]

For Whats Its Worth! The Dealers take. I do this for a living. Go with a 350. RESALE VALUE. I like Std Carb. UNLESS running a lot at elevation. Best bang for the buck. Easiest to work on and find parts for. IN THE WORLD! I also think v-8 boats should be at least 20 feet with 72' bottoms. They are heavy. The length helps it come out flatter. If your stuck to price and a 19'x66" boat go for a sportjet or v-6, which weighs less and has 225 hp. TEST DRIVE A LOADED BOAT&gt; YOU DONT GO FISHING ON EMPTY WITH A STRIPPED DOWN BOAT AND NO KICKER! good luck!

[Flatfish]

Why not wait and buy a used boat that suits your fancy? I would love to buy a new boat. But for 10,000 difference in cost, plus interest( close to 14K when it is all said and done), I will wait for the right used boat to come along.

If I buy used, trade in the motors and replace them( motors are usually what break down on a boat. Boats usually do not break, Unless a weld fails. Or you clang a rock at 30mph) in 10 years I can buy new motors again and still be money ahead of a new boat.

Tandem trailer with brakes is only way to live. Bolted trailers are not your friend on a heavy boat.

Mark and the dog.