I'm looking at buying a boat with a sportjet. Most of the summer it will be used in a lake (skiing with the kids) that has a lot of weeds. How much of a problem am I going to have with sucking up weeds?
I dont have a sport jet but I do have a jet boat with american turbine pump and when I go to a place with a lot of weeds it is a real problem. I have to go swimming and unplug the intake grate and when its not swimming weather I dont like it
Just hit them going fast and it won’t be a problem. I have a 175SJ and don’t have a problem if i’m going fast. On the other hand I have idled into a patch of seaweed and it got plugged up tight. Luckily I had a kicker and used it to get to shore. On the way to shore I ran over someone’s floating crab pot rope and that wrapped around my prop just as tight as the weeds in my pump.
Weeds will plug you tight especially hydrilla ...
The tow rope can get sucked into the water intake of the pump
and really ruin your day ...
Always make sure your bow rope will not reach your pump or prop ...
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I had a sportjet at one time twice in the ocean had to return to shore at winchester bay to clear weeds did not completely quit running but lost most of the power. Did quite a bit of wake boarding with it up her in the high desert did fine except got a little expensive on fuel with all the starting and stopping would not be my choice if I had kids who liked to wake board a little noisy too I think you would be much better off with an I/o or outboard. jmho
You can install a stomp grate. I have one and it works well. However the SJ just does not have the volume/power to chew threw the stuff like a grey pump or others. A sj is not optimum in your conditions but can and is done frequently. The main problem you will have in dislogging in a lake is that you have no current to help flush it out. I never have had success at reaching over the transom and dislogging the clog with any rake or tool. If it gets real bad I have to swim or trailer it
Sucking a rope into your pump causes bad things to happen, up to a bent shaft.
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Sportjet in a lake with weeds
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Re: Sportjet in a lake with weeds
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