Almost, maybe, a Sea Ray owner with a question...

I defer to the experience and judgment of Lazy Daze. I gave my '89 Johnson 150hp to my brother in NJ. He hasn't been able to find anyone to fix it as there is no place to plug in a computer. Now he's giving it to Goodwill. Use some restraint. Probably don't want a smoker with a lot of hours. Over 500 would be a concern.
 
My question would be how far do you have to go in 20" water? If its a mile, then you need to consider options. If its 50 yards, then you should be good to go.

Our last 19' boat had a 3.0 liter and it was an awesome engine. With the prop optimized we could put 8 people aboard and she ran outstanding. With 2 aboard, the other 2 could be tubed with ease.

Our usual sandbar stop required that we travel in shallow water for about 75 yards. I calibrated the outdrive position on the trim gauge so I could set the drive just about equal to the keel. Running at 1000 rpm (per mercury's recommendations) if the drive hit the bottom the hull would hit it as well. Ran that same boat for 35 years and never caused any damage to the U-joint or gimble bearing. The 1000 rpm is the key.

In times of dry weather and low water, we put half the crew in the bow and I dropped the 9.9 kicker. That prop was level with the chine, so even if the boat bottomed out the engine was still safe. My personal opinion is that a kicker is a necessary item anyway, so we have never gone without one.

I agree that an OB is the way to go, but if a used I/O is required because of cost, there is always a way...
 
Lazy Daze said:
From experience, not just theory... that 115HP on that boat is fantastic. The boat actually ran very well with the standard 90HP. You'll be very happy.
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The Mercury two stroke outboards run very well. Using Mercury/Quicksilver Premium Plus two stroke oil with oil injection the engines smoke very little. There will be some smoke, especially at start up, but once they warm up you need to actually look for the smoke to see it. I would be looking at that boat today if you haven't already looked at it yesterday.
 
I would be looking for a jet boat. The newer (2000+) jet boats are fantastic options.
 
Never had a jet boat but I've heard they are inefficient and you should increase power by 1/3rd. Docking should be discussed as, I'm hearing, throttle is all or nothing. Some have factory or add on steerable fins on nozzles. Could be like skiing on pebbles but OK. Torque curve has to be matched to pump characteristics and big Olds block with open pipes is typical.
 
Docking a twin engine jetboat is extremely easy. Adding fins to a jetboat is actually counterproductive and doesn’t allow you to take advantage of their ability to slide the aft sideways.

They are a little less efficient just like v-drives are less efficient than I/O but that doesn’t mean they don’t serve a useful purpose.

Modern jetboats shouldn’t be compared to the old big block racing jetboats. They are different animals completely.
Throttle is definitely not all or nothing. That’s a slam into a dock waiting to happen.
 
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Yamaha has a 21 foot bowrider with twin jet drives. I agree that twin jet drives are easy to steer. Single jet drives are difficult to steer and I would not recommend them.
 
The pros and cons of jet boats have been debated ad nauseum. Some like them, some don't. Your choice.

What's often omitted is the cost. For the price of a second hand Yami twin you can buy a brand new 19' OB with a 150. Naturally, prices are often region specific.
 
I was thinking more along the lines of an outboard runabout with a jet pump in place of prop and lower unit. I think they race them in rivers in Australia. It never occurred to me that a jet ski with a hull could be called a "jet boat." I thought they were just expensive toys for those who wanted to avoid nasty propellers. Astronomical fuel consumption! Dealer only repairs.
 
These aren't your father's jetboats.

These are legitimate boats now. Mainly intended for lakes, but they work well enough in near shore waters.

https://www.yamahaboats.com/

My first boat was a 2004 Yamaha LX210, which used two 2-stroke motors. It was a far superior boat (quality, comfort, etc) to the crappy Sea Hunt that I replaced it with. I only ever changed the plugs and fuel filters in it.
 
Yeah, my buddy had the Yamaha 21 and now has the 25 with bigger motors. I thought the 21 was a nice boat. I just saw his 25, but it's not on the water yet. Really nice and tons of room for a lake boat.
 
Arminius said:
I was thinking more along the lines of an outboard runabout with a jet pump in place of prop and lower unit.
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I have seen them in catalogs, but never recall seeing one at a boat show, nor on the water in real life. I'm sure they have a purpose, but not real popular around these parts.
 
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