Sea Ray abandons plan to join jetboat market

The sale of jet boats was down 28% last year. I hope the other makers know what they are doing, but for right now it looks like Sea Ray Marketing made a good call in canceling the jet program when they encountered engine difficulties with the Weber power train.
 
I don't really get the jet boats but I probably just don't understand. When I see a jet boat trying to idle in the ICW it looks like they are trying to steer a carnival ride. They seem to be primarily marketed to the water sports crowd but it is my understanding that they don't do as well at pulling people as the same boat with a traditional prop driven engine. Am I way off?
 
I'm jumping in a little late in this discussion but I think I can tell you why Sea Ray is staying out of the jet boat market.

I have owned a 2005 23' Yamaha SX230HO Jet boat for the past 4 years. It is hands down the best boat that I have ever owned. Yahama (and Sea Doo) to some extend have corned the market on these types of boats and have perfected just about everything with them. The purchase price for a new Yamaha starts around 22K and the average price is around $40K.

This boat has been amazing and I have taken it to the Bahamas as well as a 10 day trip down the west coast of Florida to Key West. I've been caught in 8' waves 65nm offshore in it (not pleasant but I survived, which is now why we are also buying a 420 Aft Cabin) and have run across the flats of Bimini in 8" of water.

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I used to have a Yamaha - sold it last year. I thought it was a very well made, quality boat.

It's very different handling at slow speed since you do not get any rudder effect from a lower unit. When the engines are in neutral, the wind will blow the boat around. The only time you have control is with power. Was a learning curve, but can be mastered. After a while I added some aftermarket fins to the bottom of the jet's - made a huge difference - though negatively impacted the "sliding turn".

Several interesting points. There is no transmission, the engines are directly coupled to the jet drives, always spinning them the same direction. At low idle, very small amount of thrust. It will slightly push the boat forward - to be dead still - kill the motors.

Also, reverse occurs when deflector gates are dropped on the outside of the jet nozzles. When the controls are moved to reverse, a cable drops the gates. No mechanical parts change direction. Dealer I bought the boat from pointed out that you can shift into reverse at any speed without pausing. This boat definitely has "brakes".

There are videos floating around of people at 30MPH+ jerking the boat into reverse with power. Will dunk the bow of the boat under water. (Not for me).

We did have a lot of fun with the sliding turns. When you turn the wheel, the boat does turn.

Surprised no one has posted the Yamaha Jet boat warning sticker that is on the back. Has generated a lot of jokes through the years.
 
Before this goes anywhere... I don't know that this qualifies as a funny joke. A friend of mine is a surgeon and he can testify to this being anything BUT funny. He worked on a teenage girl that fell off the back of a jetski as it was taking off. Now she can not have children.
 
Getting back on topic, the Hinckley Picnic Boat and the Talaria are both jet drives. So clearly a quality boat can be delivered with a jet.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

One of our neighbors where our cabins are, off the coast of Maine, has one. That is a VERY pretty boat. Wonderfully classic lines.
 
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Before this goes anywhere... I don't know that this qualifies as a funny joke. A friend of mine is a surgeon and he can testify to this being anything BUT funny. He worked on a teenage girl that fell off the back of a jetski as it was taking off. Now she can not have children.

Yes, I whole heartily agree that it is a serious matter. You can imagine a bunch of folks on floaties, with a cocktail in hand floating around the back of the boat - and reading the sticker for the first time.

Inappropriate to make fun a serious potential injury - but off color, inappropriate humor does exist sometimes.
 
Yes, I whole heartily agree that it is a serious matter. You can imagine a bunch of folks on floaties, with a cocktail in hand floating around the back of the boat - and reading the sticker for the first time.

Inappropriate to make fun a serious potential injury - but off color, inappropriate humor does exist sometimes.

Agreed.

Just didn't want to see this thread go down the toilet. Given that it's winter for many of us, sometimes that leads to post after post after post of questionable material, quickly spiraling downhill.
 
Getting back on topic, the Hinckley Picnic Boat and the Talaria are both jet drives. So clearly a quality boat can be delivered with a jet.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

That is fascinating, I had no idea that there was a legitimate market for jet drives. I had always treated them as novelty items and now I know better.

i just oust checked the Hinckley website and they have a lot of jet drive boats. I was on the MKIII Picnic Boat at the Miami Boat Show two years ago but I guess that I was so enamored with the build I'm not sure that I checked out the mechanicals.
 
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Inappropriate to make fun a serious potential injury - but off color, inappropriate humor does exist sometimes.

Not sure where this comment is directed, but it is in fact a warning sticker that is placed on the back of Yamaha jet boats.
 

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